Oamaru & Dunedin

When climbing Baldwin Street, don't lean back!

Following our stay at the beautiful Mount Cook, we set off in Barney towards Oamaru, passing some of the country's fine landscape on our way to the coastal town.

We pulled in at the local information centre where we were told of the perfect spot to park up our van and advised on the area's best  tourist attraction - watching the yellow-eyed penguins (the world's rarest breed) swim to shore.

Because of the approaching stormy night, we wrapped up and headed towards the beach. After about 45 minutes at the windy cliffside viewing point, we saw a group of people pointing towards a section of the beach where, sure enough, the tiny penguins were waddling along the beach back home for the night. It was a great sight, even though we were both blue with cold!

Taking a break on the journey to the summit

That night, we parked at another beach and watched the waves roll in as the sun set - this time from the warmth of the van!

This shows just how steep it is!

After Oamaru, we continued our journey south towards Dunedin (the Gaelic word for Edinburgh), a city soaked in Scottishness! James's Scotland football top was admired and people were able to understand and spell 'Tulloch' correctly for a change! We even learned a thing or two, as we were told all about the famous Kiwi racehorse of the same name.

We booked in at Dunedin Holiday Park  for two days, to have a day break from driving. As soon as we parked Barney, James ran off, Snickers bar and apple in hand, towards the nearby golf course... worryingly, it reminded me of a certain family member!

James's caddy for the day

Unfortunately, there was a golf tournament on, so his game was postponed until the next day; a blessing in disguise as we awoke to a beautiful blue sky. The links course was stunning, especially the views of the Pacific Ocean that presented themselves as we climbed up to the green on the 8th hole.

On the 8th tee, with the Pacific Ocean in the background

Another interesting stop in Dunedin was Baldwin Street, the world's steepest. We decided not to attempt to drive up it for fear of failure, but took to it by foot and watched in awe as other cars struggled to the summit! Let's just say I am glad I don't live on a street like that! Our legs still hurt!

We are learning all the camping tricks, or more to the point, once we do it wrong, we know how to do it right! Like attempting to cook eggs for breakfast next to a windy beach or making up the bed only to discover that your toothbrush, book and shoes are in the drawer underneath... Oh well, we'll learn as we go!

Pam

Robert Burns monument

Dunedin Railway Station: New Zealand's most photographed building