023 – South Island (Dunedin), New Zealand – Done and Dunedin

Dunedin is a cool little town on the southeast coast. The fourth largest city in New Zealand, its geography is like a giant salad bowl.  From the centre of downtown (“the Octagon”) every street slopes steeply upward all around, 

Which makes for great views…and some interesting driving in a fully loaded RV.

We hit some light fog pulling into town,

But it cleared enough for us to make our run at Baldwin St., the steepest residential street in the world.

Ciel and I were too tired to walk back down, so we went with an alternate plan.

Unfortunately, we only made it half a revolution, and then someone suckered someone else (I’m not gonna say who) into carrying her the rest of the way.

 Ciel even got an “official” certificate (for the nominal fee of $2) from some guy on the street who turned his living room into a gift shop so he could fleece dim-witted tourists with ten cents worth of coloured paper and an inkjet printer.

 After that it was back to the trailer park to set up camp for the night. Ciel went with the cushion fort shelter. It’s a classic.

 We quickly learned that having the steepest street isn’t Dunedin’s only random claim to fame. They also proudly boast, “the most photographed building in New Zealand” (the Dunedin Railway Station),

 Speights Ale House (“Pride of the South”),

 And the world’s third-largest Cadbury Chocolate factory.

 We signed on for a tour of the factory with visions of chocolate waterfalls and Oompah Loompahs in our heads.  Unfortunately, it was less “Willy Wonka”, and more “old-lady-factory-worker” showing us around white-walled hallways and talking about where the employees go for their smoke breaks. We’re reasonably sure the random candy bars she handed out (i.e. chocolate covered marshmallow fish, pink marshmallow bars, etc.) were all the dregs they couldn’t sell in the gift shop.

The tour pretty much peaked five minutes in when they gave us the bouffants.

 We made up for the disappointment by heading to another brewery.

 Ciel has definitely inherited her mother’s appetite.   She will indiscriminately devour anything we put in front of her. 

 Of course, she will also brush her hair and pick her nose with it…so maybe she’s a little like her father, too.

On our way out of town we swung past the Otago Peninsula to see Larnach Castle, which overlooks Victoria Channel and Dunedin Harbour.  Some rich guy built it to impress his wife, but she didn’t like it much, and then she ended up shacking up with his son. The grounds were nice, all the same.

 Just as you leave Dunedin there is the amazing “Tunnel Beach Walk” through a farmer’s field,

 And down a steep trail to the shore,

 Where there are amazing cliffs and rock formations,

 And a tunnel to a gorgeous beach.

Ridiculous.