Today was a sunny day with a temperature of 22C and perfect for a road tour.
After leaving Twizel, we drove through kilometres of irrigated farm land. Much of the irrigation equipment consisted of giant sprays, some of which were over 100 metres long. It’s no wonder that NZ is one of the most efficient producers of milk in the world. With all the water sprayed onto the fields, the grass is lush and green and can support large herds of cattle.
For the early part of the day, we followed the Waitaki River downstream. When we first encountered it, we found patches of fog and we wondered if today would really be bright as it was forecast. However, it soon burned off and our fears were misplaced.
Thee were a series of dams across the river, each of which had a hydro power station. Every conceivable place where a tent could be pitched, or a camper could be parked was occupied by campers. Some of the boat launching ramps had more vehicles parked alongside than the parking area of a sports stadium where a big match was being played.
The largest town in the Waitaki District is Oamaru which we reached by lunchtime. It has New Zealand’s best preserved Victorian commercial streetscape. Large buildings made from locally quarried limestone line the Main Street. With their pillars and ornate facades, they look more as if they should be temples.
These buildings were built in the town’s boom era in the late 1800s when the Oamaru was an important port sending the world’s first frozen meat exports around the world.
In contrast, the town’s ornate railway station is made of timber. It was completed in 1900 and was typical of the new stations built in major provincial centres around the turn of the 20th century.
This station was particularly famous for its dining room (situated at the southern or far end of the building), which was capable of seating 250 diners at long tables. The Christchurch–Dunedin express made a regular 22-minute dinner (lunch) stop here, and it is reported that for a set price of 2s 6d, travellers could sample delights such as ‘stewed tripe and oysters’, ‘smoked fish with butter sauce’, ‘roast sirloin of beef with Yorkshire pudding’ and ‘compote of pears with boiled custard’.
Further south, is the village of Moeraki which is famous for its beach with large boulders. These spheres are roughly one metre in diameter and were formed from around 60 million years ago. Each boulder started life as a pebble or fossil on an ancient seafloor. Over time, these ‘grew’ by mud accretion and calcification. They were buried in mud and the sea has, and continues, to erode these from the seashore.
We are stopping in Dunedin for the night. It is located at the head of Otago Harbour on the South Island’s southeast coast. It’s known for its Scottish and Maori heritage, Victorian and Edwardian architecture, and a large student population. The University of Otago has an outstanding reputation and its medical school has turned out many first class doctors. Hiking and cycling are popular with trails crisscrossing the adjoining Otago Peninsula which is home to colonies of albatross, sea lions and rare yellow-eyed penguins.
One of the outstanding buildings in the central city is the Dunedin Railway Station it is reported to be the most photographed building in New Zealand. Dating back to 1906, this magnificent Flemish Renaissance-style edifice features white Oamaru limestone facings on black basalt rock, making it look like like a dramatic Gingerbread House.
It was fitted out in the lavish style of the times. The booking hall alone features a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain. The sheer size, grandiose style and rich embellishments of the station earned its architect, George Troup, the nickname of Gingerbread George.
