Nugget Point to Dunedin

Being at the south end of the island with the campervan due in Picton on the 26th, we decided we’d better extend our rental agreement. Big plug for Affordable Motorhomes, here. They were a pleasure to do business with. Our campervan had few problems, but when it did, Affordable was very good about resolving them. And when we crashed into a gate post, cracking the front left cabin corner and bending the door out of square, they were understanding and didn’t fleece us for major repair costs.

The south island’s east coast is flatter, drier, and more developed than the west coast. The outskirts of Invercargill and Dunedin look not unlike any American suburb, with fast food restaurants and car dealerships along traffic-congested highways. Sheep are still abundant, despite the development, and can be seen grazing within city limits.

We’d planned to stop at Dunedin for lunch at the farmer’s market and scurry our way up to Christchurch, but we were so immediately charmed by the town we decided to stick around the rest of day.

Dunedin is a college town, home of the University of Otago. Everyone seemed hip: students, young families, older folks. What’s more, everyone seemed accidentally hip. Nobody was putting on airs, like, “Look at me in my chestnut beret!”

We easily found the railway station and parking across the street at the Cadbury Chocolate Factory.



We were famished by the time we’d parked the campervan and found our way into the market. With not a minute to spare, we arrived at the French crepe stand. Ivy was melting down faster than chocolate on a hot plate. Ham, cheese, and spinach….and then, chocolate, banana, whipped cream. The only thing better than warm, fresh crepes is warm, fresh crepes when you are really hungry. Huddled around Ivy’s stroller, we failed to notice the vendors packing up and leaving.



With the crowds and stands gone, we noticed the railway station, the second most photographed building in the southern hemisphere. Ornate and grand, this massive Victorian structure built around 1900 remains a focal point of the city. We digested our crepes on the front lawn where the kids frolicked among the hedges and flower beds.



Hilllery and Sawyer rode the scenic Taieri Gorge Railway, which leaves from the Dunedin station and winds through the rugged Taieri River gorge. The old-timey train presents breathtaking, jaw-dropping views of the gorge and transits numerous tunnels and viaducts along the way. Hillery and Sawyer rode in the caboose on the outbound trip. At the end of the line, an engine was connected to the caboose and they rode in the front car on the way back to Dunedin.



Meanwhile, Ivy and I enjoyed the eye-dropping views of the Dunedin Holiday Park where we napped in the campervan. The warm sunshine coming through the windows felt good on this breezy, cold day. Dunedin had the perfect blend of ma/pa character and modern sophistication. In other words, the Shrek-, wild west-, Kokopelli-themed murals painted on the cinder block walls of the bathhouses, laundry facilities, and cabins were as charming as the hot showers and wireless internet access were convenient. A beautiful beach supposedly lay just over the bluff.


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