Written by Kim
Dunedin was our first port on this trip. We had a full day in port so got off the ship and took the ship shuttle to town for $15 per person. We docked at Port Chalmers which is about a 20 min drive to Dunedin.
Dunedin was settled by the Scottish first and you can see their influence throughout the city, The railway station was built in 1905 after the gold rush to show the wealth in the city
We followed a Voice Map self guided walking tour to learn about Dunedin. We walked about 15,000 steps today part of which was during our 90 minute walking tour
Many of the areas of the city have been renovation since the warehouses are no longer in use. Many warehouses have been converted to restaurants and coffee shops but retained the historical beauty where possible. There are beautiful murals everywhere
The Chinese also had a big influence in Dunedin. The Chinese Gardens building was built in Shanghai, shipped to Dunedin in pieces and assembled using Chinese building techniques without a single nail.
The first Presbyterian church sits high on the hill. It was built there so that it wasn’t in the hustle and bustle of commerce but showed the importance of religion in the early days
Octagon square is gathering place in the center of the city.
Our walking tour took us past Speicht Brewery which was established in 1876. The beer is brewed from water that comes from a natural spring on the property. The brewery has a well available to public. The beer was very good. We enjoyed a pint at a bar on the way back to the ship. Unfortunately the bar only took NZ cash because their credit card machine was not working but a nice Kiwi bought us beers.
Before catching the shuttle back we had a delicious lunch at the museum (I forgot to take a picture).
After a fun filled morning we took the shuttle back to Port Chalmers where the ship was docked and walked about 10 minutes to the marina for a wildlife tour. Alex took our wildlife pictures in our camera and we don’t have the cords to upload pictures so we will update the post when we have them. Rachel, our tour guide was excellent. It was a busy day.
We always have a story. Today I forgot to bring out my ID which is required to get back onto the ship with your Seapass. The only thing I had with a picture was my Costco credit card so I showed that to Border control. The lady laughed and said your Costco card isn’t government issued. It was really no problem they looked me up and asked my birthday (which I gave them backward bc they use day/ month / year not the US order). Tomorrow we are in Christchurch. Until then…
