Dunedin, Discover Street Art, Fabulous Cafes and Modern Charm

As I strolled back down through the streets of central Dunedin I allowed my imagination to run wild. I pictured the horse drawn carts tracking up town clip-clopping along the long avenues that all seem to lead towards The Octagon. Purpose built to be the central point of the city The Octagon is a large plaza with pedestrian areas and lively cafes, bars and restaurants. It is easy to get absorbed by Dunedin’s charismatic past, but that is not to ignore the modern city which is a charming, bustling student town with a thriving coffee culture. Strolling around I came across enticing cafes on every corner often situated in distinguished heritage buildings.  With names such as Morning Magpie and The Perc Exchange for example they help to set the hip and modern vibe which the city is seemingly embracing. Street Art is also flourishing. Down alleyways, overlooking carparks ostensibly on every possible blank space or bare wall a contemporary street artist has made their descriptive, interesting and notable mark. Both New Zealand and International artists have been drawn to the city including notable names such as Faith 47 and ROA. ROA is responsible for some captivating aerosol work with one wall covered by a giant Tuatara, a reptile endemic to New Zealand. Keen to embrace its flourishing art profile Dunedin has established its own Street Art Trail which can be followed either on a guided tour with a passionate local or by following the Dunedin Street Art Map which is provided by the local tourist office. As I trail blazed around town following the ninety-minute walk I was able to appreciate not only lots of inspiring art work but also to uncover some of Dunedin’s hidden gems. The walk gave me an excuse to check out narrow laneways and discover ‘wee alley ways’ as they are locally known together with significant land marks that included the ‘First Church of Otago’. I stumbled across some excellent local venues such as Vogel Street Kitchen – a terrific coffee house and deli which has a striking piece of work by the UK street artist Phlegm on its corner wall. A Maori Waka and steam punk like submarine emerge out of a fish’s mouth which apparently is a reference to a story involving a Japanese submarine in Otago Harbour.

Now I had started delving into the world of art I couldn’t stop. The Dunedin Public Art Gallery sits on one side of The Octagon and exhibits contemporary modern art by Kiwi artists. It is also home to some more traditional work by renowned European artists such as Monet, Turner and Gainsborough.

Dunedin is rapidly making a name for itself as a fun and dynamic place to visit. Perhaps it is the influence of a large student population or maybe just down to the inherited pioneering and adventurous spirit of its people – whatever the reason it is a city that moves with the times whilst fully embracing it’s past.

Dunedin, Olveston House - reliving a time from the past

Intrigued by Dunedin’s obvious appreciation of its history and heritage I decided to join a one-hour tour of Olveston Historic Home which was built at the turn of the 19th Century by a wealthy merchant named David Theomin. David had settled in Dunedin having emigrated from his English homeland.  Guided tours are conducted daily and offer visitors a fascinating insight into both a 19th century merchant family and their lifestyle and residence. On the tour I discovered that David was an active patron for the arts, and particularly loved Japanese collections. This was certainly evident when the tour took us through into the entrance vestibule which houses a remarkable assembly of Japanese weaponry collected by David over the years. The Theomin Family lived in the house until 1966 when upon the death of the daughter Dorothy Olveston was bequeathed to the city of Dunedin. It opened the following year as a museum and I was told that over the intervening years very little had been changed. As I followed my guide through each of the rooms I experienced what was essentially a time capsule to life as a prosperous merchant living in Dunedin in the inter war years. You could almost imagine hearing the bell ringing to summon servants to quarters.

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Dunedin, home to New Zealand's most photographed building, Farmers Market

My day had started at the Otago Farmers Market which is fast becoming a Dunedin institution. Held every Saturday morning the stalls here sell local produce and creative goods that are highly sought after. It’s a great spot to wander around with heaps of choice from fresh orchard produce, mouthwatering cake stalls, local meats and freshly caught fish all being sold. Be prepared to go there hungry - as I discovered it is very difficult to resist the homemade porridge, tasty bagels, freshly cooked crepes and the tantalizing smell that lingers around The Bacon Buttie Station.

The market is situated in the grounds of the Dunedin Railway Station, an elegant building which reminded me of the quintessential gingerbread house. The neo classical style dates to Edwardian times and it is often argued to be the most attractive building in New Zealand – from what I witnessed it certainly has a legitimate claim for being the most photographed both inside and out. The entrance hall and foyer are awfully grand with the mosaic floor in the booking hall lounge usurped only by the Royal Dalton porcelain freeze, featuring train images, that curves its way around the overhanging balcony. The station is now used for the Taieri Gorge Railway, a charming train journey into picturesque Central Otago.

Dunedin, the deep south - Toitu Otago Settlers Museum, living history

The bottle of whiskey was a parting gift from a Scottish mother who waved goodbye to her son as he set sail on his epic voyage to Otago, New Zealand on the far side of the world. It was extremely unlikely that the two would ever meet again and so the whiskey was kept as a keep sake to a time past. The son swore that he would only open it on his one hundredth birthday but alas he lived to be just ninety-four. The whiskey remains sealed and is now an exhibit at the Toitu Otago Settlers Museum. Representing one of many tales told about the hardships, adventures and tribulations that the original Dunedin settlers encountered. Interesting exhibits at the Museum include Gold, Gold, Gold a reference to the 1861 gold rush and stories of the Scottish Presbyterians who arrived in 1843 to establish ‘A new Edinburgh’ and found ‘Mud-edin’ – an appropriate nickname for the topography around Dunedin at that time. The most striking exhibition for me though was Across the Ocean Waves which took me inside a replica of the sailing boats used to carry the new settlers. The longest voyage in the world meant surviving cramped conditions with little storage space and even less privacy. In rough seas it must have been terrifying – these were hardy imperious souls these first Otago expats. These remarkable stories captivated me and piqued an interest in discovering more about the heritage of New Zealand’s most southern city.

Waitangi, New Zealand's birth place and Maori legend

Waitangi Visitor Centre and Treaty House is a place hugely symbolic as it is quintessentially the birth place of the modern New Zealand.  It was on these grounds, on 6th February 1840, that the Treaty of Waitangi was signed by the Queens representative William Hobson and over forty North Island Maori Chiefs. It was and still is shrouded in controversy as two versions were actually signed – one in English and one in Maori – and they were each understood to mean different things.  Despite this the Treaty of Waitangi was New Zealand’s founding document and is still widely referred to even today. Indeed the 6th February remains a national holiday. Being a bit of an historian I found exploring Waitangi fascinating. There is nothing really to compare with actually being on the spot where history was made. It is a place of particular significance to Maori and the museum here focuses on their fascinating and captivating story. Equally impressive is the huge Waka (Maori War canoe) that is displayed at the grounds. Thirty five metres in length makes it the largest in the world and it was constructed from two giant Kauri tree. Its takes 80 warriors to paddle and it can be seen on out the water on Waitangi day each year.

Russell, 'hell hole of the pacific' it certainly isn't!

Looking to discover a little of New Zealand’s history with a visit to its first capital city. Russell was once been described as the ‘hell hole of the pacific’ and I therefore wasn’t too sure what to expect. It certainly wasn’t the sedate and peaceful little town I encountered. Back in the 1830’s and known then as Kororareka it was the outpost for fleeing British convicts, whalers, outlaws and sailors shamed for their drunkenness and debauchery. This savage behaviour led to the arrival of European missionaries who went on to build the towns two oldest surviving buildings, Pompallier Mission which was named after Bishop Jean Baptiste Pompallier and the oldest standing church in New Zealand named Christ Church. A tour of Pompallier Mission allowed me access to the former print works that I discovered is still used to this day to produce handmade books.  When it was built in 1842 it produced dozens of Roman Catholic titles and over a prosperous period of eight years it also printed some of the first books available in the Maori language.  A short stroll from Pompallier is Christ Church which dates back to 1836. Its walls still bear the scars of bullet holes from muscat and cannonball - a legacy left by the Maori and British sieges that dominated the township during 1845. The sieges central character is Hone Heke a name synominous with these parts.  He was Maori Chief at the time and felt despondent when the financial benefits from the Treaty of Waitangi failed to materialise. In his anger he took to cutting down the Union Jack that had been raised on Flagstaff Hill overlooking Russell.  Hone Heke succeeded in cutting down the flag no fewer than four times in the space of a year causing enough provocation to start what was proclaimed the first New Zealand war. Today a flag is still raised on the hillside but only on a select twelve days of the year, one of them being the anniversary of Hone Heke’s death.

Top of the North, Cape Reinga, Mystery and Legend, the meeting of two oceans

There is a sense of mystery about Cape Reinga something a touch unique and unexplainable. It’s not quite the very top of the North Island of New Zealand as that claim is reserved for Surville Cliffs at North Cape - it is however the biggest drawcard for visitors to this remote and isolated coastline. The day I visited a haze lingered out across the headland and the wind raged mercilessly in powerful gusts. This did not do anything though to distract from the exquisite beauty of the weathered scenery. The rolling hills and vast sand dunes flowed downwards to the untouched beaches beneath. At Cape Reinga two oceans majestically collide as the Pacific and Tasman meet in a monstrous roar of wave and foam.  As I made my way down the meandering pathway I spotted a gnarly old Pohutukawa tree. Precariously perched on jutting rock overhanging the sea it was somehow clinging to life on this weather beaten cliffside. Maori legend tells that this is the point at which the spirits of the dead begin their final journey into the underworld to return to their ancestral homeland, Hawaiki. Their spirits leaping down off the tree into the depths of the unforgiving ocean below.

Up above on the headland stood Cape Reinga Lighthouse built back in 1941. It still provides a continuous beaming beacon of light as warning to any passing ship. Not far from the lighthouse was one of the most photographed sign-posts in New Zealand. Yellow pointed arrows indicate the direction of the South Pole in 3,840 miles and London 9,735 miles. Never mind London, I sensed I was a long way from just about anywhere. With the exception of the lighthouse and signpost the only other man made creations within a considerable distance were the car park and toilet/information block.  There was nothing else but endless ocean and resplendent scenery and I could truly believe I was at the end of this world, a sacred place where it was indeed possible that spirits could leap.

Hanging out with the world's smallest dolphin whilst crusing Akaroa Harbour

Akaroa Wharf is where the local boat tours depart and my next objective was to get out into the harbour on board the Black Cat catamaran. Known as the scenic nature cruise the description was befitting as the views were simply breath taking. Set within the caldera of on extinct volcano the harbour is 27 km in length. Apparently the serene calmness and geology of the harbour confuses some who mistake it for lake. As we cruised out towards the vast Pacific Ocean our skipper Julian, provided us with a continuous interesting and amusing commentary. Joking at one point that anyone who bought the discounted cruise fair needed to disembark at Akaroa Head and walk back to town – a distance I would guess of somewhere near the 27km! Julian pointed out the Onuku Marae situated on the waterfront and famous as being the first Marae on the South Island to sign the Treaty Of Waitangi, New Zealand’s official founding treaty between the Maori Chiefs and the British representatives of Queen Victoria. We were able to spot numerous sea birds including some recently hatched spotted shags that used the ledges of the cliff created by the volcano to nest. Our boat sailed into a giant sea cave with great acoustics that we all roundly tried out. We even learnt that Nikau translates in Maori as ‘no coconut’ in reference to the local palm tree which is the most southern growing – unlike its Pacific counterparts it has no coconuts. As spellbinding as the scenery was nothing could complete with the excitement created by the local marine life. Akaroa Harbour is now a marine reserve and at what point we happily pointed out a white flippered penguin swimming by – this species of penguin are unique to the Banks Peninsula and are a type of the Australasian Little Penguin. New Zealand fur seals were spotted snoozing on rocks and playing in the many safe pools left by the sea. And then we spotted the Hector’s Dolphin – although to be honest I think it might have been a case of them spotting us. Incredibly playful in attitude they soured through the water straight towards out boat keen to check us out. The Hector is endemic to New Zealand’s South Island and are some of the smallest of their kind to be found. They are distinctive in their appearance with their grey bodies, black and white markings and rounded dorsal fins. With their acrobatic display and enthusiastic nature they stole the show – at one point I counted nine hanging out on the bow of the boat.

The small seaside town of Akaroa is the areas main hub. Akaroa means long harbour in Maori and the whole township essentially revolves around this. Back in 1838 Capt. Langlois provisionally purchased this area for the French only to return a couple of years later with 63 fellow emigrants to discover the British had claimed it as their own apparently only seven days earlier. The French though were invited to stay and create their own settlement, their influence is still obvious today. Street lights are French in style, sign posts and street names take you to Paris, with names like Rue. Even the local butchers is known as the boucherie.  

In the evening I was picked up from Akaroa in a rusty old Toyota belonging to Onuku Farm Hostel and taken in this refined luxury down a bumpy end of road track to the far side of the peninsula. From here I leapt on the back of a quad bike with my bag to find my accommodation for the night! A novel way to arrive. The former sheep farm is home to a wide range of accommodation types all with picturesque views. My own night was going to be spent in something called a ‘Stargazer’, essentially a wooden tent with a glass panel as its roof. Wiggling in to your sleeping bag in the confined room is a fair challenge but I was game. I fell asleep to a cloudy sky and no chance of experiencing any star gazing. However, a few hours later I turned over on to my back to the most dazzling sights ever – the whole galaxy seemed to lay before me twinkling and glistening in the complete darkness of the sky. I was awoken the next morning to the delightful call of the bell bird and tui, two of NZ’s most iconic birds and most certainly the most tuneful. Despite not having the greatest of sleeps, but still pretty content I journeyed back to Akaroa.

The Little River Rail Trail follows the route of an old 19th Century railway track from Hornby on the outskirts of Christchurch through to the small settlement of Little River on the Banks Peninsula. Little River was original a sawmill community supplying timber to Christchurch back in the day but is now largely a tourist spot, a great pit stops between the city and the peninsula. Its old railway station is home to the visitor centre. The Little River Rail Trail is a popular mountain bike/walking track that can be completed in various sections of choice along its 49km route. I hopped on my bike at Motukarua (another small settlement) with the aim to cycle at least 2 sections between here and Little River itself. The track at this point is raised slightly as it followed the old railway embankment past Lake Ellesmere, New Zealand largest saltwater lake, Birdlings Flat – a small holiday town with a wild and dramatic rock-strewn beach which is great to take a windswept walk along, across to the smaller but no less impressive Lake Forsyth. As I peddled along I was rewarded with some spectacular views. The upper range of New Zealand’s Southern Alps was clear to see on this bright clear day. The track traversed through wetlands that teamed with bird life – black swans gracefully floated alongside the path and herons, kingfishers perched on bridge posts as crossed. The track in this area is all off road and there are only a few crossing places to navigate. As I reached Little River I was all too ready to reward myself with some much-needed refreshment. The café here was a perfect spot to appreciate a slice of cake in a sunny garden area.

Lake Tekapo, Mt John and the MacKenzie Basin, don't miss the Church of the Good Shepherd

As I approached Lake Tekapo from the west it was impossible for me to miss Mount John perched high above the Mackenzie Basin. Tekapo is home to another of this region’s iconic locations with yet another impossibly blue lake surrounded by snow laden mountains. Feeling energetic I elected to walk up along the lake shoreline to the Mount John summit track. This provided me the opportunity to wander across to the Church of the Good Shepherd and join the legions of sightseers with cameras at the ready to snap the perfect shot. The Church was built not only as a place of worship but as a lasting memorial to the pioneering Mackenzie families. Its large glass picture window offers the most impressive lake side views which surely must be a distraction for even the most devout worshiper. A short stroll from the Church is the statute to celebrate the hard-working farm dogs of the Mackenzie, without whom farming this area would have been virtually impossible. Hiking along the lakeside pathway I began to climb up through forest which gradually dwindled away leaving only mountain tussock. The baroness of this land allowed me to fully appreciate the 360-degree panoramas on show across the stunning Mackenzie basin. At the top of Mount John, the Astro Café was a welcome spot for refreshment and I indulged myself with a decadent hot chocolate cleverly decorated with a space pattern in its foam – a tribute to the areas dazzling night skies

Devonport and it's astonishing history, an Auckland suburb worth exploring

Directly across the harbour from central Auckland is Devonport. Devonport is positioned on the end of a peninsula and is the quintessential colonial suburb - all white washed villas with wrap around verandas. Devonport is framed on either side by two extinct volcanos, Mount Victoria and North Head.  Much of Devonport is built on old lava flows that descend from Mount Victoria, ‘The Hill Standing Above’ as per the meaning of its Maori name, Takarunga. Mount Victoria is the highest natural point to be found in Auckland and is situated, very handily, close to the villages main through fare. A brief ferry journey and short walk took me up to the volcano that was once home to a Maori Pa (a traditional fortified settlement). Some reminders of this time are still visible on the peak today. The memorising views across to the city make the climb worthwhile.

Descending along the Mount Victoria lookout path I ventured through the pretty tree lined streets towards Cheltenham Beach. Hidden away on the far side of Devonport this long sandy stretch of coastline is sheltered and peaceful, a perfect spot for a swim on a summer’s day. My objective though was to stroll its full length to join the stairway up to North Head or Maungauika as it is known in Maori. Devonport’s second volcano is now a significant historical site. It was New Zealand’s most important coastal defence post for some 120 years due to its perfect position overlooking the entrance to the harbour with magnificent perspectives across the whole of the Hauraki Gulf.

A self-guided walk took me underground and through a net-work of interlinking tunnels, old barracks and gun encasements. The construction of this underground city began back in the 1870’s due to the perceived ‘Russian scares’ when people became convinced that New Zealand would suffer some sort of Russian attack. Forty prisoners lived on the summit of North Head in 1885 and built many of the tunnels and gun batteries. In World War Two North Head’s summit again became the focal point for Auckland’s defence against possible submarine attack in the harbour. In fact, the New Zealand navy did not fully vacate the site until 1996. It is now open to the public to explore its historic attractions.

What has endured since the Navy days are North Head’s mysteries. Rumours continue to persist of hidden tunnels and unknown objects. A recurring story is about two fully sized passenger aircraft being hidden in the depths of the volcano. No one quite knows why this story started, an urban legend no doubt, and despite numerous archaeological surveys and studies nothing has ever been discovered – not yet anyhow……