Viking Description: Dunedin and Port Chalmers lie on the 12-mile-long Otago Harbour. At the heart of the city, Dunedin is home to New Zealand’s first university, built in 1871. This lively college town is one of the South Island’s cultural capitals. Neighboring Port Chalmers has a thriving arts scene, inspired by its setting. Across the water, the distinctive Harbour Cone summit rises on the Otago Peninsula. Together, this unspoiled region is a breathtaking vista of mountains and sea, and home to seals, penguins and seabirds, including the only mainland colony of albatross in the world. Note: Dunedin is a 15-minute drive from Port Chalmers.
Port Arrival: 8:00am; Port Depart: 5:00pm
For our last day in New Zealand, we slept in a little bit before getting breakfast and heading out on our included excursion, a Dunedin City Tour.
- Dunedin City Tour (Included), Barb and Bill
- Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes, 9:30 AM
- New Zealand’s Victorian and Edwardian Treasures
- See the highlights of the best-preserved Victorian city in the world. Drive along scenic Otago Harbor to Dunedin, founded by Scottish settlers in 1848 and named after the Gaelic term for “Little Edinburgh.” Then enjoy a scenic drive past a wealth of Victorian and Edwardian buildings, richly festooned with spires, gables and gargoyles. Pass Dunedin Botanic Garden, the country’s oldest; and the Otago Museum, with its colonnaded entry; and the magnificent Dunedin Railway Station, a jewel in New Zealand’s architectural crown. Enjoy your journey around the Octagon, the eight-sided plaza overlooked by the Dunedin Town Hall, the twin-spired St. Paul’s Cathedral and a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns. You will also see Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest residential street, and admire striking views from Unity Park before returning to your ship.
The weather started out overcast and dry but rain was expected so our driver (not named Kevin this time) called an audible and took us up to Unity Park for a view of the city. The view was decent and we admired the statue of Admiral Richard Byrd who used Dunedin as a base for his Antarctic explorations.
As soon as we got back on the bus, a spitting rain started and persisted for the rest of the tour, so it was a good decision. We drove through Dunedin, passing a school that purportedly looked like Hogwarts. We took pictures from the bus as best we could, but Barb was more interested in the rowing team.
We stopped for a quick photo op at Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest residential street, a distinction the Dunedin folks vigorously defend. I think it would have looked a lot steeper if we actually went to the base of it but the bus couldn’t get there very easily.
Likewise, we stopped for a bit at the impressive Dunedin Railway Station for more photos and a potty break for those in need.
The bus tour hit the other designated highlights of this quaintly impressive and very hilly little town. We decided to take the option of wandering around in town a bit before heading back to the ship. Barb and I first stopped at the information center where the lady gave us some good ideas to while away a couple of hours in Dunedin. We went around the corner to Velvet Burger, a spot recommended by Vika, Allie’s Babson buddy who spent a semester in Dunedin. Barb and I shared a Mini OG. Not bad.
We spotted some proper Scottish heritage in the window of the Scottish Shop. Go Disce Pati, the Duncan clan crest!
We then walked to the Otago Settlers Museum where we were pleasantly impressed by the variety and depth of the displays. We learned more about the settlement and growth of Dunedin and the region.
After about 90 minutes in the museum, we walked over to Speight’s Brewery where I had a nice porter and a lamb and onion meat pie. I had been hearing about meat pies in New Zealand and wanted to try one before we left. This was my last chance and the pie was, to be honest, not great but I crossed it off my list.
We caught the shuttle back to the ship and were on board an hour before departure. We started sneaking out the harbor a bit early so I went upstairs to watch our exit. The Dunedin/Port Chalmers harbor was quite lovely and I snapped more than a few photos for our last stop in New Zealand. I tried a few videos to give a sense of our stately progress out the harbor, and the windy calm of being the only one on deck. The crew had cleared the deck of all tables and chairs, strapping down everything that could be strapped down. Clearly they were anticipating some strong winds to come. They were right.
I especially enjoyed rounding the final headland past a lighthouse and an albatross breeding center. I started trying to film the flight of these magnificent birds with nearly 10-foot wingspans. There had been an excursion out to this bird sanctuary and now I regretted not taking it – I originally wanted no part of invading the birds’ rookery but as we sailed by I realized I could have had much better views of the birds in flight which were really majestic. I tried taking some videos but it was a rather futile effort without a long lens. Nevertheless, the videos give a sense of the rising seas and windswept coastline as we sailed into open water.
As we pulled out of the harbor, the wind picked up significantly and the sea grew much rougher. I eventually had to go inside. I watched our progress from the Explorers Lounge for a few minutes until it was time for dinner. Meanwhile, Barb worked on the community jigsaw puzzle. They were making progress.
This evening was our second reservation for Manfredi’s and we added Barb and Karen. This time, I got gnocco frito, a fried dough with gorgonzola cheese topped with a wad of prosciutto, and a plate of grilled seafood including two fish, calamari and shrimp. The gnocco I don’t need to order again but the grilled seafood was very nicely done. I also had a side of risotto. Barb and Karen shared a steak before adjourning to The Restaurant to have grilled lobster. Surf and turf! Barb then went up to the World Cafe for ice cream. She had cracked the code on getting what exactly she wanted. No surprise.
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