Welcome to Dunedin

Today was my third day in Dunedin.  I'm just starting to feel comfortable in the city which means that it's time for me to pack my bags and head off on my first tramp, but more on that later!

My first view of Dunedin was as I landed at its small airstrip about 30 minutes out of town.  My first thought as we touched down was, "god, I hope we can stop quickly enough not to hit the sheep."  Yes, indeed the Dunedin Aerodrome, is quite pastoral, but the city itself is far from it. As my friendly taxi driver and I chatted about the city (and cricket) on our drive into town, the scenery slowly transitioned from bright green pastures to more urban buildings with beautiful gardens. 

My first stop in the city was at the University (photo) to pick up the key to my flat.  After signing the necessary paperwork and collecting my key the cab took me to my new home (less than a block away) and I began what my mother calls the process of 'nesting.'  This involved unpacking my stuff, hanging decorations and unfortunately washing every surface and cooking implement in the house.  I'm not going to post any pictures of the flat yet because I'm still unsure of which bedroom will finally be mine and the rest of it is not much to look at.  The room I'm currently staying in is very tiny (think smaller than a Dupre single), but I have hopes of switching with one of my roomates who might be interested in cheaper rent.  This is an issue that will take some time to resolve because neither of my roommates will be arriving until mid Feburary, nearer to when classes start.

Despite the fact that no one is living with me, I have already started to meet people.  Last night I hung out with the Kiwi boys who live next door to me, some kids who go to Dartmouth and some kids from Canada.  The latter two groups are here for summer school and will be leaving soon, but it was fun to get out and meet some new people.  The Canadians (here to study eco-tourism) were particularly fun to talk with, they were very outgoing and happy to share what they have come to love about Dunedin.

In addition to my late night communing with fellow foreigners and neighborly New Zealanders I have also done a number of other interesting things in the city so far.  Including...

 

Making good on my promise to smell the roses in the Dunedin Botanic Garden

 

Visiting the Dunedin train station in all its Sottish-Gothic glory and the First Church of Dunedin

Going to the Beach: Where my pale pale Minnesota skin turned the same shade as that sunflower above

If someone were to ask what has stood out to me the most so far, my answer would be: the colors of the foliage, the smells of the flowers and the exciting topography.  Coming from a white, icy, flat landscape these have all been things to behold.  My most interesting experience thus far was riding the (expensive) city bus.  On my way out to the beach I saw a number of interesting thrift shops downtown which I thought might be useful for furnishing my flat.  So, on the way back I asked the driver if I could get a transfer (you know where you can get off and then get back on without paying twice).  He didn't understand what I was asking, so I explained, thinking that the word must just be different.  When I had finished he gave me a very stern look and said, "Young lady, the bus is not a taxi cab to be used at your leisure."  Unfortunately, EVERYONE on the bus heard this lecture and much to my chagrin though my request was hilarious.  I tried to explain that this was quite commonplace in the U.S. which didn't help my case.  Lesson learned.

Next up on my agenda is hiking the Kepler Track in Fiordland. The Kepler is one of New Zealand's Great Walks, although 'walk' is a bit of a misnomer.  The hike starts in Te Anau and goes in a loop for 38 miles over the course of 4 days,  climbing almost 3,000 feet to reach the summit of Mt. Luxmore.  Check back in a week for pictures, hopefully they'll be stunning panoramas, the Kepler was one of the filming locations for Lord of the Rings. 


More next week!
Allison