Spring Tulips In Dunedin

Tulips at First Church

Before all that rain fell, the weather in Dunedin was actually rather fine, The preceding days had been warm, sunny and perfect for enjoying the delights of spring. For these reasons, and others that I can’t remember, I found my way into the central city in search of signs of spring. Upon arrival at the historic First Church, I discovered a delightfully elegant flower bed of tulips lining the entrance to the grand building.

Red Heavy Rain Warning Issued For Otago

Continued heavy rain creates flooding in Dunedin – Friday, 4th October, 2024
The Leith after torrential rain in DunedinThursday, 3rd October, 2024

The Water of Leith in flood mode.

Friday 4:40pm – Time to review! Here in Dunedin it started raining early yesterday morning and now some 30 hours later it’s still going! State Highways are closed to the north of the city, to the south of the city, many communities are now cut off and many local suburbs are in flood mode. A state of emergency is in place in Dunedin and Clutha while there is heavy flooding in Waikouaiti and Palmerston is completely cut off. All over the region there are landslides and rivers bursting their banks. Just another spring day in Dunedin.

Water of Leith after torrential rain

Friday 6am – So a red alert heavy rain warning with 120 to 150 mm of rain was released. Then warnings from the Metservice, travel warnings from Civil Defence, snow in the Lindis Pass, rising river levels, surface flooding, land slips, sandbags being filled and warnings of flooding in low lying areas.

Tulips In Spring

Spring tulips in Queens Gardens

From the Dunedin Railway Station I walked the short distance to Queens Gardens. Situated on reclaimed land and developed in the late 19th Century, the gardens were officially named Victoria Gardens in 1904 but that name quickly developed into “The Queen’s Gardens”. The gardens have several notable statues including Queen Victoria, Donald M. Stuart, the Dunedin Cenotaph and the Dunedin Millennium Cross. Located directly in front of the cross is a lovely triangular shaped garden that on this occasion featured a lovely bed of tulips in the full joys of spring. It was this line of tulips nestled in front of the Celtic Cross that I had come to photograph.

The Equinox

Spring at Dunedin Railway Station

Let’s get scientific for a moment. There are two days every year when night and day are the same length. These are called the equinox or a solar equinox. That is to say that the sun appears directly above the equator, rather than north or south of it. Here in New Zealand the autumn equinox happens in March (March 20 this year) and the spring equinox happens in September (September 23 this year). Now, for those in the Northern Hemisphere they will obviously be reversed. What all this means is that for us folk who live in the Southern Hemisphere the daylight hours are now longer than the night time hours and for those that live in the Northern Hemisphere, the nighttime hours become longer than the daylight hours. So, while all the nations north of the equator are heading into the autumn and winter months, here in Aotearoa we are dusting off speedos, bikinis and bringing out the jandals because summer is just around the corner. 

To celebrate the equinox, the official start of spring and all the glorious colour that is returning to this part of the world, I risked a heavy dose of hay fever and went in search of some spring blossom.

St Paul’s Cathedral In Spring

St Paul’s Catherdral In Spring – Buy 

Since there was more than just a touch of spring in the air, I went in search of signs of new blossoms in the central city. So, with a mind for fresh, bright, clean and warm colours I walked along Moray Place, turned onto Stuart Street and arrived in the Octagon. It was there that I spied the fresh bright colours of the flower beds that surrounded the streets, framed by the lovely pink undertones coming from the nearby Cherry Blossom Trees.

Spring On The Leith

Spring on the Leith – Buy 

I’m not completely sure how my thought process brought me to this point on the Leith but I believe it went something like this…. I started by wandering around the University of Otago looking for signs of spring. This took me down Castle Street (which was littered in glass and had a strange flight club style gathering happening outside one flat) where I came across the Leith River at the Botanical Gardens. Following the Leith which was rather full due to the recent heavy rain, I became interested in the graffiti and the surrounding colours from the gardens.

The Imperial On Dowling Street

The Imperial On Dowling Street – Buy 

A few blocks from Fable/Wains Hotel on the corner of Dowling Street and Lower High Street is the Imperial Building. The building was originally built for brothers James and Henry Stokes in 1906 who operated a local tailoring business. It’s easy to spot. It’s shaped like a wedge and is constructed of red brick and concrete. Apparently it’s also an outstanding example of Queen Ann Revival design, whatever that is!

Wains Hotel (aka Fable)

Wains Hotel – Buy 

I strolled further along Princes Street which was surprisingly busier than I’d expected. Presently, ‘The Exchange’ came into view and the buildings that lined the street grew into increasingly noble and opulent pre1900 examples of the building industry. 

Once this section of road was one of the grandest in the country, and standing along the busy street was (and still is) the elegant Wains Hotel. The hotel began life not as one building but several that were eventually all purchased by Englishmen John Wain. Then, in 1878 he contracted to have a new building constructed on the Princes Street site at the cost of  £14,000. For good measure he even named it after himself, put his name on the front of the building and had a golden, wing-spread eagle placed above the front door.

374 Princes Street

374 Princes Street – Buy 

I continued around the corner to Princes Street which was developed during the 1860’s in the time of the Central Otago gold rush. Dunedin had climbed to be the largest and wealthiest cities in the country thanks to the economic boom created by the thousands of miners who flocked to the city before heading off in search of gold. Consequently that makes Princes Street one of New Zealand’s most historic streets. Although there are many fine, historic buildings along the stretch of road, I took the opportunity to stroll past a few of the less than picturesque buildings. 

No Name Alley

No Name Alley – Buy 

I emerged from the museum to find the rain had ceased. I can’t say the sky had cleared at all as it remained grey, overcast and gloomy yet brighter at the same time. I decided to venture through town and take a wander around the Warehouse Precinct. Before long I came across No Name Alley which features a splash of street art on the wall, a restored building and a new working brewery that serves both pizza and beer which is always a winning combination.

The Rat King

The Rat King – Buy 

While I was in the Animal Attic at the Otago Museum it also gave me the opportunity to view the single greatest exhibit on display in the building. The Museum has many fascinating sights including the skeleton of a 17 metre long fin whale which has been hanging from specially designed and built iron girders since 1883. Before going on display, the whale was owned by Captain William Barry, an ex-whaler who made a living from lecturing throughout New Zealand. After exhibiting the skeleton at a store in Nelson, he toured the country with the whale and at one point held a dinner party in its jaws. However, as impressive as the fin whale is, it doesn’t beat ‘The Rat King.’ 

A Rat King is formed when the tails of a group of rats become tied together in a way that they cannot escape. Usually the tails are knotted and entangled with straw, hay, hair or other material found close to their nests. Whenever I’m at the Otago Museum, I make a point of visiting the Rat King. It consists of eight Black rats whose tails are tangled together with horse hair. The rats had fallen from a nest that was located in a local shipping company shed in the 1930’s. I’d like to own it. I’d put it on display on the mantelpiece in our living room. I think it would really tie the room together however my wife disagrees.

Anatomy Lessons With Michelle Beevors

Michelle Beevors – Anatomy Lessons – Buy 

My next stop was the Otago Museum. I didn’t have a particular reason to be there beyond it was indoors and they would let me take photos. On the top floor in the Animal Attic I found a special exhibition of life-sized sculptured animal skeletons by artist Michele Beevors, all of which feature knitted anatomy. It was very interesting in a sorrowful kind of way.

Olveston

Olveston – Buy 

After being in the rain for some time, I decided I needed an indoor location to photograph and dry off. Somewhere I could happily wander around and leave wet footprints as a sign that I had been there. For a while I’d been meaning to visit the grand, stately home of Olveston which is located in an inner city suburb and this appeared to be the perfect time for a casual wander around the place.

The Gloom Of Halfway Bush

Halfway Bush – Buy 

Further down the hill the fog had grown thick. The rain hadn’t eased at all, if anything it became more intense. It had turned into a heavy mist that managed to settle on every surface imaginable. Cars appeared out of the gloom from Three Mile Hill and disappeared just as quickly. It was like a great nothingness had settled over the city. It was then I decided that I was wet enough for one afternoon. I made up my mind to find an indoor location to wander around and photograph for an hour or so.

Three Mile Hill

Trees & Bush On Three Mile Hill – Buy 

Making my way back to my car, I decided to take a scenic route through the bush. Water fell from the trees in a steady flow. I walked through a thick bed of leaves and fallen branches before coming across a stream at the bottom of a bank. This I followed for a few minutes, scrambling over rocks and logs until I came across a closed access road. Emerging from the bush and stream, I located my car where I’d left it and discovered I seemed to be considerably damper than I had first thought.

In The Mist On Three Mile Hill

Three Mile Hill – Buy 

The city had disappeared under a low cloud of fog and mist that had brought with it the type of gentle rain that never seems to get any harder nor go anywhere. My morning had been spent nearly buried under a pile of paperwork while at the same time spending many hours in front of a computer screen. As the clock past 1pm, I decided it was time for a change of scenery. Since the city was hidden by a white veil, it seemed only logical to head up into the hills where the roads snaked its way through the trees to the flat plains beyond.

Evansdale Glen

Evansdale Glen – Buy 

The track which had obviously been recently maintained quickly narrowed into a gorge or ravine valley type area. Two minutes later I reached another fence line with a sign that said “Wild animal control operations using firearms are currently being undertaken in this area.” This brought an obvious question to mind. Should I be more worried about the wild animals or the firearms being used to control them?” More nervous than ever, I pushed on. 

As the track continued, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. Maybe the reason I’ve never heard of this place is because no one ever ventures out alive? Such are the dangers of the New Zealand bush or walking tracks for that matter. You not only have to survive the maniacs on the road just to get there, but when you do, there’s numerous water obstacles, hunters and wild animals to elude. What a glorious country this is!

Robbie Burns Statue


Robbie Burns – Buy 

It seems that statues of Scottish poet Robbie Burns are rather popular. As far as statues go, there are over sixty known memorials, statues, busts and fountains of the famous Scottish poet around the world with at least twenty throughout Scotland. In fact, there are at least three in Dumfries where he died aged 37 in 1796. That puts the famous bard third in line after Christopher Columbus and Queen Victoria in statues dedicated to non-religious figures worldwide.

Heritage Walk 1

DCC Heritage Walk 1 – Buy 

Leaving the Dunedin Railway Station once all the passenger’s from the cruise ship had hurriedly departed back to Port Chalmers I took a moment to take in the quiet square that looked up Stuart Street to the Octagon. It was like the calm following a brief but intense storm. It was then that I noticed one of the City Council’s Heritage Walk plaques on the ground. I see these from time to time however I’ve never actually paid them much mind or contemplated doing the entire walk. I vowed this was something I was going to do before the year was out!

Dunedin Railway Station

Dunedin Railway Station – Buy 

The other day I glanced past a brief news item in the local paper without giving it much thought. Some time later, I reflected on that moment wishing I’d given it more attention. The brief article stated that the Westerdam cruise ship carrying 1916 passengers and 817 crew was due to dock in Port Chalmers at 8am before leaving again at 6.30pm. The reason these details are important is that I found myself at the Dunedin Railway Station at precisely the time that every single passenger from the ship decided to look inside the foyer of the railway station. What’s more, having my camera setup on a tripod created a great deal of excitement and interest and they all felt the need to ask me what I was doing! This I didn’t mind however it was a bit repetitive.

Vogel Street

Vogel Street – Buy 

Puddles can be a wonderful source of subject matter for photographs, the only problem is that usually you need to get down really low to catch the reflections. Typically it’s just been raining, meaning you need to be prepared to get your knees a little wet while keeping an eye out for traffic.