Up at 6 for an early breakfast as we sailed into Port Chalmers, with it’sview of Portobello (to make us feel back in Edinburgh). Our day is divided into a scenic train ride through theTaieri River Gorge and a tour of Dunedin. A short bus ride took us into Dunedin (name derived from the Gaelic name for Edinburgh) and to the Victorian railway station (the most photographed place in New Zealand). Just over an hour on the railway each way, passing through the flat agricultural plain and then steadily climbing through the Gorge. The railway started at the time gold was discovered here and then grew as the demand for agricultural products increased. There was a lunch time stop for a light meal (strictly vegetarian for all for a change) and the the hour return journey. Then it was onto a city tour by bus with two main stops. Along the way we were taken with the number of street names borrowed from Edinburgh. We stopped at a museum where we saw the exhibits of representative art from various Polynesian Islands and some natural history exhibits including skeletons of some of the extinct New Zealand flightless birds (Moa). Then we went onto see the Botanical Gardens highlights were the Herbaceous Border and the Rose Garden (which had a big feature of David Austin roses). Along the way we saw the Burns House and A statue of Robbie Burns. Then it was back to the ship for tea, a show and a couple of cocktails before an early night ready for another early start tomorrow.
