Ben Rudd’s property

I was heading for Ben Rudd’s property. Located on the northern flank of Flagstaff, Ben Rudd was a hermit who gave up urban life to live the last ten years of his existence in solitude. On his land he built a stone hut, fences and fiercely protected his property with acts of violence against trespassers. When he shuffled off this mortal coil in 1930, the Otago Tramping Club purchased the 45 hectare property and have managed it ever since. 

From the Flagstaff Track I found a trail heading along the northern face of Flagstaff. A sign indicated that Ben Rudd’s place was a mere 15 minute stroll through the bush- which naturally I assumed was an easy 5 minute stroll. Well, I was wrong. Unlike the Department of Conservation, it seems that the Otago Tramping Club’s 15 minutes is an actual 15 minutes! 

The track wound its way downhill until the path eventually widened and opened to clearing. Ben’s hut is no longer standing, but has been replaced with a brick shelter, partially hidden by overgrown bush and long grass. I stopped to look around. Inside the shelter people had written all over the walls and left messages like, ‘Katrina was here 2010” as was”Taylah “,”Zara ” and”Henry “. For a moment I considered adding “Ben Rudd was here 1929” but thought better of it and headed back to the trail.  

St Clair Esplanade in Dunedin

The St Clair Esplanade in Dunedin held a reserved elegance as the quiet, early morning light lifted. A soft ocean breeze left the air heavy with the smell of salt, lingering in the mellow radiance of dawn. The streetlights, emanating a warm glow while far off on the horizon, the clouds began to break with the first colours of day peeking through. The stillness of the morning, only matched by the tranquil, calm of the vast ocean. It was early, the day wasn’t quite awake, yet no longer asleep and I had the place all to myself.

The Lower Octagon

It was 7:00am, and the Lower Octagon in Dunedin had a quiet charm about it. The soft glow of the streetlights lingered as the first hints of daylight stretched across the sky and reflected off the nearby historic buildings. Their ornate facades standing in peaceful contrast to the usually bustling nightlife. It was a fleeting moment of stillness as the city awoke from its slumber, for yet another busy day.

St Paul’s Cathedral

I went for a cup of coffee in a café on Lower Stuart Street. I had it in mind to drink it while reading a copy of the local daily paper, The Otago Daily Times (New Zealand’s Most Trusted Brand). However, when I arrived at the café, there was a long line stretching out the door.

Confused about what was going on, I joined the line, assuming that it would be moving fairly quickly— I was wrong. It wasn’t moving at all! The holdup appeared to be caused by a man stationed at the counter, refusing to move, engaged in a heated argument with the owner about something on the menu board that hung on the wall above them.

After several minutes, it became clear that the situation was not being resolved anytime soon. Not wanting to be stuck in a long, immovable queue all morning, I decided to spend my time wandering around the nearby St Paul’s Cathedral instead.

King Edward Technical College on Stuart Street.

I continued my early morning walk through Dunedin to the Octagon, right in the heart of the city. From there, I made my way up Stuart Street, passing the stunning St Paul’s Cathedral and the old Fortune Theatre. After crossing Moray Place and Smith Street, I found myself next to the former King Edward Technical College. It’s truly impressive when you stand and take it all in. Turns out, for twenty years, it was New Zealand’s largest secondary school! I later learned that the Dunedin Art School, which became part of it in 1921, has some pretty famous alumni, like Ralph Hotere, Toss Woollaston, and Colin McCahon. Not bad company to be in!

Queens Gardens

It was one of those cool autumn mornings that reminded you winter was on its way. The night air was crisp and fresh, and while the days were still pretty warm, the sun was rising later, and the daylight hours were getting shorter and shorter. Across the city, sidewalks and streets a blanket of orange, red, ochre, and olive leaves, were starting to settle on the ground, covering the surrounding footpaths and lining the city streets.

Dunedin Railway Station & The  JA 1274

Wondering what type of train it was that sat on display before me, I quickly found myself reading train information that I discovered was really rather boring. Unless of course, you like discussing JA Class, 100-tonne, 42 gauge, steam locomotives that have a wheel diameter of 1.372 m and boiler pressure of 200 psi that were built between 1946 and 1956! In which case, you’ll have been fascinated. However, I wasn’t! So, I’ll simply say that the old steam locomotive looked rather fetching, lit-up in its glass case, and move on to a topic with a little more spice. Like the Hyde Railway Disaster in June, 1943. 

Now, I don’t know the type of locomotive that was involved (and please don’t email me either), but the tragedy occurred just after 1:45pm when the Cromwell to Dunedin express entered a bend, just before the town of Hyde. Travelling in excess of 112 km per hour, more than twice the speed limit, all seven carriages left the rails resulting in twenty-one people being killed and another 47 injured. Following an inquiry, engine driver John Corcoran was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years in prison amid allegations of being drunk, the track was poorly maintained and Corcoran himself was under pressure and speeding to meet a demanding and unrealistic timetable.

The former Fortune Theatre

I came across the former Fortune Theatre, the world’s southernmost professional theatre back in the day. It operated for nearly 44 years, putting on popular productions such as ‘The Share Club (1987)’, ‘Ladies night (1992)’, ‘Larnach (1994)’ and ‘Glide Time (1977)’.  But, let me say this, ‘former’ is the key word here. It shut down in 2018 when the Fortune Theatre Trust decided it just wasn’t financially viable anymore. Basically, not enough people were showing up. Funny, though-because as soon as the closure was announced, everyone in Dunedin was up in arms, lamenting about losing such an important arts institution. I just love the irony in that.

Dunedin Law Courts

I wandered along past a collection of cafe’s, restaurants, boutique shops and gift shops. All of which were closed. In fact, they wouldn’t be open for some hours. It was early morning and apart from the occasional truck that would rumble past, the city was quiet. 

I stopped at an intersection as another truck rocketed past. It really was surprising how many trucks were on the road at 5:30am, on a Tuesday morning. I stopped outside the Dunedin Law Courts. One of the more notable and historic buildings in central Dunedin. A John Campbell designed building in the Victorian Gothic style that was popular in Dunedin at the time, the building took seven years to construct and opened in 1902.