Dunedin NZ February 23, 2012

Sailing in to Port Chalmers NZ

People Greeting & Military Bunker

The ship sails into Otago Bay to Port Chalmers, about a 20 minute drive from Dunedin.  Rocky, steeply inclined hills line the bay.  Several cars have driven along the shoreline road, stopping on one of the highest hills to take pictures of our ship coming in this morning; they then race back, as if attempting to beat us to port.  Bunkers have been built into the side of the hills, obviously for military protection sometime in the past. 

Port Chalmers is a quaint town where early settlers began shipping refrigerated meat and dairy products destined for Britain in 1882.  This port was the last visited by explorer Robert Falcon Scott before heading south on his ill-fated final expedition to Antarctica.  It was also the launching point for Shackelton and Byrd for their Antarctic expeditions. 

Carey's Bay Hotel & Restaurant

Lunch

Just one kilometer walk away from our dock is Carey’s Bay, with a restaurant and hotel built in 1874 from local blue stone.  This is our choice for a traditional seafood lunch.  We felt as if we were back in the Scottish Highlands.  The soup had ginormus New Zealand green lip mussels, clams, oysters and prawns. 

The weather today is dismal – constant rain and low clouds.  Our bus commute into the city of Dunedin is very dreary, with not much to see out the foggy window as the road hugs the bay front.  Dunedin is the oldest city in New Zealand, founded in 1848 by Scottish immigrants who christened it with the Celtic name for Edinburgh.  Gold was discovered in the hills near the city in 1861, thereby putting it on the map.  The population today is 123,000, of which 22,000 attend the University of Otago, located in the center of the city.

St. Paul's Church in Octagon area

The architecture in Dunedin is interesting and many of the buildings from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s are still well tended.  The Dunedin Railway Station is very impressive (excluding the never-ending lineup of tour buses).  Inside there are beautiful doorways, counters and tile floors.  It today houses the local information center, a sports museum and an art museum.  The St. Paul’s Anglican Church sits right on the edge of the middle of the town, an area appropriately called The Octagon.

Speight Beer

We wander down the street to visit the Speight Brewery, the southern-most brewery in the world and to make a quick stop in the Cadbury factory store (yes, actually they make some chocolate here and distribute from here, probably another “southern-most” phenomenon).  With the pouring rain not letting up, we decide to pass on walking the steepest street in the world – Baldwin Street.  Back to the bus and onto the ship.




Along the roadside

While the rain made the scenery less visible and appealing, we can appreciate that this must be a very beautiful city with the surrounding hills and water.  Maybe the next time we visit we will have a sunny day. :-D
 

Sailing off late afternoon, the ship will be going around the southernmost tip of New Zealand’s South Island, into the Tasman Sea and across to Melbourne Australia, a welcome two-day cruise.  We turn the clock back one hour tonight for Australia’s Daylight Savings Time.  Our departure is postponed by an hour or so because three-hundred-odd cruise passengers are aboard a somewhat-delayed sightseeing train.  Interesting as well:  More passengers are joining the cruise here in Dunedin today.  It pays to ask questions of and work with Cunard since they certainly seem willing to work with guests to create custom cruise experiences!  Again, we see people by their cars from the roadways along the harbor waving their hands and beeping their horns as the ship departs.  The Captain blows the ships horns in a fond farewell.