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.

The Chinese New Year at Lan Yuan in Dunedin 

It was the Chinese New Year. So, as a way to celebrate I visited the Dunedin Chinese Gardens. Opened in 2008, the gardens were created with the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, are New Zealand’s only authentic Chinese Garden and when it opened, one of only three outside China. They are well worth a visit and so, that’s just what I did! 

The place was peaceful and quiet. An inner city oasis filled with tranquil waterfalls and ponds, connected with calm and serene walkways that make all thoughts of the busy city outside its walls, drift away.  Inside the gardens were in festive preparation mode with decorative lanterns gently swaying in the light breeze. All around, there were signs that a busy evening was in store yet the place remained calm and peaceful. If this was anywhere else, with thousands of people expected in a few hours, it would be mayhem!  Yet, here nothing seemed a bother. Everything was happening in a placid, slow motion sort of way, it was all rather nice. 

While I was there I decided to brush up on my knowledge of the Chinese zodiac signs. This year is the year of the Snake however there are twelve in total, all of which have lucky meanings and characteristics. It is believed that people born in a given year have the personality of that year’s animal. If you are an Ox you’re diligent, dependable and strong while those who are a Dog are lovely, honest and prudent. I was born in the year of the Dragon, meaning not only am I the coolest of all the animals, but I’m also confident, intelligent and enthusiastic. They also seem to have missed out devilishly handsome, but I’m willing to let that one slide. 

The festivities in the evening began at 7pm sharp with the gardens open to visitors while outside a Dragon parade made its way a short distance from the centre of the city to the main entrance. At that point a Dragon Dance took place before other various cultural dances and performance celebrations were held, culminating in a grand fireworks display that lit-up the evening sky.        

All of this I missed due to a prior engagement, except for the spectacular 10 minute fireworks display over the harbour basin and could be seen all over the city.

Crawford Street in Dunedin

It was 5:30am and I was functioning without a morning injection of black coffee into my system. I wasn’t even sure what I was doing up! It had all seemed such a good idea the previous evening, getting up early and photographing the city before sunrise! Now, here I was, standing near a set of traffic lights, barely able to string together a coherent thought. I vowed to seek out a cup of joe as soon as possible. Despite my sluggish brain at such an early hour, one question kept nagging at me; how did we become so addicted to coffee? It can’t have always been like this, right? Surely, there must have been a point in history when the consumption of coffee in the morning skyrocketed and people worked out they might actually be able to make a tidy profit selling the stuff. I pondered this a little longer before setting to see if I could find a coffee vendor at such an hour!

Hydro Surf Shop at dawn

I spent the first hours of the day walking along the beach. It was that eerie period, just before sunrise when the light shifts and the world seems neither awake nor asleep-stuck between a world of dreams and the realities of life. 

The beach was quiet. Most people were sensibly still in bed-it was 5:30am, after all. Even the cafe’s weren’t open yet. I left the beach with the low tide splashing around my feet and trudged up a set of steps, my soaked shoes squelching as I went. I continued along the Esplanade, occasionally I would pass someone and we’d give each other a look that said ‘thank god I’m not the only one crazy enough to be up at this hour!’  

I stood for a few moments and watched the light shift once more, was it worth the 5:00am start? Yes! 

Ancestral Figure – Carved from soft trachyte – Easter Island

I’d been rummaging through the shelves at a local bookshop. Not knowing what I was looking for or finding it, I departed out onto the footpath. I was due to meet my wife at 2:45 pm and with 30 minutes to spare, I decided to fill the time with a wander around a nearby museum. Once inside, for no particular reason I made my way to Pacific Island Gallery. I strolled around for a while, looked in display cases, read labels, mispronounced words written in other languages and generally tried to look knowledgeable and thoughtful. It was then that I came across a series of stone statues typically associated with Easter Island and other Polynesian cultures. Unfortunately, due to the display lacking an information sign, I didn’t know what they were. All it said was ‘Ancestral Figure – Carved from soft trachyte – Easter Island.’ They could be ancient fertility figures or figures representing masculinity for all I knew! Then again, it might be Tom or Steve from accounts. But, I really don’t know!