Otago and Southland

After spending two days at Mt Cook Village, our next stop was Dunedin. We followed the Waitaki Valley to the coast at Omaru. The Waitaki River is heavily utilised for hydroelectric generation and irrigation with four dams, each with a power station. in its upper reaches. Benmore Dam, the largest, also collects water from several other rivers, including the Tekapo River.

The landscape changed the further south we went, the dry highland plains gradually giving way to rolling green hills. Coming from a farming background in Australia, I couldn't get over the small size of the paddocks and the comparatively large number of sheep in them. There were also many deer farm - these were easy to spot with their high fences. There were no trees in the paddocks, but rows of trees had been planted along the fence lines to provide shade. Eucalyptus and pine were the most popular species used.

The Royal Albatross colony at Taiaroa Head, on the Otago Peninsula, is the only colony of these birds anywhere in the world that is not located on some remote island in the middle of the Southern Ocean. There were a number of adult birds soaring effortlessly on the wind, requiring only the subtlest movement of tail and wings. From the observation centre we were privileged be able to see several young chicks in their nests - even if they did look like huge balls of white fluff.

Dunedin is also well endowed with fine old buildings. The most notable was the Railway Station which had been meticulously restored. Even the Royal Doulton tiles on the floor and walls in the main foyer were original. Dunedin seemed more prosperous than Christchurch, which I suppose reflects its heritage as once being the economic centre of New Zealand.

The Taieri Gorge Railway, is a scenic railway which runs from Dunedin inland to Middlemarch in Central Otago. This section section of the line was completed in 1891 and was an engineering marvel for it's day - there are 9 tunnels and 18 viaducts. The most difficult section, the Notches, took two years to construct. And this route presented the fewest engineering difficulties. I can't imagine what the others were like. Today, it is New Zealand's largest privately owned railway.

The train spent about an hour in Middlemarch before returning to Dunedin. We joined a tour of the local sights which was operated by the local school bus driver, using her school bus. We visited a sheep station which established in 1856. The stone woolshed now serves two purposes - woolshed and dance hall. This area is naturally treeless but there are large quantities of stone so the early settlers made extensive use of this resource. There were many stone buildings and yards in the district.

Another Dunedin landmark is Larnach Castle, overlooking Otago Harbour. It's a very imposing building and has been lovingly restored to it's original glory. It provides a fascinating insight into the way of life of well-to-do people in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.

From Dunedin, we followed the renowned Southern Scenic Route to Invercargill. We passed through large areas of natural forest, and paused to visit waterfalls and fossilised forest from the Jurassic period. From Invercargill we passed through prime grazing country to the sleepy town of Riverton before heading north to Te Anau.

Te Anau is a pretty little town situated on the shores of Lake Te Anau, the second largest lake in New Zealand. It is well set up to cater for the needs of the tourist without being over-commercialised.

The Te Ana-Au Caves caves, across the lake, are only accessible by boat. These caves aren't very large and are young in geological terms so there are no cave formations. But the lack of decoration is made up for by the huge number of glow worms. Waterfalls and whirlpools add to the spectacle. Access in the caves is by walkways and two punt rides. At the deepest point in the caves, the guide turned off all the lights and we just floated on the river in the eerie light of the glow worms.