Entirely World Famous Nicquel: DUNEDIN PART TWO

We have finally arrived at the next major city south of Christchurch. Dunedin is known as the gateway to the Otago region and is regarded as New Zealand’s architectural heritage capital. Recognised as a student town, the streets and Victorian buildings of Dunedin mirror their sister city Edinburgh in Scotland.

Hulmes Court Bed and Breakfast

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Hulmes Court Bed and Breakfast is a beautiful 1860s Victorian mansion located in Dunedin, New Zealand. Norman Wood is the owner and manager of the B&B and did everything in his power to ensure our stay was very comfortable. Norman and his staff are very familiar with all the activities that Dunedin and the surrounding areas have to offer and will provide you with a warm, friendly and informative stay.

We stayed in the Victorian Room, which is a very large room and, as the name suggests, epitomizes the Victorian era. The room features exquisite high plaster ceilings, a king size bed, a single bed, a sizeable desk, a lounge, and an ensuite bathroom.

The B&B is only a 2 to 3 minute walk into the centre of town, which is definitely a bonus considering parking in town can cost up to $4 an hour. On that note there is plenty of off-street parking in their private car park.

Prices start at $70 a night, which includes a continental breakfast, tea and coffee making facilities, complimentary laundry, as well as the use of mountain bikes, Internet, phone and fax.

Cadbury Factory Tour

If you like chocolate, if you’re still a kid at heart and if you like the story ‘Charlie in the Chocolate Factory’ than you will LOVE the tour of the Cadbury Factory. I think I was more excited than some of the kids on our tour. When we were given our bag of goodies I wasted no time in devouring my first chocolate bar yum, yum, yum.

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To my disdain, not everything was made out of chocolate like they depict in their Cadbury ads. However I soon realised that the more questions about Cadbury and the Factory that you answer correctly, the more chocolate bars you are given.

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Cadbury World is located in the centre of Dunedin city at the Cadbury Factory site. As the factory is not operational over the weekend we experienced the shortened tour, which does not include visiting the actual factory. The shortened tour includes the Cadbury World Visitor Centre, an explanation of the chocolate making process, a demonstration of the Jaffa making process, as well as a visit to the chocolate fall and retail outlet where you can purchase as much Cadbury as you like. (I.e. try and visit Cadbury World during the week to experience the full tour).

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Taieri Gorge Train

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‘Welcome aboard the Taieri Gorge Train’ a cheery man named, Marty said as he collected our tickets. We took our seats and eagerly awaited our departure into the rugged mountain interior of Central Otago.

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The weather was not so great in Dunedin today so we were curious as to how much of the view we would be able to see. However once the train was out of the city and into the mountains it was miraculously beautiful with the sun shinning in the clear blue sky.

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Taieri Gorge Railway carriages date back to the 1920s and feature open sash windows, wooden trim and single or couple seating. It is like taking a step back in time as you experience how people travelled in the olden days. The hustle and bustle of Dunedin no longer exists as you cross the magnificent viaducts and bridges carved out of stone and iron.

The ever-changing landscapes of the city, farmland, forests and of course the Taieri River Gorge are just spectacular. I couldn’t help gasping at the sheer drops to the river below as we passed through the Gorge. It was hard not to notice the rock walls only inches from the side of the train as we plunged into a series of tunnels.

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Cat and I were able to ride in the train driver’s carriage for part of the journey, which was very cool. The view from the front of the train is completely different to that of the side and I was even allowed to toot the horn. Whoa!

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The train departs daily from Dunedin’s grand railway station in the city centre and is a half-day return trip. The Dunedin Railway Station is judged as one of the 'Top 200 Places to See in the World'.

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Speight’s Brewery

This was a fabulous tour and I’m not even a beer drinker- well at least I wasn’t until I took this tour. The Speight’s Tour is an award-winning, informative and interactive tour through a historic working brewery and the Speight’s museum. We learnt about the history of beer making, the process of brewing beer and how Speight’s became a ‘legend’ in the South. Did you know that the term ‘skulling’ originates from the Vikings, as they would pour their beer into a person’s skull and, ‘skull’- Just some more useless jargon.

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Some may argue that the best part of the tour is the end, which consists of a half an hour window in which you can drink as much beer as you like. Of course Catherine and I are much more mature than that.

The tasting session takes place in the private Heritage Bar and includes a selection of Speight’s finest beer fresh from the brewery.

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After our tour we enjoyed a delicious meal at the Alehouse next door with Chris Snow the manager of the Brewery. The meals are very substantial actually that is an understatement, they are huge! You definitely get your moneys worth.

For just the tour it will set you back $20 however I would recommend the lunch or dinner packages from $49, which includes the tour as well as a two course lunch or three course dinner.

Chinese Gardens

It is hard to believe that such a breathtaking garden can be found in the midst of Dunedin’s city centre. It is like your own little slice of paradise, where the noise pollution from trains, trucks and buses is left behind in the distant past.

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The Dunedin Chinese Garden is the only authentic Chinese Garden in New Zealand and is the first of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. The garden is more than just a garden in the European sense as the rocks, water plants and buildings are important, symbolic elements. The Chinese Garden was created using authentic Chinese materials imported from Dunedin’s sister city Shanghai in China.

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The Dunedin Chinese Garden is open from 10am to 5pm daily and ticket prices start from $9:00 per person. The Gardens can host a number of functions including weddings.

Typical Touristy Stuff

Our time in Dunedin would not have been complete without:

A trip to the steepest street in the World