Friday, February 14th – Happy Valentine’s Day!

So, have I mentioned the Chocolate Journey on Princess Cruiselines? Not only do they leave you a pretty little wrapped chocolate on your pillow each night, a few times a week they have a delicious ‘chocolate journey’ as a dessert after dinner. They are always different, but each one quite delightful. I mention this because Dunedin (pronounced Done-Eden) was known for their chocolate factory. Not just any chocolate factory, but Cadbury. Unfortunately, Cadbury closed this site in May 2018 and put several hundred people out of a job. Sad, right.

We arrived in Port Chalmers in Otago Harbour and thankfully docked the ship. No tenders today. We were a few miles outside of town and next to a huge pile of logs again, ready for export. Bob and I decided to take a tour that showed us the highlights of the area. Dunedin is a charming and prominent regional port. Nicknamed the “Edinburgh of the South”. Our guide was very informative and drove us through town showing us all kinds of points of interest. As we rounded a corner of this hilly town, there was an enormous stadium. He told us they use this for sports and as a music venue. Apparently, Elton John performed here just recently. Nice!

There are so many victorian houses in this town that are just beautiful. We were told that many were damaged from an earthquake. People have a certain period of time to get their homes repaired and up to certain new codes (earthquake) or they have to be torn down.

We went up and down some very steep streets (Baldwin Street gained international recognition as the steepest street in the world). Finally, we stopped at the top of the hill and went to tour the Olveston House. Designed by London architect Sir Ernest George and built in 1904-06 for David Theomin, a Dunedin importer, this magnificent 35-room Jacobean-style mansion tells the story of a gracious age. The family had 2 children. The son died at a young age. The daughter never married and decided to donate the home, fully furnished, to the town of Dunedin. They did not allow photos to be taken inside the home, but I will testify, it was very elegant.

Next, we went to Larnach Castle. It’s a Neo-Gothic estate and New Zealand’s only castle. Dating back to the 1800’s, it was commissioned by William Larnach for his beloved first wife. It’s located in the tranquil countryside and the ride to the castle was just beautiful. We drove a windy road, high along hill country and looking out over the bay. About 40 minutes later we pulled into a driveway with tall trees and flowering bushes. A woman met us and invited us into the castle for tea and biscuits. How nice. Today was a damp, chilly day so tea and biscuits sounded very inviting. We entered a room with very high ceilings and beautiful wood work. A large fireplace roaring took the chill from the air. We enjoyed our treat and then went on a guided tour of the castle.

The castle had a sad story. Following financial and personal despair, the owner committed suicide in the Parliament Building in New Zealand. After bitter battles over the will, the house was sold in 1906. It fell into disrepair until the Barker Family purchased the home in the 1960’s and have worked for many years to restore the home. People have also donated original furnishings back to the castle to make it look like it did when the Larnach’s were living there. The curved wood staircase, hand carved detail on the ceilings, artwork and tiles were beautiful. Each room prettier than the next. Outside there were well groomed gardens all around the castle. Some of them used for wedding ceremonies. There was one garden area that had a breathtaking view across a bay. It was probably visible from the castle when it was originally built. Now there are tall trees that block the view from the home, but add such character.

We rode back through the countryside and no matter which direction you turn in charming Dunedin, you are bound to find a wealth of historic architecture and eco adventures. It’s one of the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities in the Southern Hemisphere. From its ornate manisons to lush surrounding forests and picturesque harbor, Dunedin remains one of New Zealand’s most memorable destinations.

As we sailed away, we watched as we went out through the channel. The birds flying close by the ship as if they were escorting us back to the sea. Suddenly I saw a penguin! A blue penguin swimming close by our ship and then it was gone. I couldn’t believe it! Honestly, I didn’t realize there were penguins here, but later read that this region was known for their blue penguins.

The Captain had announced that our itinerary has changed due to the Cyclone scheduled to hit the southern part of the South Island. We are skipping Stewart Island and the Fjords National Park and heading north. It was very nice of Princess to quickly add a port that we had not been scheduled to visit – Christchurch. We’ll be there in the morning, so I headed down to review our tour options.

…more to come