Rain on Princes Street

It had been raining. Evidently it had stopped just long enough for the roads to begin drying, but now it started again and it quickly went from a light, mist drizzle to vigorously intense, all in a matter of seconds. One moment I was standing on the pavement admiring the far off street lights towards the top of the hill, next thing the road was a dazzlingly, shimmering glow as rain fell from the early morning gloom. It was all rather pretty, in a sleepy, low-key kind of way.

Corner of Rattray and Princes Street

In the morning, I went to Dunedin’s city centre. It was early, and I expected it to be quiet, and it was. Apart from the occasional car that would cruise past or delivery van that would ignore almost every traffic law there was, I pretty much had the place to myself. The surrounding, dimly lit office buildings were mostly dark and empty, the occasional light beaming out across the early morning from some enthusiastic eager beaver who’d already got a headstart on the day’s proceedings.

Vogel Street in Dunedin

If you’ve never spent time casually wandering around Vogel Street and the Warehouse Precinct in Dunedin, you’re in for a treat. This area is packed with some seriously impressive Victorian warehouses, built on land reclaimed by the Harbour Board in 1879. With the harbour, railway and the central business district all within a stones throw, Vogel Street became a bustling hub of industry, home to some of the country’s biggest companies at the time—especially during the Otago Gold Rush, when Dunedin was actually New Zealand’s largest city for a while!

Dunedin Railway Station

If George Alexander Troup could see the elegant and grand Railway Station he designed, he would be very impressed. He would be even more astounded to see it lit-up at night. But, most of all, he would be even more stunned to be here at all since he died in 1941. When a new Railway Station building was needed for Dunedin, a competition was held to design the new building, and to the astonishment of presumably everyone except Troup himself, he won.

The station he designed is a grand affair, with a central entrance hall bookended by long, dignified wings. It was built from Kokanga basalt perched atop a base of Port Chalmers basalt, with Oamaru stone flourishes to keep things interesting. The basalt came from a quarry in Central Otago that was opened specifically for the project, because if you’re going to build something of this scale, you might as well not just be functional but suitably dramatic, as maybe all good railway stations should be.

The Glow Worms at Nicols Creek

I left Nicols Falls and stopped off at the Glow worms on my way back down the hill. During my time at the falls, the rain had gotten harder, the track more slippery and to make matters worse, a breeze had picked up. This had the annoying effect of shaking large amounts of rain off the leaves above-directly onto me! No matter where I stood, the water would hit me in sudden bursts. Thump! Thump! Thump! It felt like being shot from a mega charged water-pistol! 

Just as I began to think the rain might ease, it would bucket down again, followed by gusts of wind that shook the trees- Thump! Thump! Thump! By the time I reached the Glow worms, I was soaked from head to toe. Worse still, I realised I wouldn’t even be able to see the glow worms. Instead, l found myself standing in the rain, photographing a forest path beside a small stream and waterfall that tumbled over moss-covered rocks, surrounded by lush green foliage.

Oddly enough, it was all rather satisfying!

Nicols Falls in Dunedin

It was Sunday morning and low clouds, mist and rain hung over the city like a bad hangover. This wasn’t the summer I’d been hoping for, or expecting. What I wanted was long, endless days of sunshine that ran for weeks and weeks at a time. That was back when summer was a sparkle on the horizon during a dreary spring day and everyone eagerly looked forward to wearing bikinis, speedos and board shorts at the beach or beside a lake from dawn to dusk. The day would then be completed with a BBQ that ran late into the night. Then, the next day, you’d do it all over again because that’s what summer’s for. 

Some months back, I remember reading predictions from experts about what we could expect, weather wise for summer. There’d been much talk about climate cycles and weather patterns. Experts had used terms I didn’t completely understand like La Niña, El Niño, El Paso, El Taco and El Capitán (some of those might not be quite right!). Now, I’m not sure what all that means, but what we got was long periods of El shitty weather and La crappie days of rain.

On this occasion, I didn’t want to be stuck in doors, I needed exercise, I needed to walk-regardless of how hard it was raining. A thought that had been lingering in the back of my mind for a few weeks was a stroll up to Nicols Falls located in the Glenleith, Leith Valley area of Dunedin. And so, that’s just what I did. I have to say, the falls aren’t actually that impressive, but it’s fun bounding over the boulders and through the streams along the way.

A revamped George Street

In an attempt to create a more people-friendly space where both business, shoppers, scooters, skateboarders (and whatever other mode of transport you wish to add) can coexist, the local city council spent over $100 million redeveloping the main street. I was pondering this as I walked along Dunedin’s George Street passing well-known places such as Knox Church. It was when I arrived at a crossing that I noticed a number of shops across the road that were empty and out of business. So, now everyone has a shiny new footpath to walk on as they pass empty shops that are boarded-up and covered in graffiti. At that moment I hoped that one-day eventually the buildings will once again be full of shops with businesses that are thriving.