The Rocks at Lawyers Head– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Here are the rocks at Lawyers Head here in Dunedin in warmer times on a summer evening.

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

I enjoyed the last moments of a sunset on St Kilda beach the other day. However with wind whipping off the hills that contained snow it wasn’t exactly warm.

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

I spent an hour or so in the rain at Dunedin’s Second Beach. It must be said that you don’t live in Dunedin because of the weather. Yesterday there was a fresh dump of snow on the hills surrounding Flagstaff and the Pineapple Track and the wind and rain at sea level were certainly energetic!

Smaills Beach– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

It was the most time I’d  spent  actually on a beach in a good while. It was the end of the week and the end of the day and so with the sun starting to drop below the hills I spent a good hour or so enjoying the quiet surrounds of Smaills Beach. The nearby stream showed all the signs of recent heavy rain and  all that was left was a collection of debris scattered among the sand dunes. On the rocks by the point at the end of the beach two Fur Seals rested while an ever increasing group of surfers enjoyed the small barrels that were breaking just off shore. 

‘Not a bad spot to end the week’ I thought to myself.

Wingatui Racecourse– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I found my way to the Wingatui Racecourse in Mosgiel, which was holding an Artisan Farmers Market however I wasn’t exactly sure why I was going. The previous night having watched the All Blacks lose to Ireland, I then proceeded to drink a dozen pints of something that didn’t agree with me and in the morning was feeling the worse for it. However, by midday feeling much more human and stable on my pins, I pointed myself in the direction of the market and set off. 

Not being completely confident about what I was going to find, I didn’t some research and found myself heading towards a large collection of candles, smellies, dried flowers, hangers and other arrangements that included knitting, soft toys, cushions, soaps and perfumes. All I was hoping for was a good busker playing something from a folk music catalogue and a good hamburger, however now I doubted I would either.

The Otago Coastline– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I had never seen Dunedin from a helicopter before and now having done so, I can highly recommend it. It truly is a remarkable way to see a landscape. Particularly the Otago coastline that has all the grandeur you’d expect to find anywhere in the world. 

Glenorchy Boardwalk – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

When I started out along the Glenorchy Boardwalk I had the path to myself. Now, nearly 30 minutes later I was coming across the first group of people I had seen. For a split second I felt somewhat annoyed that I had to share the lagoon walk and surrounding mountain views with other people. Suddenly I realised that in the 30 minutes I’d been on the boardwalk, I had become so used to not seeing anyone else, I had come to think of the path as mine, and mine alone.

Te Papa in Wellington– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

While walking in Wellington ….
I recently explored Te Papa in Wellington which has the honour of being labelled ‘The Museum of New Zealand.’ Having been stupid enough to visit during the school holidays I quickly decided that it is best avoided on the following days; Christmas Holidays, School Holidays, whenever a cruise ship is town and possibly Sundays! But, The Gallipoli exhibition is somewhat breathtaking and sobering all at the same time and any time spent looking at Rita Angus paintings is always time well spent! 

Lake Roxburgh Walkway– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

While walking in Alexandra ….
A sign on an old, faded white post, with a bright blue background and white lettering said ‘Graveyard Gully Road.’ Here I found myself a little disappointed. If ever there was a chance to show a little creativity in road signs, then this was it. I paused for a moment at how ominous and dramatic it would be for tourists if the road name was simply painted on old faded wood in black lettering that had aged in the sun. With a few animal skulls scattered nearby. 

Disappointed in the simplicity of the road sign design, I headed along it anyway until I found the Manuherikia Cemetery. Beyond the cemetery is Lake Roxburgh Walkway. I didn’t have any intention of walking the 4 kilometres to Butchers Point or the further 6 kilometres to Doctors Point. However, for a few moments I did enjoy the first wee section of the track as it opened above the river.

Smith Gallery at Toitu Museum– Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

While walking in Toitu Early Settlers Museum ………
I emerged into the Smith Gallery to find four walls of images staring down at me. No matter how many times I visit this room, there’s always an unnerving moment when I realise all these eyes are fixed upon me. Once I’ve gotten over the fear that one of the photos might come to life, there are two things that I find remarkable about this room. Firstly, all the portraits are displayed in chronological order of the settlers’ arrival, along with details of the ship they travelled on and who they married. Secondly, so many pioneers had their photos taken at all, as it must be remembered that photography was a fairly new invention when these fine folk were alive.

Esplanade Reflection – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

While walking on the St Clair Esplanade ………
I had spent some time trying to dodge seaspray, low flying seaweed and chunks of driftwood that were ricocheting off the St Clair Seawall during a particularly high tide.

Afterwards I noticed that scattered among the collection of debris on the Esplanade were a number of large puddles. Fortunately these sat undisturbed and upon closer inspection I noticed a number of reflections were providing mirror like images of the various buildings and structures that sat along the street. Not having the lens I would usually use to capture such an angle, I improvised as best I could. Funny that everyone else was letting themselves get covered in seaspray, yet I was the one being looked at as the one doing something odd!

Big Mumma (Mum) – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

I spent the afternoon enjoying the lovely beach at St Clair. It wasn’t particularly sunny, however it wasn’t windy either and that was good enough for me. I parked at St Kilda and walked over the dunes onto the beach and along to St Clair before scrambling up the rocks to the esplanade to see a statue of a Sea Lion called ‘Mum.’ 

I had recently read that according to a recent Department of Conservation report, 29 New Zealand Sea Lion pups were born in Otago and Southland over the 2021/2022 breeding season. This is a remarkable effort considering at one point the New Zealand Sea Lion population was nearly extinct. 

It had been nearly 150 years since a New Zealand Sea Lion birth was recorded on the mainland. Then, one day around Christmas in 1993, a female Sea Lion turned up at Taieri Mouth to give birth to a pup. Over the ensuing years the Sea Lion became known as  ‘Mum.’ Now, many years later the growth of the Sea Lion population has continued and Sea Lions are a common site on local beaches.

Boatshed on Otago Harbour – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

There are certain news item’s you don’t expect to come out of Britian during their summer months and temperatures reaching 40 degrees is one of them. If Britain is anything like New Zealand, then temperature from the mid-20’s up is considered a ‘scorcher.’ So this morning when I woke up to hear the headline of ‘UK records its hottest-ever temperature, with 40.3C’ well that was a surprise. If you spend a summer in Australia, temperatures of 40.0C seem to be the norm, however in Britain that’s unheard of.

So, with summer heatwaves in mind, here’s a picture from a lovely summer’’s day on Otago Harbour.

South Dunedin at night – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Walking through South Dunedin on a Friday night is not without its interesting highlights. Due to the number of takeaway outlets and a few surrounding pubs, there’s always more than a few people around. On this occasion the night was cold but clear and the street was filled with people bustling about their business in order to get home at the end of the week.

Street Art by Dal East – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Yesterday I was exploring some of the Dunedin Street Art scene as extreme wind gusts ripped through the city. It was like walking through an urban obstacle course as all sorts of items went barreling down the street or flying past my face! I wanted to see the painting of a large bird with all these metal pieces flying off but I couldn’t remember where it was. Fortunately, as I was heading home I remembered. It’s on Stafford Street. Also, with a little help from the internet I was reminded it’s by Chinese artist Dal East and represents New Zealand’s extinct Haast Eagle constructed out of shards of metal. So cool!

Dunedin Street Art by Milarky – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

The only problem with Dunedin Street Art is that now there is so much of it. It’s hard to remember where they all are. Once, they were all near the Warehouse Precinct, Queens Gardens and Vogel Street making it easy to wander the streets in some sort of missguided, jumbled order. However, so many pieces are now scattered around the city it is nearly impossible to remember them all. I was actually looking for an artwork of a large bird with all these metal pieces flying off. However, I couldn’t remember where it was. So, I enjoyed all the other artworks I did find, such as this piece by Taranaki artist Milarky.

Dunedin City from St Kilda towards the harbour – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Another image from the air, Dunedin City looking from St Kilda towards the harbour.

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

I drove to Dunedin in even heavier rain. The windscreen wipers were working overtime and the traffic moving at a steady pace. It wasn’t long before I was weaving through traffic along George Street. I parked the car and dashed between raindrops towards the Dunedin Art Gallery. Upon entering, I shook the rain off like a wet dog and casually strolled up the Gallery stairs to explore. 

An hour or so later I left the Art Gallery and headed out into the rain. How it is possible to rain nonstop for three days is quite beyond my scientific knowledge. What is also beyond my knowledge and understanding is how people who plan extensive city upgrades are able to make it seem as inconvenient as possible. As I manoeuvred my car into a slow moving stream of traffic, I contemplated if there is an unending supply of orange road cones? Will there come a day when a young tradie will be told to head over to the orange road cone collection centre to pick up a load of cones (to block off a street where work might start any time in the next six months) only to be told ‘sorry mate, we’re all out’ Tom over there got the last lot, ‘they’re blocking off Inconvenient Avenue between Disruptive Street and Annoying Road to replace a perfectly good footpath before ignoring the potholes in the middle of the intersection.’   

Thanks to the monumental amount of roadworks taking place in the centre, it took me nearly 10 minutes to go 120 metres in city traffic. It wasn’t even that busy! It’s not as if Dunedin’s traffic is like London where there is often gridlock and people (mainly in large, spotless 4WD’s) drive as if they are invading a country! I recently read an article that in 2021 drivers in London lost an incredible 148 hours due to congestion. That’s the equivalent of over six days a year spent sitting in traffic! So while the queue of traffic ahead of me was insignificant compared to the world stage, this was Dunedin in the early afternoon and I was at an impasse. At one point, having not moved for a considerable period of time, despite seeing a number of green lights in the distance I considered abandoning my car where it was and popping over to the Little India Restaurant to grab a nice curry for lunch. I could then scoot a few doors down and place a bet at the TAB, head around the corner to wash it all down with a beverage at Woof before returning to the car where I would find that the entire line hadn’t moved one iota. This of course was quite a silly idea, as for one thing the Little India was closed!

Henley-Berwick Road – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

Heading south, I drove through dull, mid-morning rain. Here and there the road plunged into pools of water that were beginning to pond in either lane that led past vast acreage of farm lands. Homesteads scattered the countryside along with flocks of sheep and herds of cows that looked fed up in the rain. Before long, I passed through the little village of Henley which is really like a lot of tiny communities in New Zealand, a sleepy little farming district that was once much busier than it is now. 

Situated 35 kilometres south-west of Dunedin, Henley is much more accessible than it once was. Thanks to the modern motorcar, a drive out to Henley can be done in around 25 minutes. This is much quicker than the full day walk it used to take resident’s 150 years ago who would make the trip once a week, to sell produce at local markets in Dunedin. For those that fancied a more coastal route to get to Henley, the other option was to travel from Dunedin down the coast to Brighton where a boat would take passengers to Taieri Mouth. Once at Taieri Mouth, another boat would take people up the Waipori River to the settlement of Taieri Ferry. Once at the river junction of Taieri Ferry, travellers would either venture the short distance to Henley and Otokia or continue on south towards Waihola and Tokomairiro. 

Henley’s major contribution to world news is that the nearby river flood’s occasionally. That, and there was once a cheese factory located in the small village that moved to the neighbouring township of Momona. It was then bought by the much larger Mainland Cheese company in the 1980’s. Beyond that, not much news really comes out of Henley, unless of course you count people picnicking during summer on the banks of the Taieri River which ambles through the district.

It had been raining for three days, the river was high, the farm fields were starting to resemble duck ponds and a wet and muddy herd of cows looked pretty pissed off as they chewed a bale of hay. As I splashed my car through the puddles that lined a road I occasionally shared with a truck or two that rattled passed, the rain continued to fall. The river was a muddy brown while vehicles that had long since been abandoned and large piles of firewood that would take an age to dry sat in drenched farm fields, alongside farm machinery that showed signs of recent use. Eventually I came to the Henley bridge where a local gave me his best ‘what the hell do you think you’re doing look!’ I gave him a friendly wave which was returned with a smile. I paused for a moment by the river to take in the bridge and the former cheese factory. 

The cheese factory was opened in 1886 and at its peak produced 225 tons but has long since been abandoned while the bridge it sits beside actually suffered significant damage in the 1980 flood when a section of it was washed away. Unfortunately Mr John Spain wasn’t aware of this fact so while completing his morning bread deliveries in the shadowy light of pre-dawn, he suddenly found himself plunging from the bridge into darkness as his truck nosed into the torrent of water that had swept a section of it away. 

With the rain getting harder, I ditched my initial plan to photograph the former cheese factory until a day when there was some blue sky around. I watched a ute and horse float disappear along the Henley-Berwick Road towards State Highway 1 and Dunedin before following suit.

Alleyway off Musselburgh Rise – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

There’s a fine line to night photos. They can easily turn into nothing without a specific subject to focus on. On this occasion I wanted to capture the light from the doorway in this alleyway and I was fortunate that it just so happened the buses were going past at the same time. Knowing the bus timetable at night can really help!

West Harbour recreation trail – Buy or view the Ōtepoti | Dunedin gallery

This is a section of the West Harbour Cycleway that is also part of the West Harbour Recreation Trail. It starts at the Otago Marina and currently runs all the way down to the St Leonards Yacht Club. They are currently working on extending the cycleway so it’ll eventually run all the way to Port Chalmers which will be fantastic and something that should have been done long before now!

Yesterday, I spent some time updating a few of my pages and posts here on my blog. One thing I did was move my travel writing pieces to a dedicated page with proper links so they are easier to find in the header menu. It also means they’ll be easier to add to in the future. If you haven’t read them or want to reconnect with them, you can find them here: Travel writing and photography by John Caswell