The Beautiful Colours Of Blackhead Beach – Buy
Given the nature of what a stunning autumn day it was, and with the winter months looming on the horizon, I wasn’t sure how many more I would see. So, I ended up on the south coast of Dunedin at Blackhead Beach. The day was still, full of colour and the beach was filled with people making the most of the warm, summer-like afternoon.
Twilight On John Wilson Drive – Buy
It’d been one of those summer days that started off fine and only gets warmer as the day unfolds. Then, once the sun goes down the heat from the day stretches into the evening, lasting long after the sun has set. The wonderful thing about summer evenings like this is that you can walk late into the twilight as the light hangs round.
The Cliffs – Buy
I drove to Cargills Castle on the cliffs above St Clair. Well, to be precise, I drove to the area that Cargills Castle is located in and walked around the neighbourhood looking for a good view of the historic building. That’s because the house is now completely surrounded by suburban homes. To get to the building you need to trespass across multiple driveways and properties, something the neighbourhood is clearly sick of as the whole suburb is filled with signs like ‘Private Driveway’, ‘No Trespassing – Private Property’ and ‘Private Property – Keep out!’ The Castle is actually nothing like a castle, is more of a stately home that has fallen into ruin through years of neglect. In the mid 1990’s the building was so derelict that the ballroom was demolished and the rest would have followed suit if the Cargill’s Castle Trust had not been formed and bought the building for $180,000.
Stormwater outlet at Second Beach – Buy
Second Beach was covered with the usual accompaniment of small boulders, countless amounts of seaweed and washed up driftwood. I can’t remember the last time I didn’t enjoy a visit there. Made up completely of rock, the beach is nearly impossible to walk on since your feet sink with each step as 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.
Fenceline at Karetai – Buy
One of my favourite places on the Otago Peninsula (and there are many of them), is the Karetai Track. Once a short 2 kilometre dirt road that links Smails Beach to Karetai Road, it’s now a walking track that provides outstanding views along the Otago coastline. It has old stone walls, wildlife, farm machinery, sheer cliffs and great photo opportunities that all combine for a wonderful outing. One that I enjoyed immensely.
St Paul’s Cathedral – Buy
Standing on the steps of St Paul’s Cathedral, looking out over the Octagon several thoughts occurred to me in a very random, scattered sort of way.
I stood facing the main entrance, my thoughts marveling at how Cathedral’s such as the one in front of me were built. If the task was left to me (despite that being a mass mistake) I wouldn’t know where to begin, let alone successfully designing and constructing a grand vaulted ceiling made of stone.
Turning to see the city, standing on the steps of the Cathedral looking out towards the harbour, it occurred to me what a glorious outlook it once would have been. Not that it’s a bad view now, but with a few less buildings and tall trees the view would have been superb.
My thoughts then focused on the stone steps that lead up to the main entrance and how many famous people and events had walked the same path. It’s no wonder Cathedrals were often considered the heart of a city I thought to myself.
Dunedin Public Library – Buy
At first glance the low cloud that was covering the city in the morning looked like it could clear. However, several hours later it was apparent that the gray rain clouds weren’t going to move anywhere soon, so with that, I decided a trip to the library was in order. Also, just like the large pile of books by the front door, somewhat overdue!
When I got to the library car park it was hard not to notice a 2017 Suzki Swift that seemed to be having a little trouble with steering, reversing, braking, finding the accelerator, doing three point turns and generally not blocking traffic! Parking with caution, I took some time to admire one of the many scaffolding features that seem to be a permanent feature of the inner city before heading for the depth of the library.
Sunrise At Blueskin Bay – Buy
Recently, on one of the pages in my notebook I found a scrawled and scrambled note that read “don’t forget the stones – 01.06.18”. Just what that meant, I didn’t have the faintest idea! The fact it was written in one of my notebooks led me to believe that it must have something to do with a photo location but what, I couldn’t imagine.
Upon further investigation into my digital archives, I discovered that the only place I visited that day was Blueskin Bay at sunrise. However, just what “don’t forget the stones” meant, I hadn’t the foggiest idea! Maybe, that morning I’d drank too much coffee and wired on caffeine I’d been listening to The Rolling Stones. Or, it could have been a warning to myself to stay away from dangerous boulders on the shoreline. Either way, somehow it linked to this photo, however I haven’t a clue why!
Lan Yuan Chinese Garden – Buy
When I started out for the day, it wasn’t my plan to visit the Lan Yuan Chinese Garden in the center of Dunedin, however I was rather glad I did. Earlier in the day, I had spent a few hours in a local art gallery staring at paintings and pretending I knew what the meaning in them was. Once I’d made my way around the gallery, I left and followed a street art trail that took me through the city streets and ended near the Lan Yuan Gardens. Noticing the gardens were open, and with no other plans, I decided to go in for a look.
Sunset through the sand dunes.– Buy
Having spent the last hour walking along the beach, with a bit of a scramble I made my way up through the sand dunes. The day had been warm and now, as the sun was starting to drop below the horizon, a light breeze started to blow.
Historic Wall On Otago Peninsula – Buy
One of the terrific things about walking on the Otago Peninsula is finding unexpected things. What’s even more terrific is rediscovering things you remember you forgot. These historic stone walls that separate farm fields definitely fit that criteria.
Fenceline In Fog – Buy
Fog is such a wonderful element in photographs, it adds a very mystic feeling that leaves questions unanswered. While I was driving on the high road on the Otago Peninsula, I came across a fast moving cloud of fog that was hiding and revealing the surrounding countryside. Including this fenceline.
One morning I was out walking near Dowling Street in Dunedin as the sun was rising in the distance. It was creating all sorts of shadows and silhouettes with the architecture on the nearby buildings. As I moved along and down the street, I started to follow the position and angle that the sun appeared between buildings.
Horses In The Dunedin Hills – Buy
I was out among the hills around Dunedin, exploring the remains of some buildings that weren’t really standing yet hadn’t completely collapsed. After a bit, I came along a disused path which ran up along a fenceline that eventually opened out to overlook a small valley. It was while taking in the view, that I completely forgot I was standing right next to a paddock of horses. That was, until one came up behind me, nudged me in the back and scared me half to death!
Allans Beach towards Mt Charles– Buy
My destination was Lovers Leap and the Chasm. Both places I hadn’t been to in some years. I was looking forward to a nice walk with my reward being a pleasant peninsula view at the end of it. At one point I did notice that the track signs seemed to have changed, however, confident I knew where I was going I ignored these and set off under the watchful eye of the local sheep population.
Several Spotify songs later, I arrived at the spot where the viewing platform should be, only to find it wasn’t there. Replaced, with an unstable land warning. Confused, I backtracked and headed to the other viewing platform, which I quickly learnt had also disappeared.
Deciding it would now be prudent to follow the signs, I discovered a new track and viewing platform had been built and placed looking northeast over Allans Beach, Hoopers Inlet, Mt Charles and inland to Harbour Cone. Offloading my pack, I had to admit that this was probably a better view. I also realised that I was being watched by a very smug group of sheep that seemed to be saying “told ya so!”.
Epilogue
In 2019 The Department of Conservation removed the viewing platforms overlooking Lover’s Leap and the Chasm due to concerns over unstable land.
The Northern Royal Albatross – Buy
Spend some time thinking about the Albatross for a moment. These wonderful creatures have a lifespan of at least 50 years, spend up to 85% of it at sea and can go up to six years without touching land. They live off a diet of fish, squids, and crustaceans and once they find a mate they pair-up for life, producing one egg every two years. One fully grown, they weigh around 12 kilograms, have a wingspan of 3.5 meters, can fly up to 40km per hour and can travel up to 15,000 kilometers. In fact, the Northern Royal Albatross has been known to fly 190,000 kilometers a year.
If that’s not enough, there is only one place in the world where the Northern Royal Albatross breeds on the mainland and that is Taiaroa Head, on the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin. A place that is home to more than 250 albatrosses. Isn’t that remarkable and just a little bit special.
Twilight on the peninsula. – Buy
It was one of those lovely autumn evenings where the weather was kind and the warmth of the day lingered into the evening. Deciding to enjoy the twilight, I ventured up to the Fallen Soldiers’ Memorial on the Otago Peninsula. Once there, I was able to watch the sunset while enjoying an almost 360 degree view of Dunedin.
Tomahawk Beach – Buy
If there’s one thing I like about golf, it’s seeing someone play who is worse than me. Which, to be fair, isn’t many people. Thus the reason I don’t spend much time playing the game however, golf courses are a great place to walk. As long as you can avoid flying golf balls and grumpy 70+ year old men in tweed trousers who resent the fact you’re walking on their course! The other great thing about golf courses is that they are often located in very picturesque locations and give you wonderful views.
St Clair Esplanade and Sea Wall – Buy
Let’s think about the St Clair Esplanade and Sea Wall for a moment. It was first built in the 1860’s, redesigned twice in the 1880’s, then again in 2004 and once more in 2021. It’s had multiple beach access points added to it and changed over the years. There have been ramps, stairs and pathways built into it. Nearby, there’s a surf club, a surf lifesaving club, cafe’s, bars, restaurants, hotels, a surf shop, a salt water pool, hair and beauty salons and parks. Along the Esplanade there have been grand hotels, corner shops and a public pavilion that was replaced by a band rotunda. It’s been hit by storms, suffered from erosion and even had sinkholes in it. Yet, despite all this, consistently every twelve hours the tide changes from low to high then back again.
Taieri patchwork quilt of green. – Buy
We’d been following the Taieri River, which really is a remarkable waterway. It starts from seemingly nowhere in the Lammerlaw Range and flows north, then east, then south-east on its 288 kilometre journey to the sea. It passes through at least six towns, two gorges, it links with two lakes, the fish are plentiful, there are some lovely picnic spots along its banks and it is part of the fabric of the farming community.
After we passed over the towns of Outram, Allanton and Momona we flew over Henley before turning, and beginning to retrace our steps. It was then that I realised that there’s just nothing like the patchwork quilt of green that stretches out over the Taieri plains.
Sunrise on the Esplanade – Buy
I had a look around the Esplanade and soon realised that apart from a lone delivery truck, I had the place to myself. In the distance, the sun was rising as the beach sat at low tide and somewhere down the street, the smell of fresh coffee started to fill the air.
Dunedin from Dowling Street – Buy
I found my way up a side street that led to a parking lot that has one of my favorite views of Dunedin. Looking out over streets, buildings and car parks it’s not the most stunning of views, yet there’s something rather wonderful about it.
The Regent – Buy
I spent a good part of the day aimlessly wandering around Dunedin’s city streets in the area of Moray Place, the Octagon and a number of alleyways. I wasn’t looking for anything specific, simply interesting vantage points that I hadn’t seen before, or views I had forgotten about.
Dunedin Cityscape (ii) – Buy
While walking the city in search of interesting vantage points, I found my way into a car parking building. The good thing about parking buildings is that they usually have roof access, and roofs are a wonderful position to photograph from. I’d photograph from my roofs if I could, however annoyingly we have trespassing laws in New Zealand, which means that you either need to find a different view, or take a photo worth the $1,000 fine/three months in prison.
Dunedin Cityscape – Buy
When I started, I planned to stroll through the city and see what I could find. There’s something very delightful about wandering with no set purpose. In the end, I ended up completing a large 5 kilometer loop of the city. I walked up hills, sheltered from rain, found vantage points of the city that I’d forgotten about, and eventually found my car where I had left it. Which is always a bonus.
Sunlight In The Exchange – Buy
Having parked not more than a minute or two’s walk from the square, I enjoyed the stroll along the street, watching sunlight find its way into the shadowy corners in between buildings. It seemed busier than usual for this early time of day. A motley mix of people hurried their way into the various buildings that surrounded the square, clearly there were more pressing matters to attend to than watching sunlight reflect off windows.
Philip Lang House – Buy
Having purchased a cup of coffee from a nearby cafe, I spent some time enjoying the early morning light as I wandered the city streets.
Long grass on the Otago Peninsula – Buy
Having been walking for some time, I reached a point where the track split in two. The first path looked to be a gentle stroll along a well worn track that led off through a field before looping back to the carpark. The second path, which wasn’t really a path at all, headed up the hill through long grass and ended at a stone wall that sat cresting the hill. Curious to see the stone wall and the view from the top of the hill, I pushed off through the long grass.
Dunedin Railway Station – Buy
I found my way through the streets of Dunedin to the Railway Station which is located at the end of Lower Street, only two blocks from the central Octagon. The Railway Station really is a magnificent building and is one that has been looked after most wonderfully.
St Kilda Beach Sunset – Buy
The day had been all together pleasant and I was finishing it with a walk along the beach. Having parked my car outside a collection of restaurants and bars on the St Clair Esplanade, I had set off along the beach. Now having reached its terminus, I enjoyed the sunset before starting the walk back. A distance of around 3.5 kilometers in the fading light.
Light on Dowling Street