“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
― The Lord of the Rings
Dunedin is a former Scottish settlement, which becomes apparent after a quick walk through the city. The name is an anglicization of the Gaelic name for Edinburgh. It is counterintuitively pronounced /dɐˈniːdɘn/ (duh-nee-din).
I arrived on a Saturday during the Chinese New Year Festival, so the city was full. In fact, there was not a single accommodation available in the entire city, as a person I drove with had to find out the hard way.
The first thing I noticed is how hilly the city is. Driving here was an interesting experience.
I should have seen that coming, knowing about the Baldwin Street in Dunedin: the steepest street in the world. The slope is 35%, which means the ground rises 1m for every 2.86m you cover horizontally. It's famous enough to have tourist buses stop here.
I also liked the botanical garden, as it was a mix of a park and a forest.
Otago Peninsula
Next to Dunedin, there is the Otago Peninsula, a nature and wildlife paradise. The main road mostly follows the coastline. While it is scenic, it also contains countless curves, but I got used to that by now.
I like to check Google Maps for points of interest along the route I take, which helps me find less known spots like the Pineapple Rock.
My main destination was OPERA: The Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance. It is a private eco-reserve dedicated to conservation, rehabilitation, restoration and education. The former working farm is being transitioned back to a native forest, offering a safe habitat to many species. I booked the Canopy to Coast Tour, which is an educational hike through the reserve.
The yellow-eyed penguin (hoiho) is one of the rarest penguins in the world and is classified as endangered. In the past two decades, its population decreased by 75%. Saving those birds is one of the main goals of OPERA.
The smallest penguin species, the little blue penguin (kororā), is also living in the reserve. We've spotted a few in their small shelters.
The reserve is also a great place for other birds. While still sitting in my car, I've already spotted the first one, a tūī. Similar to parrots, they can replicate human speech, but also other sounds, like glass shattering.
The endemic New Zealand fantail (pīwakawaka) became one of my favourite birds. They like to follow people during a hike, as our steps might reveal bugs below the earth. In Māori mythology, the fantail was responsible for the presence of death in the world. To this day, the bird is considered either a good or bad omen, depending on the region.
The swamp harrier (kāhu) is one of only three birds of prey in New Zealand.
Around the beach, there were many sea lions and fur seals. Fur seals are more closely related to sea lions than seals, making the distinction between those two species tricky.
We've also learned much about the regional flora. The endemic tree nettle (ongaonga) is one of the most poisonous plants in New Zealand. The sting reactions can last for weeks and the reaction can be fatal. As it's a native species, OPERA doesn't remove those plants.
Driving in New Zealand: Part II
For the south island, I have booked the same small economy car model, as I got used to it. After talking about my plans with the lady from the rental company, she highly suggested to get a compact SUV instead for just a few more dollars. I haven't driven a car of that size before, but I've been warned about the curvy, hilly and narrow roads on the south island. I didn't have the feeling that she was trying to squeeze more money out of me (she argued against a proper SUV). But I also remembered my friend telling me a similar story, so I decided to do it. Spoiler alert: it was a great decision.
Do you remember how proud I was to not have confused the windshield wipers and turn signals in New Zealand? Well, that's because my Suzuki Swift didn't have them switched as I had assumed 🤦 This time, the controls were actually inversed. It only took me until the parking exit to notice that 😆 The mistake happened three or four times after that, so it was still fine.