Dave had warned me, Lonely Planet warned me...I knew what to expect, yet when I landed to be introduced to the southernmost major NZ city of Dunedin, I was still surprised to find out – it's COLD.
You have to love the Scots – when they endured the 6 month sailing voyage to NZ to found a new city (Dunedin is taken from the name “Edinburgh”, they immediately moved nearly as close to Antartica as they could find. I guess it would remind them of home... but it's notoriously cold, especially since most of the houses were based on Australian models, and with high ceilings, thin walls, and no insulation, were designed to disipate whatever heat they do get. Brr.
But – besides that, Dunedin would prove to be an awesome place to be based on my 2nd trip to NZ.
The flight over just served to highlight how beautiful a country it is, as we flew over the Southern Alps, covered in snow and splitting the South Island in two. I finally got to indulge my geeky side, and saw the new Star Trek movie (awesome – now that they retired the first set of actors to comic book conventions).
Dave met in the airport – and it was pretty funny, to not see your best friend for over a year, then meet him in a far-off corner of the world like it was nothing. And, just like all good friendships, it was no time at all 'til I was calling him 'jackass' and he would retaliate with the odd 'buster' or two. Good times.
The first night was a bit of a blur – Dave and I went to cool cocktail bar, then some tasty Thai food, before getting in a long overdue round of ultimate frisbee, indoors this time with some funky new rules (end zone was the key of the basketball court). Great running around, but wow I ended up with some truly stellar blisters.
Once we rolled back to their place, it was dinner and a chat.I was pretty tired from the early start. But, to set the stage for the rest of my stay here, Dave and Drea introduced me to Settlers of Catan – a super fun, and yes, oh-so-geeky board game that we would end playing most nights.
The other big news was Dave and Drea's upcoming wedding (woohoo!), and the difficulties of planning on short notice from 10,000 miles away. Ouch.
I faded pretty quickly and was introduced to another new experience... staying warm in Dunedin is an art, not a science. The method I eventually arrived at included: 7 thick blankets/comforters, thermal underwear, a woolly hat, and a hot water bottle. That all sufficed – barely. Like I said, brr!
The next two days in Dunedin were spent mostly exploring the city. It's a great little city – about 125,000, and built around a steep valley. The funny part – the actual design for the city was done back in Scotland, without actually seeing the terrain. A minor oversight.
The end result is that Dunedin is a city of streets that climb straight up the surrounding hills – no curve, switchbacks or anything so pedestrian. The other fact – it's home to the “World's Steepest Street”... something that as someone who's lived in SF, it's a bit hard to accept:
My first day was spent mostly around the Octagon – the central plaza of the city. A leisurely walk from Dave and Drea's wound me through the Botanical Gardens:
...and the University, where I, ah, refortified with a great cappucino and an even better muffin, simply oozing with chocolate/raspberry gooey goodness.
The cold must have been the deciding factor as I checked out the local MacPak, and scored a super comfy and warm merino jacket, for only 60 quid. Score!
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering, after a great lamb burger and skinny fries at what would become my favorite nosh spot – Velvet Burger. Yum.
The Kiwis and the Welsh have a running controversy over who has the unhealthiest fascination with their sheep:
A tasty homemade curry and yet more Settlers of Catan, then it was time to burrow under covers to stay warm through the night!
Day two was more of the same – more checking out Dunedin.
Not to sound like a broken record, but you know it's cold when Dave tells you as he's walking out the door for work in the morning... “hey, you might as well get up; it's warmer outside than in the house.” Uh, that kinda sorta defeats a main purpose for living in a house?
After lining up all my hostels, and travel logistics for the rest of my stay, I ended up back downtown checking out the very respectable art museum – showing a modern Iran/Russian exhibition. Strange but interesting stuff.
Then, it was time to head over to Dave's work – quite possibly the best sited engineering firm in the world, as they are literally right across the street from Speight's Brewery, who makes some seriously tasty beers. Heck, their building even has a covered bridge to keep them warm as they head over for a pint or three.
Dinner tonight was at Pluto's – an upscale seafood restaurant down by the port. Dave and Drea love this place, and it was instantly clear why. A damn good pinot noir, followed by paua (abalone) fritters and kelp/herb crusted monkfish for me – I was purring. Dave's salmon simply melted in the mouth, and Drea's pears on blue cheese in pasty was an offbeat combo, yet the best of the bunch!
Completely stuffed – we had enough in us for one more round of Settlers then bed... Drea is very attached to Coco, her favorite chicken, who gets tucked in as well in her little nook in the family room :)
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jackass
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