Our boat docked early morning in Port Chalmers, less than a half hour drive from Dunedin in New Zealand’s South Island. Just like Lyttelton (near Christchurch), a log yard welcomed us. If you like the smell of wood, you’d find aplenty here. Dunedin near the Otago Peninsula is not only the second largest city in the South Island but also one of the oldest in the entire New Zealand. It also is home to the country’s only castle ( Larnach Castle ) and a haven for wildlife like penguins, albatross, sea lions and seals. You will also find Royal Albatross Center here – the only mainland breeding colony of Northern Royal Albatross in the world. The albatross is the world’s largest sea bird, able to fly from Otago Peninsula to Chile. Around this time in November is their breeding season. These sea birds only visit land to breed and care for their chicks but otherwise, they live in remote islands spending 80% of their lives at sea. And hear this, albatross mate for life. Some men can learn loyalty lessons from these great birds. 🙄

We struck good luck with our driver Gerald Brook who regaled us with Dunedin’s and Otago’s Scottish history and heritage. The Scots settled in this eastern corner of the South Island and founded Dunedin, then known as the “Edinburgh of the South” and the settlers came to be known as the Otago Highlanders. The train station building is an elegant structure in this hilly landscape which has developed also as a university city. Thus, student accommodations and dormitories have become big business here along with timber and marine life.

World’s Steepest Road

Gerald drove us around the university campus, stopped by the world’s steepest road, the railway station, Signal Hill, St. Paul’s Church, the CBD. It was enough time however brief it was to spend here and appreciate this remote but interesting part of the country. Time was managed very well as we found enough time to do the few spots in the city. Gerald’s commentary gave context to what we visited and his kind demeanour was truly appreciated.

Railway Station

Dunedin does not exactly draw in the tourists but as cruise ships dock here in Port Chalmers, that may soon change. The offshore excursions offer enough to know more about wildlife and the timber industry. The landscape and scenic lookouts are not too distant from each other to make day tours very manageable such that we weren’t stressed out to rush back to our cruise ship. We even found time to shop and look for a cafe to people-watch . We were amused to see school children with their teachers crossing the street in a line, and not so young men and women sitting outdoors with their beers. Our conjecture is that these people have early, very early happy hours since it was only after lunch. Overall, we were pleasantly surprised with Dunedin and the Otago Peninsula and more so when some cruisers spotted dolphins in the deep waters as our cruise ship sailed out. Let’s hope more dolphins show up as our boat cruises the Dusky Sound, Doubtful Sound and the more popular Milford Sound. A Sound Day tomorrow!