Sunday we had a lovely relaxing day, we took a run into Dunedin and saw the worlds steepest street, one of the early settlers monuments, note she has a spindle with wool wrapped around it. Off we went to photograph Dunedin’s train station, probably the most photographed building in Dunedin. Trip to see Port Chalmers, the working harbor and where the Cruise ships come in. Toni’s house is just amazing and we have well and truly made ourselves at home. There is a constant supply of good food and a lot of home baking by Denise (Toni’s mum and Toni) We had dinner up at Denise and Jim’s house and the most amazing cinnamon cakes, Ginger loaf and shortbread. Yes I have been busy scribbling down the recipes.
Monday we took a run up to Oamaru, a pretty coastal town that has kept a lot of its original buildings and warehouses intact and created a lovely area to walk around and browse at various crafts. There is also a Steampunk museum that has some very interesting creations, some of which will move if you add 2$ to the slot. We still get blown away by the amazing colors of the sea and sky over here. I assume its the lack of pollution.
On the way back we stopped in Moeraki and walked down onto the beach to see the famous boulders. It’s so hard to believe that they were created naturally and they really are a unique sight. Here is what the Google has to say, “Moeraki is now most famous for its boulders; mysteriously spherical stones scattered across a beach. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres high. Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand hundreds of years ago”
Tuesday we headed into Dunedin and Toni went into the office for a few hours and I visited the local needlework shop 🙂 As compensation for Rob’s patience we went to the Toitu Otago museum and don’t tell him, but it was really interesting with a really wide range of displays from cars to clothes. Nice lunch at the Thai and home to recuperate.
Wednesday – we waited for the weather to dry out but we also need the wind to pick up as we were going to the Albatross colony and they only fly if there is enough wind. We were really lucky and saw plenty of them flying, plus there were young baby Seagulls, Sea-lions and Rabbits running around. The trip both there and back was along different sides of the peninsula and the views were just striking. Plus we saw black swans and a baby Oystercatcher. Here is what the Google has to say about Albatross, “ They usually breed on remote offshore islands and spend at least 85% of their lives at sea, well away from land and humans. Dunedin’s Taiaroa Head is the only mainland Royal Albatross breeding colony in the world. Renowned ocean wanderers, they travel vast distances from their breeding grounds to feed”
We met Denise and Jim in town and went to a local fish and chip cafe that is know for the quality of the food, they all had battered lemon sole but I wanted something that I had not had before, so went for the Elephant fish and it was really good texture and flavor and the Google says “ The elephant fish, also known as the Australian ghost shark, is a unique-looking fish with an elongated, protruding snout. It is commonly feeding on mollusks or other invertebrates on the ocean floor of the South Pacific ocean. The elephant fish has no bones; instead, its skeletal structure is entirely cartilage.These fish have a special reflective tissue in their eyes, so their eyes can appear to transition between shades of yellow and green.
It can be aggressive and fight back hard if threatened. These fish are very popular in cooking, particularly in Australia and New Zealand. They are common in fish n’ chips!”
