February 18
Dunedin
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A quiet and increasingly sunny morning. We set off after breakfast to drive round the harbour towards Port Chalmers, the main port for Dunedin.
Left: A quiet and sunny morning |
We stopped above the port at the Scott Memorial, where there is also a commemorative statue for the first boat load of frozen meat to head to Europe. Beneath were the more modern freight facilities.
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Further up the road is the Oroconui Sanctuary, another of the fenced off sanctuaries for native wildlife. First appearances can be misleading and the external appearance wasn’t good! We started off watching the feeding of the Takahe and then found a feeding station full of Kaka. I endeavoured to take photos and I think a few of them will be acceptable. We then returned to the cafe for lunch. |
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After a light lunch and a rest, we drove back down the hill and into Port Chalmers, then up the hill to the view point over the main harbour and cruise ship berth. There were large stacks of both containers and logs.
At the top of the hill is the flagpole and time ball, from before the days of electronic timing. It no longer works but is a momento of the port's heritage.
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There is also a small park which used to house the home of Ralph Hotere, a celebrated New Zealand artist, who lived there until his house was demolished to allow for an extension to the port. A few sculptures which used to live in his garden have been installed in the park. We drove home, snoozed for a bit, then drove into town to do a little shopping. |
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In the evening, we drone to Plato, a fish restaurant near the main Dunedin harbour, where I have eaten many times. We all ate well, including some magnificent puddings. We returned home for a reasonably early night.
Left: Pork with clams |