Friday 26 Jan
We decided to hang around Dunedin for another couple of days so we could catch up on sleep and take the pace off a little bit, although looking back at yesterday's beach walk, train journey and our Mexican meal you wouldn't think so. I also got going on getting all our video uploaded to Youtube, all in all it was gone midnight again before we put the lights out.
We needed to be out of the Airbnb by 10:00, and with plenty of practice now we're quick at packing, and then off to Larnach Castle on the Otago peninsula.
Larnach Castle is New Zealand's only castle; It's a castle only in the Victorian sense, it wasn't a true fortification, although it does have a signalling tower and it's perched right on the top of a hill. It's a pretty hairy road, quite narrow, lots of steep drops either side, nothing like some of the tracks we've done but I wouldn't want to do it at night in the rain or fog.
The scandal is that this famous and powerful politician's son by his first wife had an affair with his third wife and then he shot himself; and that the android tour app that they advertise and sell can't be used on the free wifi. Karen got it working with our NZ sim, but I'm still working my way through the tour whenever we have time and bandwidth.
The inside of the castle is fantastic. The carvings and the ceilings have been done with such awesome craftsmanship. It's hard to believe the state that it got into before it's current owners started restoring it, and collecting all the period pieces to bring it back to how it is now.
We decided to hang around Dunedin for another couple of days so we could catch up on sleep and take the pace off a little bit, although looking back at yesterday's beach walk, train journey and our Mexican meal you wouldn't think so. I also got going on getting all our video uploaded to Youtube, all in all it was gone midnight again before we put the lights out.
We needed to be out of the Airbnb by 10:00, and with plenty of practice now we're quick at packing, and then off to Larnach Castle on the Otago peninsula.
Larnach Castle is New Zealand's only castle; It's a castle only in the Victorian sense, it wasn't a true fortification, although it does have a signalling tower and it's perched right on the top of a hill. It's a pretty hairy road, quite narrow, lots of steep drops either side, nothing like some of the tracks we've done but I wouldn't want to do it at night in the rain or fog.
The inside of the castle is fantastic. The carvings and the ceilings have been done with such awesome craftsmanship. It's hard to believe the state that it got into before it's current owners started restoring it, and collecting all the period pieces to bring it back to how it is now.
We had a very enjoyable coffee and a bite to eat in the ballroom that's now the cafe, followed by a walk around the grounds.
Finally we walked back past the methane plant and through the stable block that people can now stay at as a guest and even enjoy eating their meals in the dining room in the house.
Eventually the weather got the better of us, it had already obliterated the view, now it was closing in and getting cold and wet. So we headed back to the car, and our melting tub of ice cream.
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| The display was alarmed but Karen seemed quite calm |
We drove back into town, and checked into our new place.
Once settled we opted to snack rather than cook, and got on with blogging and looking at our next moves.
20:30 came around so we headed back out on the Otago peninsula to see the little blue penguins, the smallest species of penguin in New Zealand. We had been told to be there in time for dusk as that is when the penguins come ashore.
Great place to see them, very good staff, and we saw a mystery bird that no one could identify. Sadly it was too dark to photograph it!
The penguins come ashore in rafts, and then climb up under the viewing platform to the nesting boxes that the trust have created. Someone with a hand clicker counts them in, and they're all micro-chipped too, so a chip reader scans them as they climb the bank. The seagulls were a bit of a distraction, as were the seals. Seals up close smell a bit like wet dog. It was fascinating to watch the penguins arrive and waddle up the beach. Some of them seemed to stop for a chat with the neighbours, others ran straight for the burrows. One penguin did not seem to want to go to it's burrow at all and the guides said that it probably didn't have a mate waiting in the burrow (ahh).
We were warned as we left to check around our car before moving as they had been known to settle underneath cars or in wheel arches. There were signs down the road too asking people to be vigilant watching for penguins crossing the road. We were glad that our car was penguin free!
We were warned as we left to check around our car before moving as they had been known to settle underneath cars or in wheel arches. There were signs down the road too asking people to be vigilant watching for penguins crossing the road. We were glad that our car was penguin free!
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