Tuesday, 18th December – Invercargill to Dunedin

Pretty grey weather as we left Invercargill, with Jean suffering still from an almighty cold. Nothing to see here…..

Good hotel, though. Friendly staff, good service, nice big room and a fabulous shower. Oh, and a guest laundry.

Shortish drive to Dunedin, the oldest city in New Zealand with a population around 150,000 of whom 20,000 are students.

Flat and boring to start off with, but got a tad hillier and more interesting as we progressed along State Highway 1 eastwards. Overcast all the way, with some heavy bursts of rain at times.

Arrived at the hotel in Dunedin in pissing rain with otherwise little drama. We were able to check in immediately. Very efficiently done, and the room looks comfortable.

Once settled, we took a stroll into the city centre, despite the continuing rain. Mild temperatures, though.

One of the more famous highlights of Dunedin is the railway station. This has quite a history in New Zealand terms, and presents an extraordinary sight, both inside and out.

The following pics are of the First Church of Otago. Presbyterian. Really??? Yes.

One pic of St Paul’s Cathedral on the opposite side of the city centre with a rather more expected architectural style:

Unfortunately, it was closed.

In fact, it seems that the whole of Dunedin closes at around 4 p.m. Very old-school. Much like most of New Zealand, to be honest.

Wandered back to the hotel via the city centre, where we gathered some info at the tourist centre to help us plan our day tomorrow.

The hotel and the casino are part of the same building, and it all obviously goes back to 19th century times in places. It is a very strange combination – one part oldish, one part modern hotel.

Nice meal in the hotel bar before we retired for the night.

Weather looking shite tomorrow morning, but we are looking to do a couple of museums/galleries, followed by a trip to visit albatrosses, penguins and other wildlife in the afternoon when the weather is supposed to improve. We’ll see…..

One response to “Tuesday, 18th December – Invercargill to Dunedin”

  1. What a splendid railway station!

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