A cultural excursion to Dunedin and a natural adventure before Oamaru

Hello dear ones,

I continue with my adventures in Dunedin. Yesterday on 02.09.2017 I arrived in this city and I don't really know how to describe it yet. But before I try, I still owe you the report about my last morning in the Catlins...

The last part of the Scenic Route was just as impressive as the others. Once again, the landscape was beautiful and diverse. From green meadows, to rainforests, to regular forests, it had it all. And of course, let's not forget about the sea, which accompanied me almost everywhere with its sound, especially because there is no radio reception. I drove to a viewpoint where I had a beautiful view and where some fossil finds were exhibited. Mostly imprints of whales and dolphins. It was very interesting to have a look at something like that and, like so many things here, it was completely free. However, it was only accessible via a gravel road, as is often the case. But by now I am used to it and since Sandy is a cute sandy-colored dog, the dirt doesn't really show...

After this little detour, I headed straight towards Dunedin, and at some point I stopped following the Scenic Route and started following my navigation system to arrive in Dunedin relatively early. My first impression of Dunedin was that it was quite hilly, even more so than in the Catlins. This impression did not change, as my hostel was built on a hill. But we had a nice view from the window, or from the entrance to the hostel, or from other rooms. The hostel is housed in a former hospital, which is no longer visible, but the high ceilings probably made it so cold in this hostel. It wasn't just me, but other people were also freezing. But well, after checking in, I took a shower first, as it was already so cold in the previous hostel, I had postponed it... But I digress. I started my day in Dunedin by going to the library and writing my last blog entry. After an hour, the photos were saved and I had written a few lines of my blog. It's unbelievable how much time one apparently spends on the computer without really noticing it. But maybe my limited use of it has just built up too much... oh well. After an hour, I was not allowed to stay at the computer any longer and went to the tourist information. There I got a lot of information about the city. After that, I strolled through the city center for a while, but because I was so cold, I quickly walked back towards my hostel. There I planned my route for the next day so that I wouldn't miss anything on my self-guided city tour. In the room, I talked to my roommates, which was once again very nice.

What can I say, even if I got the nickname Research Girl for my planning, I think this time investment was worth it. My day (03.09.) was very nice. I started my city tour by walking past all the murals, for which there was a special map, which I found very practical. It was nice to see the different artworks. Then I came out at the Chinese Garden and took a closer look at it. I found it a nice change to delve into this culture and thanks to an audio guide, I learned a lot. Did you know, for example, that the Chinese word "landscape" consists of the Chinese symbols for "water" and "mountain"? After that, I took a closer look at the center, because there is really a lot to see. The so-called Octagon is the actual city center and includes buildings such as the Cathedral, the first church of Otago, and the art gallery, of course also the town hall and my beloved library. After the Octagon, I took a "break" in the library. That means I saved the photos and finished writing my last blog. I also spent some time in Dunedin's train station, which is the second most photographed building in the southern hemisphere after the Sydney Opera House. Since a little culture should not be missing from a city visit, I also took a short stroll through the Otago Settler Museum. After that, I went to the university where I let myself be surrounded by a bit of student atmosphere. However, on a Sunday, there wasn't really much going on. But that was okay. It was nice to look at the buildings. Then I went to the Botanic Garden where I strolled around a bit before heading back to the hostel via another scenic road.

The next day (Monday, 4.9.) it was time to leave Dunedin, but before I could say goodbye, I explored the Otago Peninsula, where there is the only mainland colony of albatrosses. Unfortunately, I couldn't find any and the tour to see a few birds, albeit rare ones, was not worth the money for me. The same applied to Larnach Castle, New Zealand's only castle, although everyone told me that it wasn't worth the money. I had lunch at the beautiful Allan Beach, which is quite secluded but beautiful. After that, I made my way to Oamaru. On the way there, I stopped at Katiki Point, a lighthouse, and finally saw penguins. The rare hoiho, or yellow-eyed penguins. A whole little colony sat there in the grass on the cliffs, talking and cuddling. I also got to admire a group of seals. They were all lying there completely relaxed and allowed themselves to be photographed while sleeping. After that, I went to the Moeraki Boulders, which I could admire at sunset. These are circular stones lying around in the sand. It almost looks as if giants had played with marbles, simply fascinating what nature creates. In the dark, I arrived in Oamaru and quickly cooked myself some noodles before falling into bed, completely exhausted.

The next morning, I explored the city of Oamaru, which has some remarkable sandstone buildings that do not fit into a city that looks more like a western town. You could easily transfer them to Greece and it wouldn't be noticeable. After this little exploration of the city, I set off for Christchurch. On the way there, I stopped in a small town and looked at some wallabies. When I arrived in Christchurch, I checked into my hostel. It's a super fancy place without bunk beds, and I visited my former landlords.

Right now, I'm sitting in the library, finishing this blog post for you. Soon I'll go to the beach to enjoy the warm and sunny weather.

See you soon,

yours Jessi

P.S.: Please excuse the many spelling mistakes, unfortunately the computers here cannot perform German spell checks. I hope you understand what I am trying to say. Long live creative spelling ;)