Day 11 saw us arriving in Dunedin as we continue our New Zealand Wanderings. The first place we headed was the Chinese Gardens. Then to Larnach Castle to look around and have high tea.
New Zealand Wanderings Day 11 – Arriving in Dunedin
It was a fairly easy drive from where we stayed last night. We had decided that we would just do the drive to Dunedin and do something when we got there.
It was a good move. We got to sleep in which is always nice and we didn’t need to leave the house until 10 am, so we left around a quarter to. We got to Dunedin around 12 and decided to go and take a look at the Chinese Gardens.
Dunedin Chinese Gardens
It seemed like a strange thing to find, but in the city, you will find the Dunedin Chinese Gardens. They are like a little oasis among the chaos of the city.
Inside there is a walkway that leads you around and up and down the water. The water is very important, but there are other things there too. You can just sit and contemplate if you wish.
We decided to also visit the teahouse and have tea. Well, I had tea and Suzzanna had coffee. I got the Chrysanthemum tea which was really nice or I thought so anyway. When I get home I might have to look for it.
I have some photos of the place for you now.
When we left we decided to head to the castle. Even though our high tea wasn’t until 3 pm we thought we might go up earlier so we could walk around first.
Larnach Castle
This is a great place to visit when you come to Dunedin. It is a bit of a drive and is situated up on a hill. There is quite a story to Larnach Castle and I really enjoyed hearing about it.
Old places like this are really fascinating and when watching the history it was interesting to see that the place was almost lost. Thanks to a couple in the 1960’s it has been restored, however, the work continues.
Though one thing I found was that you could see all the “upstairs” places, but the servants quarters and original kitchen were nowhere to be seen. I like seeing the differences between the two classes.
The gardens are stunning and certainly worth looking around. We found a bumble bee, the second for the day. They are so big and so amazing. Even a bit scary. We don’t have bees like that where I am.
The high tea was nice, but it was a bit different from what I’m used to. The pot of tea was incredible.
I have some photos from the inside of the castle for you to look at now.
Tomorrow
We are here for a couple of days, which is nice. We are planning on a train trip tomorrow afternoon. From what we have seen so far, the architecture here is stunning, we are both hoping to get a chance to photograph some of it. There haven’t been many places I’ve thought I would like to live in, but Dunedin could be one of them. I’m looking forward to exploring more of it tomorrow.
I’m enjoying following you around New Zealand, Leanne.
That’s good to hear Carol, I’m sure you have been here as well. Did you like it?
Thank you.
We have been to New Zealand and we loved it. I hope we go again soon.
It is quite an extraordinary country. I can’t get past how different to Australia it is, considering they are neighbours.