Larnach’s Castle Gardens – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

The gardens at Larnach’s Castle are outstanding in so many ways. There’s wide open spaces, fountains, secret garden paths, forest walks, all sorts of themed plantings that are surrounded and capped off by this magnificent view and the splendid castle.

Paekākāriki Hill Lookout – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

A quick internet search revealed that the No 1 thing to do in Paekākāriki is to visit the Paekākāriki Hill Lookout, so that’s just the spot I arrived at now. Although upon arrival in the fading light I discovered while the view was quite something, a howling gale was making it extremely difficult to stand. After a quick survey of the gathered cars I also discovered that everyone else had opted to stay in their vehicles and my attempts to stay standing were causing great amusement to all concerned.

Ferns at the Treaty Ground– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Usually I’m pretty good at remembering the locations of the photos I’ve taken however this one had me stumped. I’ve got a vague memory of taking it, a stronger memory of editing it but I couldn’t for the life of me remember where I took it. To solve this, I went into the metadata details and discovered that I took it on Saturday, 9th January. Upon further investigation, I found out that was the day I travelled from Russell to Paihia on the Bay of Islands ferry before walking to the Treaty Grounds at Waitangi. This meant it was taken somewhere in the Treaty Grounds, most likely on the bush walk that greets visitors at the entrance which leads on to the Treaty House, Flagstaff and the Te Whare Rūnanga. Which is a ‘must do’ by the way.

Shops On George Street – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Leaving my car expertly parked, the first thing I noticed was the newly installed pathing stones.
“they do look rather nice” I thought to myself as I joined the various Sunday shoppers that filled the streets. 

I did all the things you do when you’re casually strolling inner city streets looking at nothing in particular. I read signs, looked in windows, guessed the price of items I didn’t need or want and admired new stores that had probably been around for ages. I was amazed at how many I hadn’t been into and how many I had no desire to visit at all. I looked in one shop and try as I might, I simply could think of a single reason to enter. It was about this time that I happened to pass a series of cafes and eateries that were reasonably busy, one of which was called Kiki Beware. It was doing a brisker trade than most and a line was forming out the door. It was filled with young female students who were all squealing and hugging each other until the excitement eventually dissipated. Then a new arrival would join the group and the squealing and hugging would start all over again. This carried on for some time as long after I had passed, their shrieking could be heard echoing down the street.

George Street – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Leaving the pier feeling a little damp, I pointed my car in the direction of town and proceeded to join light traffic that was heading in the same direction. On my way I noticed that overnight some creative individual had put googly eyes on all the faces of the local body election advertising billboards. An idea that I must admit was very amusing. It’s very hard to take a mayoral candidate seriously when they’re wearing a set of googly eyes! 

The drive into town was slow and tedious. The streets were filled with an usual amount of student drivers, all of whom clutched at the steering wheel looking terrified and not too stable. Oddly enough, in every vehicle (and there were at least five of them), in the passenger seat sat an adult looking equally terrified, and in one case so petrified that I swear he was about to eject himself from the vehicle at any moment. 

When at last I arrived in town,I am sorry that things didn’t go as smoothly. Or, to put it another way, I remembered why I’d stopped visiting the city centre. You see, it comes down to parking! Where in god’s name do people park in the city centre, there simply isn’t anywhere to park! In Dunedin’s attempt to spruce up the main street while at the same time replacing old water, wastewater and stormwater pipes in the central city — some dating back to the late 1800s, some upgrades are happening. This means that multiple blocks have been closed while the construction takes place. The unfortunate thing is that Dunedin’s city centre just isn’t big enough for it to go unnoticed or to not affect the vast majority of visitors. This situation isn’t helped by Dunedin currently suffering from a lack of bus drivers meaning that the darn things don’t turn up from time to time. Not something that is very helpful when the city centre is suffering from a lack of visitors or parking spaces. 

So it was that I joined a long line of cars circling a section of the city, ready to pounce the moment a space became free. Doing this, I managed to listen to half a Green Day album before I spotted a vehicle about to leave. Leaping into action I did what I hate other drivers doing, I waited! A car behind me showed his annoyance by tooting however on this occasion I simply didn’t care! My knuckles were white, my jaw was jaw clenched and my resolve was firm. I didn’t care how much traffic I held up, I was getting the parking spot. Something I celebrated with a friendly wave to the passing queue that said, so long suckers! 

Otago Harbour Pier – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

It was ten minutes to 10:00 in the morning and it was misty and cold. The previous night I had continued my research into the effects on my health and well being by watching rugby and drinking beer. Then, sometime before bed, since daylight savings time was due to begin at 2:00am, I had decided to put the clocks forward so that when I awoke, I would at least be on the right time. Now in the clear, sobering light of morning it appeared that I had only half finished the job and was left with the confusing calculation of not only finding out what the right time was, but having to ensure all the clocks were correct. A task that took longer than it really should have. Sometime later after awakening the senses with coffee, bacon, eggs and a few sausages, and waiting a suitable length of time before it would be safe to drive, I set off into the day. 

Reversing my car out into the street, I decided that a visit into town would be the order of the day. It had been some time since I’d passed the time, casually strolling the inner city streets looking at nothing in particular. I manoeuvred my car into the world and disappeared into a murky, haze of cloud and fog. A drizzly rain hung in the air and it seemed to have settled in. Navigating my way through familiar streets that faded into a vast void of nothingness, occasionally a walker, jogger or cyclist would appear before mysteriously vanishing behind me. It was almost as if the Bermuda Triangle had come and settled over this very specific part of the city. I made my way down to the harbour shore line where thankfully the misty haze was just as thick. Before venturing into the city I had an idea for a photograph that I had been wanting to try and the conditions seemed ideal. 

The visibility on the harbour was just as bleak as it had been in the hills. I placed myself in front of what used to be an old boat pier. Sometime back it had been deemed unsafe and dismantled and to really emphasise the point, a large sign had been put on it that read “Danger, do not use!” Not that there was much of it left to use, but that was clearly beside the point. As I began to set-up my camera, suddenly out of the mist and drizzle a windsurfer appeared before vanishing into the white veil. When I had set off that morning, photographing the old pier had seemed like a good plan, but now standing in the rain with the waves getting higher it seemed like a serious mistake. 

Spring Flower Beds – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

The flower beds outside Dunedin’s Railway Station in ANZAC Square are one feature of the city that I always feel are done remarkably well. Whoever plans them certainly knows their stuff. Each season you can guarantee they will be bright, crisp, fresh, full colour and interest. One this occasion the various beds were planted with an assortment of primroses, pansies, paper daisies, parsley and tulips. Everywhere I looked there was spring colour and textures glistening in the sun.

Street Art on Portobello Road – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Here’s a question that struck me the other day, would sharks have the reputation they do if the movie Jaws was never made? Let’s speculate for a moment that author Peter Benchley never wrote his best selling novel Jaws, and that later it was never turned into a movie. Let’s speculate that John Williams never composed his classic piece of suspense music that grinds away at you in the keys of F and F sharp. If none of this ever happened, for one thing we would have been spared all 92 minutes of the fourth Jaws film, Jaws: The Revenge and for that we should all be grateful.

Vauxhall Pleasure Garden Steps – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

There really was only one way to get across to Dunedin’s Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens in the 1860’s and that was to catch the ferry “The Nugget” across the harbour. Once across, visitors found themselves with two ways to get up to the gardens. One was to get the tram which regularly ascended and descended the steep hill and the second was by using a set of stone stairs carved out of the rocky cliff face. Owing to the fact that most of the visitors to the gardens at night were highly intoxicated, it is hard not to think that the rather steep and narrow steps would have been the scene of a great many many falls. 

The Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens were a wonderful idea. The brainchild of Henry Farley, the gardens were designed to provide amusement and entertainment for the newly rich miners and families returning from the Otago gold fields. Spanning across almost 20 acres of land the gardens were a place where families could enjoy al fresco amusement while taking in the commanding and magnificent views of the surrounding country. Unfortunately, as reported in the Lyttelton Times in November, 1863, when the sober citizens, with their wives, daughters, sisters or sweethearts, returned to their houses at the end of the day, the place became overrun at night with “loose women” and “fast young men.” To help solve this problem and to encourage more patronage during the day, swings, a gymnasium, skittle and long pin alleys, quoits, a racing ground, a shooting gallery, archery for ladies, and a private picnic ground (fenced off with music) was added. Further to this, arrangements were made for pigeon shooting in a field near the gardens and new walking tracks were laid out for those that crossed the harbour and ascended the steps to the grounds. 

However, due to the fact that the ladies of easy virtue, and gentlemen without domestic ties continued to assemble in the evening, the place never really recovered from its reputation as a night time al fresco resort for the worst characters of both sexes.

These are the steps to the main entrance at Larnach’s Castle. I love the symmetry in this photo and the way these two trees frame the stairs and windows. It shows how well planned the design of the building and the gardens were because I’m sure if you drew a line down the centre of the image, it would be an almost perfect mirror image. I’m also glad I took this photo when I did because now the two large trees have been cut down and replaced with new plantings.

Crossing On Musselburgh Rise – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

This image is from a series I did earlier this year called ‘The Rise.’ All the images are based on or near Musselburgh Rise. I wanted to explore and create subject matter that was closer to home. Every place portrayed is within a short distance of my home and makes for a personal look into typical Dunedin. 

Having not ventured much into night photography, it was a lot of fun putting this collection together in the winter months after dark.

The South Pacific Ocean – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

The recent burst of spring colour and life suddenly came to a halt today. Here in Dunedin strong northeasterlies have been rattling down the harbour all day. Then, in the late afternoon heavy clouds enveloped the city bringing these funky pockets of light breaking through. 

Dunedin Art Gallery– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I spent time in the Dunedin Art Gallery on account of a heavy period of rain. Having weaved my way through traffic along George Street and dashing between raindrops I entered the gallery leaving a trail of water behind me. Judging by the footprints that led out into the rain, I wasn’t the only one shaking off the weather that morning.

Spring Morning On Otago Harbour – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Welcome to the smiling spring! I took this photo yesterday morning as the sun was rising at around 7:20am. At that time the temperature was a chilly 4 degrees, peaking for the day at 5.1 degrees at 9am. It snowed on and off for the rest of the day!

Spring Flowers at Dunedin Railway Station – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Leaving the Rhododendron Dell I called in at Anzac Square outside the Dunedin Railway Station to see the seasonal flower beds. They were full of fresh, crisp pastel colours of pinks, whites, yellows, blues, reds and greens that were quite delightful.

Dunedin Botanic Garden Rhododendron Dell – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

With the change of seasons from Winter to Spring, I spent the morning searching for early season blossoms and flowers. Across the city, pollen is starting to fill the air, igniting everyone’s hay fever while pockets of daffodils are popping up all over the place. Although spring hadn’t yet  kicked into full gear, I started my search in Dunedin’s Botanic Gardens. I lingered a while on some of the many paths that wind through the varying levels of the gardens before arriving at my goal, the Rhododendron Dell.

Tunnel Beach Track – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

What I have always found slightly confusing about Tunnel Beach is that it is there at all. As spectacular and interesting as Tunnel Beach is, it is hard to imagine the Cargill children getting excited by a visit. Let me explain. Tunnel Beach was commissioned to be built for John Cargill and his family in the 1870s. This was so that his family could visit a private beach, away from the ‘peeping’ eyes of the general public. To me, this is where the confusion starts to happen. To get to the beach his family would have had to go by either foot, cart or horse alongside the high, steep cliffs, which couldn’t have been a pleasant trip. The beach is shaded by the sun from the steep cliffs and is small and rocky with a small low tide window. Hardly a place you could spend all afternoon at while the kids built sandcastles! So, somehow I can’t imagine the Cargill children leaping with joy when their father would announce they are ‘going to the beach’ for the day.

According to Local legend, Tunnel Beach is the scene of a tragic drowning. The story goes that after John Cargill made the private beach for his family, one of his daughters drowned there on her sixteenth birthday at high tide. Overcome with grief, John Cargill was so heartbroken that he left New Zealand and never returned. However, there are no sources to prove this story is true.

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

The beach and Esplanade at St Clair can be a wild place. When the wind is blowing, the swell is big and everything is just a bit moody, it can be a bitter place! However, then there are days like yesterday when it can be unbelievably still, quiet and settled. Since it was the first day of spring and the weather had been kind, I called past on my way home late in the afternoon. It was really rather lovely.