Dunedin: In and Around Town

While Jeremy's brother and family were here, we packed in as much as we possibly could. I've been trying to wrap my head around the most logical way to show what we got up to. Still might not be very logical, but here goes. This chapter: Dunedin, the In Town section.

Let me say straight off the bat, I LOVE Dunedin. Like, I could happily live there. Carved straight into the steep hillsides of a peninsula, you get sweeping views of the sea on one side and the harbor on the other. It has the feel of a European seaside town, but it doesn't take itself too seriously, as you can see in the pictures above.

The architecture is mostly mid 1800's and has been preserved, but in a very used and usable way. 

The University of Otago is here, with around 20,000 students. The town is young and vibrant.

Restaurants and shops offer just about anything you could possibly be looking for.

This one is pretty self explanatory.

Know what else is in Dunedin? The Cadbury factory. There was no way the kids were letting us leave that town without going on a tour.

These animatronic displays tell the story of how chocolate as we know it came to be. 

This is as far as cameras were allowed into the factory. It felt very Willy Wonka/Slugworth-ish.

 It actually IS very Willy Wonka-ish. Huge color coded pipes run along the ceilings, transporting thousands of gallons of dark, milk, and white chocolate from the mixing room to the various other moulding rooms. Oh, and there is a chocolate waterfall. 

 Know what ELSE is in Dunedin? Yep. The WORLD'S STEEPEST STREET.

If you make it to the top, there is a bench for you to collapse on. Apparently, there is an annual Jaffa race! This is what it looks like.

The children ran down. And impressively, walked back up. We did drive to the top, even though the sign clearly states "no exit" and "no turning." How could we not? But what goes up, must come down, and I don't think there was a single person in that car that didn't squeal just a wee bit.

It's hard to convey in pictures just how steep it is. I was a little off kilter just taking this shot. Line up the chimney in the background to vertical, and you'll get a better idea.

Another one of Dunedin's attractions is the gorgeous train station.

It is still fully operational. The day we were there, there was a baroque flautist taking advantage of the fully ceramic tiled and mosaic'd space. It was absolutely magical.

After a brief interlude and respite, we're off again. Next up: Dunedin part 2.