Day 11 – Port Chalmers (Dunedin)

Pohiri – (Maori Welcome)

     Yesterday, we docked in Port Chalmers and then road a shuttle to Dunedin. We then took a taxi to the Olveston Mansion. I had read that booking this tour privately was the way to go, and it certainly was. Tom and I had a private tour for just us. As we casually were escorted from room to room, we saw the cruise ship tour of 50 people being hustled from room to room. Whenever we had toured before I always wondered how that worked? Now I know, book privately. Oh the ship’s tour was $90 and our trip was $30.

    The Olveston House is a 35 room Jacobean-style mansion. It was built in 1906 for David and Marie Theomin and their two children Edward and Dorothy. Neither Edward nor Dorothy had children. Edward died in his early 30’s and Dorothy lived into her 70’s. When she died, she left the mansion to the city. Her father loved to shop and had treasures from all over the world. He was quite the philanthropist, and also received gifts from various countries and heads of state. It was an amazing place but glad I don’t have to dust the thousands of treasures contained in the house. I will have to google images of the inside of the house when we get home as we were not allowed to take photos inside.

    After we returned to the city center, we ate lunch at a restaurant I googled last summer as one of the best places for lunch in the city. It was called Best Café. We had fish and chips. The fish was so fresh and the batter very yummy. Then we walked over to the Dunedin Railway Station. It is one of New Zealand’s finest historic buildings and one of the best examples of railway architecture in the southern hemisphere. It was beautiful.

  Then we took our booked tour of the Cadbury factory. It was not a tour offered by the ship. I wanted to go because I have never been to a candy factory, plus I have fond memories of my mom introducing me to Cadbury eggs. It was lots of fun, and they gave you your tour fee in candy. What was not to like? At one stop during the tour, they gave you a cup that you could fill with any type of chocolate, (white, milk, dark etc.) and then add any topping you like. They keep the chocolate at about 45 degrees. I had white chocolate with Oreo crumbles. Seconds were acceptable and many of us did just that. No photos were allowed here either.

    Today, sending you more alpaca photos. One is of me and an alpaca named George. He was a year old. The second shows you the scenery surrounding the farm.

“As long as habit and routine dictate the pattern of living, new dimensions of the soul will not emerge.” - Henry Van Dyke

 Haere ra (Goodbye)

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Tom and Holly