May 12
Ranfurly to Dunedin

Another disturbed night's sleep, which was completely disrupted at about 06.30 when a gale appeared, hammering open the louvre window in my room and shaking the place severely. Just like staying at home in Porirua!

I packed, paid my bill - not too bad given the number of glasses of wine that I had consumed - and loaded the car. The pub isn't the smartest accommodation in New Zealand but it must be amongst the friendliest. The food was good, the taxi service made the whole walk possible and I was made to feel very welcome. A good place.

Remembering the saga of the breakfast yesterday and the absence of good coffee, my one complaint about the place, I abandoned to the cafe next door for a bacon sandwich and a long black. This would leave room for some elevenses later in the morning.

	Outside, it was sunny and windy. The bunting across the street was waving violently. On the bench outside the Information Centre a very hairy pussy cat was observing the town and didn't seem to mind having its photo taken.
Hairy pussy cat	A gentle breeze

As I wandered around, I realised that yesterday's exertions had left my legs feeling rather tired. It was just as well that I hadn't been tempted to do any more walking today.

I drove slowly out of town and up the 15 k road to Naseby, which is over 2000 feet and mainly famous for its old buildings and its indoor curling rink. It is a bit like Hanmer Springs, having an alpine feel to it and lots of large pine trees. It also has lots of berries. Must be a good year for them.

	Old Post Office information centre
An alpine feel	Nice winter colours
Much of the town was closed. Too early for the pubs and the wrong day of the week for the Old Post Office craft and information centre. The cafe was open, though, so I sat on a comfy chair in front of a blazing log burner and drank a long black. After the limited sleep of the last two nights I needed a good dose of caffeine to keep me awake.
	Still more berries
No caption required	A roaring log burner

The town is the centre of curling in New Zealand so I drove to the large new shed which houses the indoor curling centre. The old, outdoor, arena was closed and minus its ice, with the freezing tubes in full view. Presumably it will be open in mid winter.
Ice rink with no ice	The centre of curling

I returned to the main road, stopping to take photos en route. At Wedderburn I stopped again to take photos of the station warehouse in much better light conditions than on my previous visits. The only problem today was that the wind made it difficult to stand up straight and hold the camera steady.

Across the Maniototo	Wedderburn Station in decent light

An unsealed back road took me towards St Bathans, famed for the Blue Lake and the Vulcan pub. I photographed both although the increasingly bright sun was in completely the wrong direction for my photographs of the lake.

The road to St Bathans

The pub is famed for its unreconstructed decor and is stunning by New Zealand standard, just like many old city pubs in England. The same could not be said for the catering, however, which was definitely on the basic side. I contented myself with a toasted sandwich, not what I had hoped for. The beer offerings didn’t include anything interesting, either. Much of the bar floor was occupied by an aging labrador who appeared to have had an exhausting day.
A well occupied floor	The Vulcan, St Bathans

Returning to Ranfurly, I branched off to Waipiata to visit the pub for another drink of its excellent Emersons Pilsner and a secondary lunch, a large but healthy looking BLT sandwich. I also had an orange juice.

The landlord seemed to think that at stop at the Kissing Gate in Middlemarch for one of their pies would be excessive. I'm not sure if I should treat that as a challenge!

The Waipiata Country Hotel	The Kokonga Rd
The Taiaeri in flood	Central Otago skies

I managed to find the Kokonga Road (the landlord's suggestion), a dirt road which follows the Rail Trail and the Taieri Valley. There was a lot of water in the valley floor but the road and the Trail were well above it.

I rejoined the main road and trundled happily towards Middlemarch. I stopped on a side road to take some photos and saw a white van approaching me from the middle of nowhere. When it tooted and waved at me, I realised that it was Toni the Taxi.

At Middlemarch, I stopped for an ice cream. It was really an excuse for a rest but the weather was warm and the ice cream was cold. I ignored the pies at the cafe.

After that, not much happened. I reached Dunedin, put petrol in the car and abandoned it at the rental office. The man inside showed no interest in inspecting it so I hope that will all be OK. I then staggered across the road with my bags, into the Kensington. It is a huge barn of a pub but I found a beer and a seat and waited for Paul to collect me.

We spent a quiet evening, consuming an Indian takeaway and doing some work.