Christmas in Dunedin

Bridget:

A while ago Craig and I decided to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas in Dunedin, a small, college town originally settled by the Scottish.  It’s only a few hours south of Christchurch and provides plenty to see in a couple days.  The first thing we did was head out to the nearby Otago Peninsula to check out some amazing views of the bay and coast.  We had our first experience driving down some crazy, one-lane “unsealed” roads when we ventured out to a place called Lovers’ Leap.  We made it safely to the “carpark” and headed out on foot.  Keep in mind that the entire drive Craig and I are oohing and ahhing and the scenery….countless green hills dotted with sheep with views of the bluer than blue ocean in the background.  The start of the “tramp” looked like a scene from Lord of the Rings:  dark, eerie, and canopied with dense trees:  

Then all of a sudden we were in a sheep pasture, walking through gates and trying not to step in sheep poo. 

 

We ran out of time and actually didn’t make it all the way to the end of the walk, but there were amazing views all along the way anyway:

Next on the itinerary was a tour at Speight’s Brewery.   Since I have spent the past couple months working at a Speight’s Ale House, I am pretty familiar with these beers, but it’s always fun to get a “behind the scenes” look at the beer-making process.   Everyone I worked with, including the bartenders, claimed that the original Gold Medal Ale (they just call it “Speight’s” ) is the only beer worth drinking.  For those unfamiliar with this beer, it’s pretty similar to Yleung Yleung.   While this one is delicious, they also have some others worth giving a shot.  My stand-by was always the Pale Ale, but the Summer Harvest is also fantastic and tastes like fresh apricots… a lot like Magic Hat. 

The Brew Room

Helping myself in the pour-your-own tasting room.

The brewery also provides the great citizens of Dunedin and travelers passing through with a filtered water supply, available just outside the brewery doors.  People from all over stop here to fill up water bottles, so we did too.

On Christmas Day, we ventured back out the Otago Peninsula to see some New Zealand fur seals and albatross.  We didn’t happen to see any albatross, but did see quite a few seagulls, cormorants, and some seals, although they were a little too far to photograph. 

Then we headed back into the city to check out the view from “Signal Hill Lookout”

On the way back we just had to stop by Baldwin St….supposedly the steepest street in the WORLD.  It has a 19 percent grade, and this picture does not do it any justice:

Last up was a stop at the city’s botanic gardens.  It amazes me that we have been to three botanic gardens since being in NZ and we always find something new to photograph:

Dunedin was everything we had hoped for a place to spend the holidays.  Old city charm, fantastic views, great beer, and wildlife sightings.  Christmas was perfect…aside from setting of the fire alarm in the hotel after cooking a Christmas breakfast feast on a small camping stove.  Oops. 

Next Stop:  Catlins Coast & Southland