The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by jacobyikes
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Fluke
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Fluke
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Cracked Ink
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Cracked Ink
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Emma Francesca
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Emma Francesca
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Jonathan Waters & Cab Nov
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Jonathan Waters and Cab Nov
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Devon Smith
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Devon Smith
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Jon Thom
Art Toitu Museum – Artwork by Jon Thom
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Be Free
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Be Free
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art By Bruce Mahalski
The Dunedin Street Art Trail – Artwork by Bruce Mahalski
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Street Art On Bond Street
The Dunedin Street Art Trail
Curious and creative views of Ōtepoti as I wander each charter’d street.
Summer Change At Lawyers Head
Summer change at Lawyers Head
The warmth of the afternoon that had seemingly lingered forever, finally gave way late in the day. The clear blue skies had been engulfed by a dark, mood bank of cloud that had rolled in, bringing with it intense wind gusts that seemed intent on battering everything in its path. The once calm and peaceful blue ocean had been transformed into a brooding, angry mass that was beginning to churn and swell into the rocky shoreline of Lawyers Head and beyond to St Kilda beach. Far off in the distance the gathering clouds gave an ominous prediction of heavy rain. The once lovely summer’s day had suddenly changed, almost as if by the flick of a switch.
Low Tide At St Clair
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 The Dunes
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.
Dunedin Evening Light
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.
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
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.
An Early Dunedin Morning
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
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.
Dunedin Street Art – Team Hoiho
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.
Chasing the Thin White Cloud
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.
Welcome to Summer
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.
Blowin’ In The Wind
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
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
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.
In Every Alleyway On Every Avenue
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.
DunedinNZ
Evening in Dunedin
Late Sunday evening over St Kilda and St Clair in Dunedin as spring prepares to roll into summer.
Dots Dots Dots
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.
The Hues of Otago Harbour
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.
To Breathe The Salt Air
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 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.