Category: South Island

After cycling the 152 km Otago Central Rail Trail, we took a transfer from Middlemarch to the city of Dunedin. We were pretty knackered by this point, and just about managed a takeaway pizza at our apartment before falling asleep.

With only 48 hours in Dunedin, we split our time between a road trip around the Otago Peninsula and a street art tour of downtown Dunedin.

Day 1: Wildlife spotting on the Otago Peninsula

We set off bright and early to pick up a hire car for a one-day mini road trip around the Otago Peninsula.

Our first stop was Tunnel Beach, which appeared to be plucked straight out of a Famous Five novel. We followed a track down from the cliff top towards the sea, before the path ended abruptly at a 72-step tunnel straight down through the rock to a hidden cove. Sara (our local Enid Blyton expert) deemed that this was almost certainly used by smugglers.

The sound of the waves crashing against the rocks echoed around the cliffs surrounding the cove, making the noise almost deafening. We enjoyed climbing onto the huge sandstone boulders, which had a few convenient steps carved into the sides to make for an easy ascent. As with so many things in New Zealand, it was both stunningly beautiful and almost empty.

That afternoon, we headed along the peninsula to Allans Beach, with the hope of spotting some sea lions. The drive along the coast was stunning, and the road signs confirmed that we were on the right track.

We traversed a couple of sand dunes and immediately spotted some sea lions snoozing on the beach (below left). Although they weren’t particularly energetic, we did catch them yawning, covering themselves with sand, and twitching their whiskers while dreaming. After a walk along the predictably gorgeous beach, we returned to the car to continue further along the peninsula, before spotting a handful more sea lions on the beach at Harington Point (below right). These were much more active, with a couple of males fighting for mating rights with the female sea lions nearby. We were particularly tickled by the group of females who weren’t at all impressed and slept through the whole altercation.

The last stop on our road trip was Taiaroa Head, where we were hoping to spot both Royal Albatrosses and Blue Penguins. We didn’t have to look very hard for the former though, as we spotted our first albatross even before getting out of the car and got a great view of many more as they flew right past the Waiwhakaheke Seabird Lookout. We later learned at the visitor centre that the Royal Albatross is the largest sea bird in the world, with an average wingspan of just over three metres. They looked absolutely majestic soaring effortlessly over the cliffs, and made seagulls look the size of a sparrow in comparison.

Last on the day’s itinerary was a trip down to a viewing platform on the beach to watch the Blue Penguins’ daily commute back from the sea to their burrows in the dunes. Making the dash across the beach is actually the riskiest part of their day, which is understandable given that they’re only about 32 cm tall on average. To mitigate the risk from predators, they collect together to form a tight group, which is delightfully known as a “waddle” of penguins. Once the group is large enough, they dash across the sand before splitting up to find their own burrows. When they reach the relative safety of the dunes and nearby burrows, the penguins stop for a chat and a rest, before turning in for the night. It all added up to make an insanely cute ritual, and somehow, we managed to prevent Sara from sneaking one into her backpack before finally returning to Dunedin.

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Day 2: Street art walking tour in Dunedin

Having spent two nights in Dunedin but seen very little of it, we were keen to make the most of the morning before our departure. We were staying in an apartment on Dunedin’s “High Street”, which turned out to be named after its steep gradient more than its eating and drinking options. Still, it was absolutely surrounded by street art, where anything from tiny alleyways to huge buildings had been given a quirky facelift. I’m sure some of the art’s subtlety was lost on us, but we still very much enjoyed it at face value.

Dunedin boomed during the gold rush era of late 1800s, and in 1874 it surpassed Auckland to momentarily become New Zealand’s largest city. As a result of this influx of cash, Dunedin is home to plenty of beautiful municipal buildings and regional headquarters, many of which have been beautifully restored. The jewel in Dunedin’s crown is its train station, although today its handful of services are largely both weekly and seasonal. Upon arriving in Dunedin, our shuttle bus driver proudly announced that the city’s train station was one of the most photographed buildings in the Southern Hemisphere, which sounded only slightly more impressive than the record held by Picton’s Edwin Fox. Unfortunately, the station building was shrouded in scaffolding when we passed, but we still took a couple of photos to do our bit in maintaining its (definitely questionable) record.

Dunedin made it onto our itinerary largely as a jumping off point for the Otago Peninsula, but we were very glad to have lingered long enough to take in the city’s sights too. Next, we set our sights on the southernmost destination of our NZ adventure; the ecological reserve of Stewart Island.

Ever since the start of our trip last August, we’ve been aiming to complete a hiking or cycling trail from end to end, but then find we are short of time or have other ambitions, so ultimately spend just one day getting a taster of what it has to offer. See, for instance, Turkey’s Lycian Way, Georgia’s Mestia to Ushguli multi-day hike, Jeju’s Olle trail, and NZ’s Great Taste Trail – there’s been a few. But finally, finally, after nearly nine months of travel, we’ve done it! Over four days, we cycled the Otago Central Rail Trail, a 152 km route that follows the course of the old Otago Central railway, built following the gold rush of the 1860s.

But first, we had to get to the trailhead. This required a seven-hour bus journey between Christchurch and Cromwell and then a quick hop between Cromwell and Clyde the following day.

We all thought that the Christchurch to Cromwell leg was going to be a long, boring travel day and had downloaded podcasts, books and planned blog posts to work on to keep us busy. None of this was necessary as it was an utterly epic ride! This culminated in the bus taking a lunch stop at the most spectacular spot overlooking Lake Tekapo, where we couldn’t resist celebrating with yet another Tim Tam Slam.

Day 1: Clyde to Omakau (41 km)

The one with Oli’s gravel moving service

After taking the bus from Cromwell to Clyde, we picked up our bikes, loaded our panniers and set off towards the first town en route, Alexandra. Rather than join the main trail immediately, we decided to take the alternative riverside trail, which had come highly recommended and really was beautiful, undulating like a rollercoaster through the trees next to the bright blue Clutha River.

This added 4 km to our route, bringing our daily total from 37 km to 41 km, but at this point, we confidently believed this wouldn’t be a problem. After a second breakfast in Alexandra, we set off on the trail proper. We soon realised two things:

1. We were pretty much the only people on the trail without e-bikes
2. The gravel surface was going to be really hard work, especially on the uphills (i.e. nearly all of days 1 & 2)

Halfway through the afternoon, as we slowly climbed the steepest hill on the trail, Oli grumbed that he was basically providing a gravel moving surface, where his tyres sent the stones rolling down the hill while he remained in the same position. It really felt that way!

We were relieved to make it to our accommodation well before sunset and I couldn’t stay worried about how many kilometres were ahead for too long, since we were staying in a cabin next to a pub with local wine on offer and two fluffy black cats in the carpark.

Day 2: Omakau to Wedderburn (42.5 km)

The one with the highest point

Yesterday had been a tough day and I was quite nervous for today, where we had a similar distance to cover but much more elevation.

Our apprehension wasn’t eased when we stepped outside our cabin to find that our saddles had frozen overnight! We moved our bikes into the sun and they were partially thawed by the time we’d eaten our breakfast and groaned our way back into our saddles for the day.

In fact, it turned out to be one of our best days on the trail. The gravel wasn’t quite as deep as yesterday and we passed over several bridges and viaducts spanning dramatic scenery. We also felt our way through two very dark tunnels (where I pretended to be in The Railway Children, obviously).

Around 3pm, we reached the highest point of the trail, and Oli and Mario celebrated by sharing a lively can of beer that had been rattling along in Mario’s pannier. I had eaten too much guilt-free cake at our last rest stop and couldn’t join in!

As well as the rugged scenery, great food and feeling of accomplishment, our second day was also marked by our growing (and entirely irrational) hatred of the many groups of e-bikers, who smugly overtook us on the hills while barely pedalling. Unbeknownst to them, they became our sworn enemies, particularly those who had the audacity to call out pleasantries as they passed!

That evening, we stayed in a lovely cabin a long way from the nearest town (but thankfully within walking distance of a pub) and had more amazing stargazing opportunities. In fact, Mario crept out after the moon had set and said it was even better…

Day 3: Wedderburn to Waipiata (21 km)

The short one

We woke up to another flawless morning and had less than half of yesterday’s distance to cover, all downhill, so today was about embracing the distractions along the trail. Even after a late start (because Mario and Oli were battling each other in a game of giant chess) and many stops to look at farm animals, rusting railway infrastructure, and planets of the solar system (more on that later), we still reached Ranfurly by lunchtime. This was two-thirds of our daily distance, so we passed some time roaming around the town looking at the architecture and scouting for cats. For a town that’s known for its Art Deco buildings, we didn’t do very well and only found one!

When we set off again, we continued to track the planets of the solar system, which were presented at a scale of 100 million to one across the length of the trail. This really brought home just how much space there was between each planet, given it took us several days to cycle to the sun!

We managed to faff our way to our 2pm check in time and then spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing in the pub in the tiny settlement where we were staying. Despite its remote location (so remote, in fact, that our rooms didn’t have locks!), the Waipiata Country Hotel was famous for its pies and the pub was BUSY that evening. We joined in and sampled a pie each from their ridiculously big selection (and made some loud comments about how we’d earned them with our pedal power).

Day 4: Waipiata to Middlemarch (52 km)

The one with the deadline

Not only was this our longest day in kilometres, but we also had to be at the finish line by 1.30pm in time to catch a shuttle to Dunedin. Theoretically this was easily achievable, but we’d heard ominous tales of a powerful headwind on the final stretch so we started early to give ourselves the best chance of making it. As we crept out of our accommodation before sunrise, we saw the row of gleaming e-bikes on charge. Mario wickedly suggested we could unplug them as a final act of sabotage, which really made us laugh and was much more tempting than you might think! In the end, we decided to settle for beating them to the finish line instead.

It was a very frosty start until the sun rose above the mountains, but we made good time and soon came across a tiny shelter filled with homemade goodies and an honesty box. We knew there were no cafes or shops along this stretch so we rounded up all our change and bought ourselves a few treats.

Even with these snacks, we still ate our packed lunch at 10.30am! Then just after 1pm, we rolled into Middlemarch, victorious.

It was SUCH a fun few days. We thought it would be super easy given the trail’s gentle elevation changes (it was built as a railway, after all) and the comfortable temperatures this time of year, but the gravel track really did slow us down and it turned out to be just the right level of challenge for us. When we looked at our route relative to the size of the South Island (below), we were actually pretty impressed that we’d cycled a noticeable chunk of it!

After our cycling adventure, we made our way to the city of Dunedin for a couple of days of street art, penguins 🐧 and debating the plural of albatross. Albatrosses? Albatri? Either way, we were very pleased to meet them.

From Blenheim, we hopped aboard the Coastal Pacific train for the 311 km journey south to Christchurch.

This train was just as comfortable as our stint on the Northern Explorer, but this time the ride had ocean views almost the whole way. We passed the time between gazing out the windows with a few more Tim Tam Slams, and while our antics did evoke a little nostalgia from our captive audience, they also politely implied that it was more of a children’s activity. Mario defended our snack choice by referencing a photo of an adult clearly slamming a Tim Tam on the Wikipedia page, but I’m not sure they were convinced.

We had two full days in and around Christchurch, the first of which we spent seeing the city centre. On the second, we took a road trip to the Banks Peninsula.

Day 1: Quake City

Arriving in Christchurch, the effects of the 2011 6.3 magnitude earthquake were evident almost everywhere we went. This was clearly a city in the midst of a full reconstruction, but on a vastly different timescale to what we witnessed in Gyumri, Armenia. We visited Quake City, Christchurch’s earthquake museum, which covered the initial impact and response, as well as the the reconstruction effort since. It was pretty shocking watching and listening to first person accounts of how the earthquake completely reshaped their city, and how the residents’ attitudes to the city have changed over time.

While I naively expected the decision to repair Christchurch’s buildings to be straightforward, reading about Christchurch Cathedral (whose collapsed spire made headlines around the world) tells quite the opposite story. Initially, there seemed to be little agreement on whether the original cathedral should be restored or a new cathedral built in its place. In 2012, it looked set to be completely demolished, but since then the original building has been stabilised and restoration work is now in progress. In the meantime, Anglican services have been relocated to the Cardboard Cathedral, a building made from 98 giant cardboard tubes and constructed in less than a year.

We also saw plenty of street art, either on the exposed sides of old brick buildings or as part of the restoration effort. Note that the building in the photo on the right below actually has a flat frontage, despite the the perspective trick!

One local institution that has stood the test of time is C1 Espresso, despite having needed to relocate to the old post office following the destruction of their original premises by the earthquake. This cafe is famous for delivering (some of) their menu via a network of pneumatic tubes, which connect the kitchen to each customer’s table.

In fact, this place came doubly recommended, by both the Lonely Planet and Tom Scott, who each insisted that a cafe like this can’t survive without the food and coffee actually being good too. We couldn’t agree more, and ended up visiting the cafe three times during our stay in Christchurch.

Walking around the town, we were really impressed to see Christchurch’s historic tram rattling across the main square and through narrow gaps between buildings. That was until we saw that the cost of a day ticket is 35 NZD (£17)! For comparison, a day ticket on Christchurch’s central bus network is 2.60 NZD. In my books, this labels the tram not just as a tourist attraction, but also a tourist trap 🙁

We did however thoroughly enjoy Christchurch’s Riverside Market, the permanent replacement of the city’s temporary Container Mall. It was jam packed with street food and local produce, with no shortage of excellent beer and wine either.

Day 2: Road trip around Banks Peninsula

The following day, we hired a car to explore the Banks Peninsula. This is an area which is pretty much impossible to see without your own transport, and with Mario filling a third seat in the car, we managed to justify the carbon emissions to ourselves.

I expected driving in New Zealand to feel fairly familiar given that they also drive on the left, and indeed it was straightforward so long as you can keep your eyes off the spectacular scenery long enough to check the road every once in a while. The only subtle difference is that the indicator / windscreen-washer stalks are on the opposite sides of the wheel relative to the UK. Despite noting this before pulling out of the car hire depot, I still gave the windscreen a good wash as I changed lanes on the roundabout on the way out of the airport.

We first drove to Lyttelton via the scenic Summit Road. Now, New Zealand isn’t short of natural beauty, but we’re always suckers for a bit of industrial logistics. We stopped briefly at a dramatic viewpoint that also overlooked a container port, and enjoyed watching the swarm of specialised vehicles moving containers from the dock onto a ship. And just before you raise your eyebrows, we weren’t the only ones at the viewpoint!

From Lyttelton, we continued around the Banks Peninsula towards Akaroa via another scenic route (also called Summit Road!) along the top of the volcanic ridge. Pausing for a packed lunch of goodies from C1 Espresso with a view, I tucked into my huge pork and apple sausage roll. This certainly made it into my top five sausage rolls ever, and even gave Hart & Lova (our favourite bakery in Kilburn) a run for its money, although Sara was less convinced.

We then dropped down into Akaroa, a charming coastal town that at first glance had a strange obsession with all things French. We later learned that the town was settled by 63 French emigrants in 1840, which went some way to explaining the French influence. I also had my first taste here of Hokey pokey ice cream, a popular flavour in NZ consisting of vanilla ice cream with chunks of honeycomb – apparently an important piece of kiwiana!

The last stop on our road trip was Tumbledown Bay – a secluded beach on the southern shore of the peninsula. We never would have found this beautiful place (it was a 20-minute drive down a dirt road!) if it wasn’t for the recommendation of an old colleague – thanks, Michael! Here, Sara and Mario threw caution to the wind and braved the cold waters for swim, while I held their towels. It was only once they were in the water that I noticed a playful herd of seals splashing around on the rocks and surfing on the waves just metres from where Sara and Mario were swimming. It really was a beautiful moment.

This concluded an action-packed, two-day stay in Christchurch, and we returned the hire car completely covered in dust, but with a sparkling clean windscreen. Special thanks to Michael for all his recommendations around the Banks Peninsula – we had an awesome time!

For our next adventure, we’re trading the hire car for a trio of mountain bikes and attempting a four-day journey along the Central Otago Rail Trail.