Low tide at St Clair
The light melted into the horizon, as evening hues spread across the calm, mirror-like ocean. I waded in the still water, the lingering warmth of the day remaining present for a few minutes. The shoreline curved gently, its silhouette darkness against the glow of the setting sun. Waves lapped lazily around my ankles, the world quieting with each fading ray.
Dusk in sand dunes at St Kilda beach
The evening light set the ocean alight with warm hues of orange, yellow and blue as I walked through the dunes. Nearby the gentle swell rolling toward the shore. It was early summer, and the air, filled with salt, carried the last traces of the day’s warmth. Silhouetted hills loomed in the distance while sea grasses swayed lazily on the dunes. The quiet beauty of the sunset fading as the light dipped.
Sunset beyond St Clair
The ocean, alive and golden, shimmered like glass as the sun sank behind the hills above St Clair. I floated, suspended in water that glowed with the kind of warmth only early summer knows. Waves rolled gently to the shore, while clouds blushed a deep, contented orange. The world, caught between day and night and for a fleeting moment as the last of the daylight shimmered on the horizon.
Sunset on St Kilda beach.
Here in Dunedin it’s getting to that lovely time of year when the sun rises early, the days are warm and the light lasts long into the evening. At this time instead of the sun setting behind the hills, it dips below the horizon far down the coast. Meaning from beaches like St Kilda, you can sit on the beach deep into evening and watch it fade from sight with the hypnotic rhythms of breaking waves acting as a backdrop.
Flooding In Ross Creek
Back in October Dunedin had its wettest day in over a century. Three times the usual rainfall expected in October fell in the city in just 48 hours. 38 roads were closed including State Highways to the north and south of the city, communities were cut off and suburbs were flooded. A state of emergency was put in place and all over the region there were landslides and rivers bursting their banks.
Early morning in the Exchange
I found myself on an early Dunedin morning, ambling into The Exchange where I spent a few minutes watching the city come awake. The air had a fresh untouched feel to it as the soft orange hues that appeared with the break of day were hit with sunlight. That’s what I love about mornings, they have a fresh, new, anything is possible feel to them. Unless of course you’re wildly hungover. Fortunately I wasn’t, so I savored watching the city stretch and yawn. I sipped my coffee and admired the urban patchwork stitched together by time and light.
Second Beach in Dunedin
Made up completely of rock, Second Beach is nearly impossible to walk on without your feet sinking into the stones. Years of consistent wave movement have created great drifts of raggedly oval stones worn to a polished smoothness. At the same time, the sea crashes into the shore creating a seemingly endless musical score of stones clattering on the shoreline while the air is filled with the smell of seaweed and spray from saltwater. It has tidal rock pools, unstable cliffs, disused quarry structures that are nearly eighty years old and occasionally you’ll see Sea Lions or Fur Seals basking on the shoreline. It’s one of the most glorious places in Dunedin.
Yellow-Eyed Penguins Street Art by Bruce Mahalski
If you’re looking to do something a little different in Dunedin then checking out the street art is a great place to start. There’s so many these days that it’s pretty easy to simply wander the inner city, you’ll find them eventually! However, if wandering isn’t your thing, then there’s a Dunedin Street Art map that can be downloaded. Be warned though, it’s a few years old and there’s been many additions to the local street walls since it was last updated. This one is by local artist Bruce Mahalski was added to Burlington Street in 2021.
Dunedin Street Art
Near the heart of Dunedin, vibrant murals have transformed some of the urban walls into a gallery of wonder. One titled ‘Chasing the Thin White Cloud‘ by Fintan Magee is a stunning five-storey mural, while another by the artist Bezet is an amazing three-story creation of a young woman lying in a bed of flowers in a forest. With a backdrop of historic architecture, the art street scene has added a creative soul into the city’s urban identity.
Real Fruit Ice Cream
Welcome the first day of summer here in Aotearoa! Here’s a typically kiwi scene, ice cream at the beach on a stunning Dunedin day.
Lawyers Head towards Blackhead and Brighton.
This is one of my favourite views of Dunedin and I have no idea why! I’ve photographed it early in the morning, late in the evening and during the day. Many times I stop by and just simply stand there looking. Why do I like this view so much, maybe the answer is blowing in the wind!
The Savoy Restaurant
The Savoy Restaurant was once considered the finest dining room in the Southern Hemisphere. With its ornate Tudor Hall featuring English oak panelling, a magnificent Oamaru stone fireplace and stained glass windows, in the 1920s and 1930s it attracted consistently large numbers of diners.
Port Chalmers Maritime Museum
Since I was in the area, I visited the Port Chalmers Maritime Museum which had recently been updated at a cost of $20 million. Upon entry, I liked it immediately, not least because it was free. Also, I didn’t have to navigate through a stupid gift shop or cafe just to get inside which was an added bonus. With the building’s new design taken on what is termed a minimalist approach, more than 25,000 photos and almost 12,500 items were shuffled around in the refurbishment.
Alleyway on Burlington Street
I love exploring a good alleyway. So, here’s a fact for you, The first known recorded use of the word alleyway is by American poet Philip Freneau who used the word in his writing in 1788. However, I’m a little sceptical about this for two reasons. Firstly, he’s American and Americans seem to always claim to be the first at everything. That’s a little suspicious if you ask me. Secondly, the word alley comes from the old French word ‘alee’ meaning walk or passage that dates back to the 1300s. So, it seems that for nearly five hundred years no-one had the bright idea to record the word in a written, published context as alleyway. Of course I’m being a bit facetious here.
But, speaking of alleyways, In 1811, the New York City Commissioners Plan of the city deliberately left out all alleys from the planning grid. This was so more housing and commercial buildings could be built, thus allowing landowners to earn more profit.
Of course, if you want to see interestingly named alleyways, then Braintree in Essex, England is the place to visit. However, in the small village they use the word ‘gant’ instead of alleyway. So, among the tightly packed buildings that lead to the old market square you’ll find gants with names like, the Leatherworkers Gant, Bird In Hand Gant, Hilly Gant, and Pig’s Head in the Pottage Pot Gant. Which is quite possibly the finest name for an alleyway or street I’ve ever heard.
Evening in Dunedin
Late Sunday evening over St Kilda and St Clair in Dunedin as spring prepares to roll into summer.
George Street in Dunedin
This is Dunedin’s George Street back when it had painted dots all over it due to Covid. The idea was to encourage a safer CBD by lowering the speed limit to 10km/h and painting 450 dots all over the street to promote social distancing. At the time it did raise the question of the council if it was wise to encourage people to walk in the middle of the road while cars would be driving along it. It also made people wonder if the $40,000 it cost was money well spent.
Sunset over Otago Harbour
It was late in the day and with just enough time left before the sunset, I went for a drive on the Otago Peninsula. I spent the next short while making random stops as the sun set and the sky changed through a various range of hues. Eventually, as the last light disappeared, I took in a lasting view of Otago Harbour.
Evening surfer at St Clair
It’s the simplicity I like about this image, two colours and surfer – that’s it! A bright orange sky lighting up the horizon, late in the evening after sunset while the ocean rolls in a deep hue of blue. There are different tones within both of these colours while a surfer patiently waits, looking off into the distance. It’s so very uncomplicated yet full of complexity, both at the same time.
The Boundary Track, Ross Creek
The outstanding Ross Creek Reserve is quite simply marvellous. I can’t express how much I enjoy walking the various tracks that make up the entire reserve. There are multiple entry points to the tracks that take you up hills, down into valleys, past one of the oldest water supply reservoirs in the country and past dams. It links up with other nearby tracks that venture high into the Dunedin hills, past water falls and all the while you’re surrounded by an abundance of birdlife. It really is a wonderful place.
Water Garden, Dunedin Botantic Garden
I found my way back to the Dunedin Botanic Gardens, mainly because that was where my car was parked. Also, to see the Water Garden. With the Botanic Gardens split into two main sections, the Water Garden is located in the Lower part of the gardens, while I had spent my time on the various paths in the Upper section. From there, I had then made my way back to the carpark by way of zig-zagging through a number of side streets before suddenly remembering I was wanting to see what reflections I could find in the various nearby ponds.
St Clair from St Kilda Beach, Dunedin.
The day was fine and clear, the wind had dropped away and with summer only a few weeks away, the daylight was going to run deep into the evening. It was what locals call a stunner of a day with the temperature sitting at a warm 16 degrees. Throughout the day, the beach had been a popular place and as late afternoon started to turn to early evening, a peaceful calm had settled along the coast.
Blackhead Beach
It was like I was standing on the edge of the world, staring out over a restless sea as dark, brooding clouds gathered overhead. The water was an intense shade of turquoise, calm at the shore but stirring further out. Small waves, gentle yet insistent, rolled toward the beach, their white crests gleaming under the dimming light. There was a weight in the air, a tension, as if the ocean itself was holding its breath, waiting.
Evening at Larnach’s Castle
If you google haunted places in Aotearoa, on almost every list you’ll find Larnach’s Castle mentioned. The tale of William Larnach really is rather tragic and in case you don’t know the story, here’s a quick recap. Arriving in Dunedin at the time of the gold rush from the Australian gold fields as a banker, William Larnach quickly grew a reputation as a businessman. He amassed a fortune through business investments, went into politics, was involved in shipping, farming and landholdings. He had six children with his first wife Eliza Guise before she died at the age of 38. He then married Eliza’s half sister Mary Alleyne who after 5 years of marriage died at the age of 38. Larnach then married Constance de Bathe Brandon, a lady who was more than 20 years younger than him. Unfortunately Larnachs businesses started failing, his properties lost money, and his favourite daughter Kate died in her early 20s. As he started to spiral towards bankruptcy, he finally discovered his third wife was having an affair with his eldest son Donald. Soon after, he committed suicide in Parliament in Wellington via a gun in 1898.
So, when it comes to ghosts there are rumours the local spirits are his first wife Eliza, or his favourite daughter Kate, or even William Larnach himself. There are all sorts of stories of people witnessing supernatural activity however the most famous of the paranormal events to happen at the castle happened in 1994. A new play about the Larnach family called Castle of Lies was being premiered in the grand ballroom. While the guests came in and were seated, a ferocious gale came up across the peninsula and ripped through the grounds of the castle. As the evening went on and the wind got more intense, smoke from the fireplaces blew back down the chimneys sending fine white white soot right through the ballroom. That was followed by heavy rain and hail while the drapes inside went flying in every direction possible. Then, at the part in the play where William Larnach was about to kill himself, a flash of lightning shot through the room. So dramatic was the event, many of the guests mistook it for a very impressive stage effect.
Lower Stuart Street in Dunedin
For those of you that live in Dunedin, this is a reminder of what Lower Stuart Street looked like before the whole thing was dug up. Just in cases you forgot. The purpose of the massive hole that has been dug in the middle of the street is to replace historical pipes dating back as far as 1887. While this work was taking place, they unsurprisingly found old constructions like makeshift wooden steps that were put in place over a century ago and the foundations of a horse stables that used to occupy part of Moray Place. I think that’s just splendid.
Dusk over the Pacific Ocean
How is it possible for an ocean to look so moody, yet peaceful both at the same time? It’s an odd occurrence to see a wonderful hue of colours linger in the distance while at the same time wondering if the large dark clouds gathering in the distance are about to open with a torrent of rain. I’d been watching the clouds engulf the sky on the horizon, noticing at the same time the wind had picked up while the temperature dropped. Somewhere across the Pacific Ocean it was bound to be raining, yet here on the point looking out across the sea, the sky seemed to be in an erratic and impulsive mood.
A revamped George Street
In an attempt to create a more people-friendly space where both business, shoppers, scooters, skateboarders (and whatever other mode of transport you wish to add) can coexist, the local city council spent over $100 million redeveloping the main street. I was pondering this as I walked along Dunedin’s George Street passing well-known places such as Knox Church. It was when I arrived at a crossing that I noticed a number of shops across the road that were empty and out of business. So, now everyone has a shiny new footpath to walk on as they pass empty shops that are boarded-up and covered in graffiti. At that moment I hoped that one-day eventually the buildings will once again be full of shops with businesses that are thriving.
The Royal Albert Hotel (aka The Albert Arms, aka The Bog)
I was in the inner city to complete a few errands and tasks that I had either been putting-off, avoiding or simply procrastinating over. They hadn’t been particularly time consuming or difficult, however I’d been telling myself ‘I’ll do that tomorrow’ and tomorrow had turned into several weeks! Now, having completed all the chores I had set, my time was free to fill in whatever way I pleased so I started with a walk along the main street. It was late afternoon and while one side of the street was still bathed in sunlight, the other was filled with ever growing shadows as the sun started to drop in the sky.
Dunedin’s eastern coastline at dusk.
It was one of those days that required an evening walk, simply because it was just too nice to not be outside. The route took me through a cemetery, a golf course, along a beach and up a road before coming across a view of Dunedin’s eastern coastline as dusk took hold. With caution, I pushed my way through the bush on the side of the road until I came to a clearing that gave an uninterrupted vantage point of Tomahawk Beach to the south. Watching the sun set, it wasn’t a bad way to end the day.
Lindsay Creek in Bethunes Gully
Last month when Dunedin was inundated with three times the usual October rainfall in just two days, unsurprisingly all the local rivers and streams had a massive flow rate. One of those was Lindsay Creek. It starts on Mount Cargill and runs down into Bethunes Gully and through North East Valley before linking up with the Water of Leith at the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. The day after the rains stopped and the streets began to clear, I went for a wander through Bethunes Gully and found Lindsay Creek in full flow with an impressive amount of water in what is usually a fairly sedate body of water.
The Metropole building in St Clair, Dunedin
I’d spent the afternoon wandering along St Kilda then St Clair beaches. From there, I ventured up along the Esplanade and along to the end of Second Beach. Arriving at the end of the coastal path with nowhere left to go, I turned and retraced my steps until I once more arrived at the Esplanade. It was at that point that I realised that having spent all afternoon on foot, I decided to reward myself with a beer at a nearby bar and restaurant called Salt. Not having any particular place to be in the next short while, I spent the next few hours happily drinking a few pints, eating food and reading a book. Suddenly noticing it was getting dark outside, I gathered my belongings that now seemed to be scattered across the table and headed for home.