Unique Places in Dunedin

It was no surprise how nice the beaches south of Dunedin are. The surprise was that many of them, between Brighton and the Taieri Mouth, were kind of golden like the sands of the beaches of the Abel Tasman National Park.

The round-trip from Dunedin leads over SH1 to Lake Waihola which is well-loved for yachting, power-boating, rowing and water-skiing. In an old travel guide I read that at the turn of the century - from the 19th to the 20th - there were even paddle-steamers "for the convenience of ailing or convalescent tourists"! Now there are a carpark, campground, toilets and showers at the lake which is linked to Lake Waipori further north by a tidal river.

If you turn left in Waihola township the rather wide gravel road takes you over rolling hills to the Taieri Mouth. There are camping facilities, so you can spend some days there or just a day or some hours for swimming - the beach is sheltered by a parallel running reef -, fishing, walking or mountainbiking in the coastal forests. Taieri Island, formerly Moturata (= rata island), in the river mouth can be reached on foot at low tide. A four-hour (return) walk leads along the river. There are also shorter walks indicated, and wildlife (pengins, albatrosses and native birds) can be watched if you are there at the right time.

Along the coast to the north is another rock, called Governor's Rock. It is said that Sir George Grey once lit a fire there. The beaches are rather narrow towards the north, and sometimes it is difficult to stop but there are always some little carparks along the road. This is the stretch where the beaches have this golden colour.

The next seaside centre is Brighton. This little town became a weekend destination in the early days of the motorcars, because it was as far as the people of Dunedin could get on a day trip.

From Brighton the way to Dunedin is indicated.

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We came from Lawrence and went up Highway 1 to Waihola to have a look, as I am interested in Bird Life, but you will also come to it heading south from Dunedin.

Waihola, is a small settlement nestled against the edge of Lake Waihola. You can go swimming fishing, yachting, waterskiing and other do other water activities, and have picnics here. On a nice day, if you are lucky, you can get some good reflection photos!

The Lake is surrounded by wetlands, including the protected Sinclair Wetlands.
The Sinclair Wetlands are the home to many species of rare native birds, native trout and the black swan.

As we had come up Highway 1, we drove down Taieri Mouth road, where there are good scenic views. This small village is located at the mouth of the Taieri River, is a historic place where legends of the Maori people are known. Completing the round journey, we came across the smallish town of Milton. The town had a few pleasant surprises.

We saw some quaint historic Cottages one of the being a "sod cottage" which was built in the 1860’s as a stopping place for miners heading to the Tuapeka Goldfields. It has been restored, and we were able to go inside and have a look.
The historic Presbyterian Church was pretty impressive too, as well as other old buildings in the Town.

Milton, is situated on State Highway1, 55 kms south of Dunedin,

Located 110 kms from Dunedin is the town of Ranfurly.
Ranfurly is named after the fifth Earl of Ranfurly, the 15th Governor General of New Zealand.

Ranfurly is not a big town, it was just a surprise, it had a lot of Art- Deco buildings!

These date back to the 1930s when the town was developing, and the style of that era was Art Deco. Art Deco style shops and homes sprung up rapidly in the 1930s after the town went through a series of suspicious fires. The two-storey, Art Deco style Ranfurly Hotel, complete with balcony overlooking the main street, was rebuilt in 1934. The Art Deco Fenton Library and Milk Bar and even accommodation in Art Deco homes, with furniture of the era, no wonder they hold and Art Deco festival in February every year! The people take is seriously, and dress in the fashion of the era!

There is a good information centre in the main street which was very helpful.

Karitane was a small town we came across on our scenic drive from Oamaru to Dunedin. A very small town, it is located in a beautiful position, lovely hills on oneside, beach and nice bay the other side. The Waikouati River empties into the Ocean here.
It has quite a history, going back to Sealers & Whalers that arrived in the 1820's, and built a whaling station here in 1837.

It is a popular holiday spot now, I can see why, it was very appealing for a quiet holiday! There is kayaking, fishing charters and walks where there is a good chance of seeing fur seals or sea lions, as well as the wide range of sea birds.
Karitane is described as Dunedin's 'big wave' spot - not for the inexperienced surfer.

Do stop at the lookout on the hill heading to Dunedin, the views of Karitane and the bay & rolling hills are fantastic!

Karitane is 5 minutes drive off State Highway 1, just 35 kilometres north of Dunedin's city centre.

The Moeraki Boulders are a number of huge spherical stones, found strewn along a stretch of Koekohe Beach near Moeraki, a small settlement just south of Hampden on New Zealand's Otago coast.

These boulders are grey-coloured septarian concretions which have been exposed through shoreline erosion from black mudstone coastal cliffs that back the beach. They originally formed in ancient sea floor sediments during the early Paleocene some 60 million years ago. The most striking aspect of the boulders is their unusually large size and highly spherical shape, with a distinct bimodal size distribution. The boulders weigh several tonnes and are up to three metres in diametre.

Maori legend tells that the boulders are remains of calabashes, kumaras and eel baskets that washed ashore after the legendary canoe, the Araiteuru was wrecked at nearby Shag Point (Matakaea).

Similar boulders can also be found in the north-facing shore of Shag Point some 12 miles south of where the Moeraki Boulders are found. Hokianga harbour in the North Island also has some similar examples.

Moeraki boulders are in a protected scientific reserve just north of the little settlement of Moeraki, which has a particularly good restaurant and cafe.

These boulders are about a 60km drive north of Dunedin City along the main state highway.

Pilot Beach, used to known as ‘Hobart Town Beach’ is a place where we can see Penguins for FREE along Otago Peninsula, Thanks to the lady in 1908 for telling us about this place The Blue Penguins, smallest penguins on earth, will come home from the sea everyday at 7pm.. It was Day light saving Day, and they were back at 8pm. We arrived slightly before 7pm and waited for an hour. It was very windy but it still couldn’t stop us from waiting. there were other observants there too.. a kid showed us a sick penguin.. we could see and hear the penguin. We could see holes around the grass area, homes of the Penguins. There was a walkway for the penguins to walk up from the beach to their homes. We danced, yoga and kungfu.. while waiting. at 8pm, it was getting dark and we finally saw a group of penguins walking across the beach. We ran quickly there to observe.. too bad we couldn’t flash our cameras. They walked pretty slow.. we waited quite a while til they reached the top. Other observants told us to leave as its unfair that we disturb their (Penguins’) Privacy..

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Long beach is one of the many amazing beaches in Dunedin, but with the added goodness of a giant cave! You can bring some wood, food, and beer (in riggers (plastic 2 liter bottles) acquired from the McDuffs microbrewery for cheap!) and have a party with your mates in the cave. It's huge, with smaller caves in the back for exploring. To give you a good estimate of the size, raves used to be held there (Crave) but the ecological impact was a little much. No need for tents and a great way to escape the inevitable rain. If your lucky there might be some phosphoressence in the sand and water, always a treat. It's a bit of a mission from the parking lot (about a km on the beach) till the cave. I advise you get organised with wood ect BEFORE it gets dark, but it is quite fun bumbling around losing your friends. You can also rock climb there if your so inclined. Don't forget pack out what you packed in. To get there go to Port Chalmers, take a left directly after getting in to PC and then the second right. Keep going until you get to the long beach sign (a right turn).

In the absence of an Oamaru page, I am placing this tip here...

About 90 minutes drive North of Dunedin, just outside the township of Oamaru, you cross the 45th Parallel. Here you are halfway between the Equator and the South Pole. The spot is easily missed unless you are looking out for it, but by the side of the road in a small lay-by is a large rock with a commemorative plaque. Excellent photo opportunity, and good to be able to say "been there, seen that!".