We drove 6 hours south to Dunedin. On the way we made two stops. The first stop was the Peel Forest. This totara tree is 1,000 years old. It is 102 feet tall and has a 28 foot circumference.
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| 1,000 year old totara tree |
Later in the day, we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders beach - a very unique geological feature. They originally formed in ancient sea floor sediments during the early Paleocene some 60 million years ago.
Purakaunui/Our Cottage
Purakanui is a mixture of holiday homes and farms. From our cottage we see the Puraukanui Bay, the coastline, and Long Beach. It is definitely a home away from home, a wee bit larger than we need. We have enjoyed the woodstove and fireplace and the lovely gardens surrounding the house.
A 5 minute drive away is a wonderful beach. Long Beach is about 2 miles long and has several caves at one end. The largest is called the Ballroom. This is a favorite hangout for Saturday all night parties for local youth. Notice the fire pits in the cave.
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| Long Beach (caves in the background) |
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| The Ballroom |
Dunedin
The highlight of Dunedin is the Historic Railway Station, which is still busy today. It is an ornate Victorian building with detailed tile work throughout. We then walked to the Octagon, the heart of the city. All the main roads lead to this park-like center. Dunedin prides itself on its Scottish heritage (notice the statue of Robert Burns). We sat for a couple of hours using the free, fast wifi that is provided by the city – a comfortable, very pleasant place to be. There were musicians playing including a bagpiper.
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| Dunedin Historic Railway Station |
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| Dunedin Historic Railway Station |
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| Railway Station |
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| The Octagon |
1 comment:
Really enjoying the blog - could you guys have picked a better winter to do this? 5 snow days, one early dismissal, one delay, and two storms on the way for this week. Tim and I are jealous!
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