Days 11 - October 28, 2018 - Kiwis and Kangaroos

Day 11 – October 28, 2018 – Dunedin

Cathedral of Saint Joseph
Dunedin, NZ

This morning Richard and Mary Jo, Bob and I raced out of the ship which docked at Port Chalmers to catch a shuttle that took us eight miles into Dunedin, New Zealand’s most southern City. We were dropped off in the center of town from which we walked up, up, up extremely steep roads to the Cathedral of St. Joseph for Mass.  We were a little late, but, huffing and puffing, we made it!!  Praise God. 

Dunedin, often called the Edinburgh of the South, has a strong Scottish influence. It boasts the largest concentration of Victorian and Edwardian architecture in New Zealand, many cafes, restaurants and bars with local seasonal produce always on the menu. First inhabited by the Maoris, Scottish migrants established a settlement here in 1848. In 1861 the discovery of gold in the area made Dunedin the gateway to the gold fields and put the city on the world map. Today Port Chalmers is a large, busy port; and Dunedin is a vibrant city surrounded by beautiful waterways and farm rich mountains areas.

After Mass we strolled back down to the center of town, enjoying some of the most beautifully constructed churches and government buildings, had a bite to eat, then walked even further down the hill to the famed railway building, affectionately called the gingerbread house because of its grandiose style and eccentric embellishments by the architect George Troup. The station was opened in 1906 to cater to the traveling public of New Zealand’s commercial center at that time. From there we decided to take a 90-minute Seasider journey.

Because we had about 45 minutes before boarding the train, we walked to Queen’s park where there were white crosses all neatly lined up representing soldiers who died in the Great War, WWI. There was also a statue of Queen Victoria proudly holding a large bomb in her hand … interesting. We also spent a little time in the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, another interesting history of the earliest European settlers in this area and their effect on the Maori natives.

"The Gingerbread House"
Famous Railway Station, Dunedin, NZ

Blueskin Bay, Waitati, NZ

The train ride was very smooth with some beautiful vistas … cliffs down to the stunning blue water and beaches, through tunnels to fields with cattle and sheep plus many beautiful flowers along the tracks and roads and in the surrounding hills. The furthest town we went to was Waitati about 30 miles from Dunedin, and we were told there is nothing in the town but people who want to live or retire there for the quiet and privacy. However, the first Sunday of the month is game day where everyone in town comes out to enjoy outdoor games.  One of those games is called the Frozen Possum Throw.  People grab a frozen possum from the freezer and throw it as far as they can.  Kiwis have absolutely no love for the invasive possum because it eats the eggs of their beloved kiwi bird. On the way back the train stopped in Port Chalmers where we got off for an easy walk back to the ship. This has been the coolest day we’ve had on the entire trip, and even a little rainy; but overall it was very enjoyable.

One of many herds of sheep in NZ

As the ship disembarked, the tradition of the locals is to bring pizza and beer and park along the road sides and hillsides to watch the cruise ship depart through the narrow inlet! The captain of our ship responds with the horn blowing the tune of the Love Boat … cute. As this huge ship inches its way through the very narrow channel, we pass by a nice colony of Northern Royal Albatross – birds with up to a 10-foot wing span that need the wind to fly!  So as we left today, Richard and Mary Jo came to our stateroom where we enjoyed some wine while looking for the Albatross; after which we all met Glenn and Trudy for cocktails before enjoying another fantastic dinner.  Tonight’s theme was Italian with our waiters all wearing iconic stripped sea shirts for the event. The head waiter was lovingly making rigatoni, and there were a lot of seafood dishes and, of course, lemoncello to top it off!  It’s our last stop in New Zealand and we are now half way through our adventure. I do wish we could have seen more of the mountains and gorges in the country; however, most of those tours were priced beyond our budget. But we certainly have experienced the flavor of the country, the culture and its history.  Awesome!