Down to Dunedin

We picked up our hire car (a Ford Focus) and left Christchurch in the morning. It is a nice feeling, being in possession of our own wheels and in control of our own destinies again... We headed South on highway 1 - the best-maintained road we've seen since leaving home! The journey down to Dunedin was quite a long one but the scenery along the way was lovely and we stopped off at a couple of places along the way to break the journey. We couldn't resist stopping at Oamaru, after our friends James & Lou blogged about it being one of the best towns in NZ. We found another kids play park there, which we all enjoyed (as you can see from the photos!), with a café nearby serving great tea. It is lovely to be back in a land which appreciates its cuppas... We had a walk along the seafront there, to see whether we could spot any penguins - we found a penguin road sign but no actual penguins - I think we were a bit too early in the day, as they usually come onto the land closer to dusk. We arrived in Dunedin in the evening, where we're staying with friends June and Dave for a few days. It is lovely to see them again and their house is beautiful, with the most amazing views out across the bay. We had dinner with them and some lovely NZ wine (the first decent wine we've had since leaving home). Solana also enjoyed playing with their Grandaughter's toys, after 2 months of playing with the same few tiny toys we've been able to bring with us (we're a bit worried she won't actually want to leave the house now)... We're looking forward to a few days exploring the Dunedin area with some "locals" (they're from Yorkshire but have lived here for about 15 years).Read more