Dunedin’s First Chruch surrounded by autumn colours

One of the great things about living in a city full of hills is that there’s always a view worth the climb. The downside? Well, you actually have to make that climb. If you’re driving, it’s no big deal, but if you’re walking—which, given the choice, I usually prefer—it’s a whole different story. Still, more often than not, the effort pays off.

That’s how I found myself walking seven kilometers (four miles) across the city just for the view from the Stuart Street overbridge. It was early autumn—the kind of season that couldn’t quite make up its mind. The days still clung to the last traces of summer warmth, but the mornings carried that first real bite of chill. Around me, the city was slowly shifting into autumn mode, trees just starting to swap their greens for flashes of gold and red.