Moving on ...: Day 6

Leaving the Millennium Hotel in Queenstown behind us, we began the 4 hours drive to Dunedin. The weather forecast for Dunedin was 11 °C but we were prepared.

Sheep and cows dotted the countryside all the way to Dunedin. We learned that the black Angus livestock were slaughtered for their meat while the Friesian and Jersey are milk cows.

We had a washroom break at Lawrence which was followed by coffee and pie. Mr Beady-Eyes received a long distance telephone call from the Tour Company in response to Cindy's complaint. He was instructed to cover on Day 7, by hook or by crook, the three points of interest we had previously missed.

DUNEDIN

Maori explorers began arriving in the bays to the north and south of Dunedin from about 1100 AD. They fished the rich coastal waters and traveled inland in pursuit of the flightless moa, duck and freshwater fish. These people initiated trade with Northerners in the precious green stone or pounamu.

The rough and tough whalers who came later, added an element of diversity when they intermarried with the local Otakau Maori from the 1820s.

The settling of Dunedin by the Scots began with the arrival of various vessels in 1848. Originally named New Edinburgh, the name was changed to Dunedin, (the old Celtic name for Edinburgh)

Land was purchased from three local Maori chiefs in 1844 and offered to the Scots settlers. Along with their strong religious beliefs, the Scottish settlers brought their passion for education. The first university, the University of Otago was opened in 1869.

By the time the Scottish settlers arrived at Otepoti in 1848, they found the site of modern day Dunedin rich in Maori history with a character all of its own.

The discovery of gold encouraged many Chinese miners to cross the Tasman from the Victorian goldfields. By 1871 there were more than 4000 Chinese mining in Otago. Many settled permanently in Dunedin entering into commerce and today they are a vibrant community within the city.

Otago Harbour

Boat House at Otago Harbor

LARNACH CASTLE

The oldest and only Castle in New Zealand was built by Mr William Larnach. It had an interesting but tragic past.

Larnach was of Scottish descent. He was born in Australia to a banker. At 17 years of age, he joined the bank. At 24, he married Eliza Jane Guise and was later assigned to Dunedin where he started and managed a branch of the bank.

They lived in an apartment above the bank premise and started scouting for a suitable land to build their home. His eldest son was 9 years old when he selected the piece of land on which the castle now stood.

Larnach built the Castle for his beloved Eliza. Construction began in 1871, and 200 workmen labored for three years before the family moved in. Skilled European craftsmen worked for twelve more years to embellish the interior with the finest materials from around the world. Building was completed with the addition of the splendid ballroom in 1887.

The story goes that Eliza (first wife) suffered a stroke, followed by loss of vision. At age 37 she died. Larnach was depressed. After his wife's death, he settled his five children in England. His eldest son was sent to Cambridge while he left for Wellington where he was a Minister of the Crown.

Rumors about bankruptcy and the failing of his business soon circulated in his arena.

He married a second wife who died, thereby resulting in a third marriage. While his business interest was in Otago, he was mostly in Wellington on account of his political interest. Wife number 3 was subsequently divorced after she was caught having an affair with Larnach's second son.

While in Parliament one day, he received a mysterious letter, content unknown. He was not seen again until three days later.

William Larnach, seated alone in a committee room in Parliament, took his own life with a single pistol shot to the head. Thus died one of New Zealand's most prominent man. A successful landowner, Minister of the Crown, banker, financier and merchant baron, Larnach's lasting legacy was his great Castle overlooking the spectacular Otago Harbor.

Since he died intestate, his eldest son inherited the castle while the proceed from his estate went to his other children.

The castle was sold to the government and used by the army during the two wars, after which it was abandoned and rediscovered by a honeymooning couple who bought it from the government with their life savings. With rental income from the rental of the ball room, solicited donations and volunteers from the University of Otago, the couple (Barry & Margaret Barker) restored the castle to its past glory.

Otago Harbor as seen from the battlements.

view from the battlements 320 m above sea level
(ballroom below)

Panoramic view from the battlements

Ballroom

Warming pan filled with hot coals from the fire used to warm the bed.

Chamber pots for the Master and his Wife.

Spiral stone staircase leading up to the battlements.

Door to battlements

To the spiral staircase from the battlement

detailed carvings on ceiling

Lacquered sewing box made in China for export to the West.

Scottish wild cats associated with Mr Larnach's Scottish clan Sutherland. "The Camp" was the name that Mr Larnach gave the property.

YELLOW-EYED PENGUIN RESERVE

Penguin Place

Conservation Reserve
Otago Peninsular
Dunedin, New Zealand
Guided Tour approx. 90 minutes

Penguin Place is a private conservation reserve dedicated to helping the rare and endangered Yellow Eyed Penguin. It is a working conservation program.

The project is fully funded by guided tours. The funding provided habitat restoration, predator control, research and a care facility for starving or injured penguins.

We began the tour at a small room with a talk about the conservation of penguins and everything and anything you need to know about the subject.

That out of the way, we piled into a little coach which whizzed through the winding path in the highland over and above the big blue sea. After about 15 minutes drive, we walked down a narrow path surrounded by native shrubs towards the edge of the cliff.

It was awesome looking down at the roaring tide below, expecting at anytime to see a colony of penguins making its way towards the shelter to feed their young. But we were too far away to see the penguins. What we saw instead were some inquisitive seal looking up at us with some curiosity.

As we continued our walk along the narrow path through the shrubbery towards the penguin nesting ground, we saw little penguin shelters built to protect the nestlings.

penguin shelter

A chick

Penguin shelter

Down below is where the penguins are expected to swim out of the sea. The nesting ground is on the right of picture.

We entered a man made tunnel and thus concealed, marched silently towards the nesting ground. The tunnel was an amazing maze and certain parts of the tunnel branched into several others, all concealed in tunnel-like fashion. Our Maori Guide, who was a large man used a piece of wood to mark the path so that we could find our way back.

After some 15 minutes of walking, we reached the end of one of the passages. (There were several leading to different nesting grounds)

Peering through the small gap hoping to see a penguin or two.

the view outside the tunnel

Through a small gap on the wooden tunnel wall facing the sea we gazed into the distance, waiting for a head or two to pop out of the water.

It was late afternoon and the penguins were expected to return to the nesting ground to feed their young.

We waited for close to an hour.

View from inside the wooden tunnel

At some point during the wait, I gazed into the distant horizon expecting at any time to see marines wade towards the beach front and me in the trenches with a loaded machine gun all ready to blast them into smithereens. Nothing half as violent happened.

The Maori Guide noticed our restlessness and suggested that we walk to another nesting ground where we might see some penguins feeding their chicks. We left our tunnel and walked through a wooden door further into the highland.

The second nesting ground was eerily silent. About 100 meters away, we saw a nestling inside its little shelter.

A light drizzle interrupted our viewing and it was getting dark so we left.