Keyhole Rock at Aramoana – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I returned to my car and then headed for the small village of Aramoana. Here’s a fact for you, 80 species of moths have been recorded on the Aramoana Saltmarsh and further to that, the tidal flats at Aramoana are the most important habitat for wading birds in Otago. While we are on the subject of birds, when Hoiho penguins (like the ones that live in the dunes at Aramoana near Keyhole rock) go out to sea to feed, they travel up to 15 kilometres from the shore and down to depths of 100 metres. Yet, we wouldn’t have all that if they had built an aluminium smelter there in the mid 1970’s. Thank goodness Aramoana was saved.

Ravensbourne Stores LTD– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

It wasn’t long after leaving Black Jack’s Point and the stone sculptures that I once again left the path, this time for the main road. I wanted to see the repainting of some old signage that had been done on the side of a building some years ago. I had, of course, driven past this spot many times however it’s hard to fully  take things in when you’re driving. Since I was on foot, it seemed an ideal opportunity. 

The building used to be an old corner store which featured an outside wall covered in advertising brands whose who were once popular all over Otago. Brands like Tiger Tea, Lane’s Bottled Sunshine and Ward’s Ice Cream. The repainting had been completed by Dunedin artist Ricky Drew in 2017 so it had only taken me five years to stop and properly appreciate it, but at last I could say I had. My mind satisfied. 

Brick Sculptures – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Leaving the group of twenty-somethings to their mating ritual, I passed a place called Black Jack’s Point and continued on in glorious sunshine until a brick structure caught my eye. With my curious nature taking hold, I left the path to investigate. 

A short distance away, on the shore amongst the stones, rocks and replantings, standing taller than my six foot frame were some very carefully made brick sculptures. They remind me of the kind of artwork that could be found in an open air gallery or something. Suddenly a train rattled past on the tracks that were not too far away. Letting my imagine go, I then wondered whether they had been made a homeless hobo who had a name like Diamond Joe James, T-Bone Jack, or Railway Butch who had spent his life riding the train boxcars up and down the line from Dunedin City to Port Chalmbers. The kind of person that folk singers like Woody Guthrie or Ramblin Jack Elliott would sing about in the 1950’s. Just then, I was shaken from my daydream when I tripped over a branch that had been hiding in plain sight, I stumbled forward a few metres, before regaining my balance with the aid of the bank. 

Ensuring I had all my belongings and that my feet weren’t wet, I decided to leave these sculptures for others to enjoy and returned to the path.

West Harbour Recreation Trail– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I left the peninsula and made my way back across to the western side of the Harbour. There was still a considerable amount of the day left, the sun was shining and I felt I hadn’t yet done enough steps in the day to earn my 4pm (ish) beer. 

On the western side of the Otago Harbour a considerable amount of money was spent beautifying the area, turning it into a recreation trail complete with picnic areas, fitness equipment and paths for walking, running and cycling. The trail currently extends some four kilometres to a point called St Leonards, however eventually it’ll continue all the way to Port Chalmers (a total distance of around ten kilometres). Upon arrival at the trail, it wasn’t hard to see why it is so popular. On a still, calm day like it was, a nice peaceful walk along a path that casually wound its way along the waterfront with the peninsula as a backdrop seemed quite delightful. Setting off in good spirits, it wasn’t long before I discovered that I wasn’t the only one who had decided to enjoy the sunshine. I hadn’t gone more than twenty steps from my car when I came across a group of shirtless young men who seemed to be imitating the Persian Ibex that live in the European mountains and claim mating rights by slamming their heads together. This display by the young men was for the benefit of the equally skimpily dressed group of young ladies who were not too far away. When the area of the West Harbour Recreation Trail was opened by then Mayor Dave Cull, I wonder if he knew he was opening the West Harbour Pleasure Garden and Pick-Up Joint! Dunedin already had one ‘pleasure garden’ and that disastrously closed one hundred and fifty one years ago!

Corner of George and Grey Street.– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

When I was a boy, Aotearoa’s history always started with Dutch explorer Abel Tasman deciding after sailing all this way from some unnamed place, he couldn’t be bothered calling in for a stopover and continued on to Australia. Next, in history came the triumphant arrival of James Cook (cue the playing of ‘Pomp and Circumstance Military Marches’) and thus began life in the land of the long white cloud. 

Fortunately, it is now being recognised that life in Aotearoa had been pretty successful pre-Cook’s arrival. In actual fact, 500 years before Cook decided to have a wee look around, Polynesian explorers were using state of the art sailing craft and had proven themselves to be expert scientists, engineers, mathematicians and innovators. 

So it is interesting to me that we still mark Otago Anniversary Day. Don’t get  me wrong, I am never one to turn down a public holiday however it does seem a tad erroneous to commemorate the Scottish settlers arrival in Port Chalmers on the ship the John Wickcliffe, when local Māori had already been living in the area for a substantial period of time. I came to this conclusion during an afternoon wander around the port where the province was ‘born’. 

I had started by visiting the spot in Port Chalmers where the pioneer settlers landed from a boat off the John Wickliffe and had set off from there. A patch of blue sky had appeared above and with hopes that the day would continue to improve, I decided a stroll was in order.

I spent some time wandering around the various streets looking at buildings from angles I hadn’t seen before, my attention continually drawn back to the former Bank of New Zealand building that sat in a prominent place on the corner overlooking the wharf. The architecture of the bank clearly showed that the port was once an important part of the Dunedin landscape, however like many of its surrounding contemporaries it had seen better days. Since ending its days as a bank, in more recent times it was owned by famous New Zealand artist Ralph Hotere who used it as an art studio. So, if that isn’t a good enough reason to immediately turn it into an art gallery, there never will be.

Tiger Tea Trolley Bus Backseat – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I wanted to revisit this image before I got to deep into autumn. It had been sitting in the back of my mind for some time and I finally found myself in a space where I was ready to work on it. I took it at the Early Settlers Museum while I was shooting the Tiger Tea Trolley Bus. Inside the bus they have a video playing on a large glass panel that you can view from the back seat, it also makes a really cool effect in photoshop because you can bring out all the different colours when editing. At the time I was processing it, I recalled a post I did about The Journey of Anthony Trollope which gave me the idea of giving it a time travel feel into another dimension, with a bit of a mind flip feel to it.

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Autumn Colours– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I think the thing I like about autumn is that it’s a season of surprises. Just when I expect a day of fine weather a southerly hits and the temperature drops, or the leaves on the trees change and a backdrop of green is transformed into the autumn hues like yellows, oranges, reds and ochre overnight. My search for autumn colours had led me to the city centre and once I left the Octagon and ventured along Moray Place it wasn’t long before I came across what I was looking for.

Afternoon in the Octagon – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I started with a wander through Dunedin’s Octagon. The only reason I was there was to see if I could capture any signs of autumn in the central city. However, with a number of scaffolding structures surrounding buildings, a protest in the lower Octagon and fly tipping in the upper Octagon (apparently this was also a protest) my task became considerably harder. After spending some time looking at all the different angles along with the early autumn colours on the trees, I finally found a spot I liked.

Dunedin Botanical Gardens – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I’d spent the previous day doing my best baked lobster impression. At some point before midday I’d covered myself in sunscreen, sat back in a deck chair and opened a book. There I stayed for many blissful hours enjoying every second in the Dunedin sun. I had found myself curiously fascinated by author Patricia Cornwell who was providing a portrait of a killer. Her theory was that German-British painter Walter Sickert was the elusive serial killer Jack the Ripper. The strangely intriguing aspect of this book was not that Jack the Ripper had been uncovered, but the fact that we were to believe that an author had succeeded in unraveling a mystery that had baffled experts across the world.

Now, twenty four hours later and with Dunedin’s summer sun having been replaced with low cloud and rain, my intrigue into Cornwell’s theory had been replaced with confusion. This left me with three choices. The first was to persist with Cornwall’s wildly speculative theory, the second was to use the book as a doorstop, the third was to walk in the rain around the Botanical Gardens. I chose the gardens and now have a very useful doorstop!

Summer Colours at St Clair– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Another wee trek I had taken in the sun was to adventure across the rocks beyond the St Clair Salt Water Pool at low tide. This is usually an area covered in water and pounded by swells as waves break on the point. However on one such occasion with the sea calm combined with a low tide, I spent an enjoyable hour scrambling over the rocks. It was during this time that I came across something altogether unexpected. There, sitting attached to a rock, surrounded in seaweed sat a plaque to Rex Von Huben. Just who Rex was I wasn’t sure, but clearly he must have been a person of note to be remembered in such a way. I decided to find out. 

A short time later, having left the rocks behind and thanks to the wonders of Google, I discovered that Rex Von Huben was one of New Zealand’s earliest recognised big-wave surfers in the deep south who at the age of 43 lost his life in a car crash in 1998. The following year, as a memorial to Rex, his widow Lorraine and friend Kyle Davidson organised New Zealand’s first big-wave surfing event the following year called the Quiksilver Rex von Huben Big Wave Challenge. And if I learnt nothing else during summer, that was good enough for me.

Summer Vides – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Before the last day of summer ended, I decided I wanted to prove to myself that summer hadn’t been all bad and that there had actually been some rather splendid days in the sun. With this in mind I went back to a group of images I had taken recently during one of Dunedin’s finer spells.

The last day of summer– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

And so it was that on a Monday morning I found myself at the beach, watching the last day of summer begin. Now, I don’t want to say that I always start March feeling cheated, it’s just that I always exspect so much more out of a Dunedin summer. Every year December rolls around and my head becomes filled with visions of deliciously hot, warm, cloudless days that stretch on well to early March. The reality is much different. Usually I’m buying firewood by the second week in January and then refusing to use it on principle. 

So, with time almost up on summer and with less than twenty four hours before autumn officially started, the beach seemed an appropriate place to be. It was a warm Dunedin morning. I watched the sun appear from beyond the horizon and rise into the sky. It also seemed ironic that the last day of summer was going to be warm and fine, given that so many days over the last three months had been overcast.

Smaills Beach Evening – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

This is more or less where I spent an evening on Smaills Beach. It had been a long summer’s day and the last rays of the sun were slipping below the horizon. The tide had revealed rocks all covered in green seaweed as the yellow and orange sky in the distance seemed to dither for a minute or two. Somehow in that second everything seemed a lot closer yet further away than ever before.

Dunedin Botanical Gardens– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I had a strange hour exploring the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. There was a family putting on an impromptu acapella concert near the duck pond. The children were singing classic hits such as ‘I want more food for the ducks’ along with ‘he took all mine’ and finally the classic ‘why can’t we ride the train.’ A lady (who I assumed was the mother) was adding backing vocals based around a repeatedly chorus line of ‘I can’t take you anywhere’ while a man (who I assumed was the father) was playing the baseline of ‘this was your stupid idea.’ I had hoped the children would add to the drama by actually performing in the duck pond, however they unfortunately set off for the car park instead. Just then a congregation of students heavily armed with alcohol made their way from one entrance to the other. As they seemed to be heading in the same direction as the aforementioned family, I wondered if Dad was tempted to join them, or the mother for that matter!

Ross Creek – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I went for a long walk with no real agenda, other than to see this spot. The day was warm, the sun was out, the water was still and I had no time frame or schedule for the day, other than to be close to a beer at around 4pm. As it was only just a little after 1pm, I had many hours in front of me and very little plans. I had no idea where I was going, but I’d figure it out somehow.

Ross Creek Stream – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

The way I see it, there are many reasons to love Dunedin, and this is one of them. The town belt and scenic reserves. There’s also a lovely metaphor about life and choosing directions in this image which is what drew me to this location. That, and the fact I like all the textures.

Second Beach Colours– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

It was only after a little way along the beach that I realised I was missing something. Although this feeling isn’t new to me, generally it involves wondering if I’ve turned the oven off or some other appliance as I’m leaving the city on holiday. This is then followed by a quick phone call to a relative or friend with a desperate plea to ‘please headover home and check the place isn’t a pile of ash!’ It then struck me what I was missing, my tripod! As I turned and headed back to the car to fetch the item I allowed myself a moment of reflection…‘well, at  least I didn’t lose it this time’ I reasoned. 

Mt Cargill Gale – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I stood watching the surrounding plant life gently swaying in the indecisive wind. One moment it felt like a hurricane had launched itself at me, threatening to push me down the rather steep bank I was beside. Then, suddenly the wind would drop away and reveal patches of still and calm that would cause me to lower my guard. Just when I would start to relax, another typhoon like gale would hit me. But then again, I was standing on the highest point in the city while a high wind warning had been issued.

Ravensbourne Colours – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I had the idea to venture a lot further down the harbour than I eventually did. I had overslept and so by the time I was out the front door and driving in the predawn darkness, I knew I would be late. Aramoana had been my intended destination however I had quickly given up all hope of getting there in time for a sunrise. Instead, I turned my attention to a well known overbridge in Ravensbourne where the morning colours in the sky were lingering long enough to make the morning trip worthwhile.

The Octagon – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

We crossed the harbour and headed back to the hangar via a fly over the heart of the city, the Octagon. It looked quiet with a handful of cars scattered about, buildings of all ages stood at strange angles to accommodate the geographical shape that makes up the area. Ever since I was a child, I had always wanted to see the place from such a view, and now I had. You could see all the big main features of the city like the Town Hall, The Catherdral, The Central Library, along with all the other smaller buildings that were tucked into narrow alleyways. Everything was exactly the way that it seemed. And that was just fine with me.

Portobello Road – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Further on, having crossed the Otago Peninsula we started to track the coastline back towards Macandrew Bay. The whole place looked stunningly pretty with long views down to the blue sea, bordered with majestic shades of green, separated only by a road that snaked its way along the base of the land by the sea shore. Perhaps it was the time of day, the weather or the sense of experiencing the world from a different view but it seemed perfect. The land rolling down to the water in splendid hues of colour. I could have looked at it for hours. 

My heart’s in the Highlands– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Finding myself looking over the Otago Peninsula and back up Otago Harbour I was astounded by the length and shape of the Harbour, but then again, I always am. Many years ago when I had returned to Dunedin after living overseas, one of the most enjoyable parts of my day was being able to drive around the harbour and the peninsula. I remember reading somewhere that it’s’ like a beckoning finger lying between the Pacific Ocean and the harbour. I prefer to think of Robbie Burns’ ‘My heart’s in the Highlands, wherever I go.’ 

Lawyers Head – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Among the many hundreds of things that have come a long way in Dunedin since my arrival to the city in November 1978, unfortunately my golf game isn’t one of them. If we could drain the ocean around Lawyers Head, (particularly on the left hand side from the ninth tee) I’m sure most of the golf balls found would in fact be mine! 

St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

By the time we reached the Hot Salt Water Pool, a public facility perched on the end of a rocky point sitting below a line of cliffs, I was quite amazed. There were all sorts of patterns and textures, shapes and colours, some natural features and some made by man. Some of the features showed the wear and tear of time while other features like the seaweed growing off the rocks and the contrasting blues of the water made the whole area sparkle in a rugged, less than perfect kind of way.

St Clair Longview – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

And so on to St Clair we flew. We arrived at around nine thirty in the morning in beautiful sunshine. The day had broken fine and the streets were quiet, the occasional car leisurely making its way through the placid suburban streets that backed onto the beach. I’d spent most of my life living in Dunedin and thought I knew it reasonably well, but a city can take on a whole new complexion when viewed from the air.