New Zealand Day 17 02/03/2018 Photo Album

Our itinerary required us to traverse southern New Zealand from Te Anau to Dunedin on Saturday. We crossed from the west coast to the east coast of the South Island, if one includes our two hour return from Milford Sound on Friday. The route provided unending views of paddocks (fields) populated by sheep, cows, deer, and beets. Deer are raised extensively in New Zealand as a source of domesticated meat, and venison is a standard item on most restaurant menus.

The weather turned quite chilly, and the high temperature in Dunedin peaked in the mid-50’s. It was a radical change from the heat wave we experienced during the middle week of our roadtrip. We found our lodging at Euro 315 in the center of Dunedin, and then Jane and I strolled down George Street to a food court in a mall, where we split and inhaled a lamb souvlaki. We returned to the hotel by 2PM to check in, and then we surveyed the city map and embarked on a two hour walking tour.

First we searched for a bike hire business called Bike Otago, but we were unable to locate it and concluded the shop moved. Next we sought the New Zealand Shop on the Octagon, and Jane purchased a gift for our cleaning person. The third stop was the Cadbury World chocolate factory on Cumberland, but we declined the tour and instead purchased a Cadbury Caramello bar.

Jane Bought a Caramello

A bit of backtracking took us to Stuart Street, and then we intersected with the historical Dunedin railway station. It was a fine piece of architecture surrounded by manicured landscaping. We browsed the station a bit, and then we returned to the Octagon via Stuart Street, and there we selected the Thistle as our preferred establishment for happy hour. Jane sipped a glass of wine, while I sipped a hot cup of tea in keeping with my ongoing cold. From here we returned to the Euro 315, and we reserved bicycles for a half day of touring on Sunday via a phone call using our Skinny mobile service.

The Landmark Railway Station in Dunedin

During our walk we identified a Japanese restaurant called Tokyo Garden that was advertising a pork ramen special, so this became our destination for an evening meal. Salmon and chicken sushi preceded our ramen bowls, and we were both quite pleased with our meal. After dinner we made sure to return to the Euro 315 before Nick of Dunedin iBikes dropped off two bicycles and helmets for our Sunday ride. We concluded our travel day with a visit to the New World Market, where we bought a few breakfast items.