Mount Cargill, Dunedin

 

Two posts in two days, I’m on a roll! The post will detail our hike up to the summit of Mount Cargill and the detour we did to the Organ Pipes. This has been a walk I’ve wanted to do ever since I moved to Dunedin. From our bedroom window we can see the towering summit of Cargill (granted you have to crane your neck to see it), and it is the biggest component of the Dunedin skyline.

I will start this post by talking about an extraordinary individual named Alfred Hamish Reed. Born in England in 1875, he moved to Dunedin at a young age and worked on gum fields with his family and for some time lived many hardships. When he was a child he injured his knee so severely that he was bed-bound for one year. In his very little spare time he took up the skill of shorthand, and eventually got a job with a typewriter company. In his early 20s he moved to Dunedin to open a branch of the company. From there he established his own publishing company which went on to be hugely successful. He wrote many books about New Zealand and published many religious texts. Due to this, he is regarded as one of the most influential literary figures of New Zealand in the twentieth century. Now, you may be wondering why I am telling you this. Alfred wasn’t just a writer, but he was also an avid walker. Even with all his knee trouble, he still rambled frequently into his ripe old age. At the age of 99, Alfred climbed Mount Cargill. There is meant to be a short track on the Mount dedicated to this remarkable man, but we could not find it.

Our walk began in Bethune’s Gully which is a great spot near north Dunedin. It has the appearance of a place far from a city centre, and would have been a great place for a BBQ. As you embark on the track you are quickly consumed by the New Zealand Bush. Although there is incline the whole way there, it is a fairly easy going track for the first hour, and the creeks and greenery around you make for a scenic walk. As you start to rise higher all you can see is bush, and much of the track feels like an earthy tunnel. You can see the odd glimpse of the sky, but the summit cannot be seen for most of the walk.

After an hour you reach the open air and find the steps up to the summit. These can be slippery, but make it much easier to climb than on the mud. Although Mount Cargill is only a mere 676 meters high, it did have the feel of walking on a mountain towards the end.

Once you reach the top and see the views, I guarantee your jaw will come crashing down to the floor. It. is. incredible. I have seen so many different variations of this scene, and the theory holds true, the higher you go, the better the view. The Peninsula slithers through the land, the hills slalom in-and-out around it, the city sleeps ever-still, and the clouds and land assemble together in a triumphant transition. This is Dunedin’s best view, and one can understand why the aged Alfred Hamish Reed grappled with Cargill to see it.

On our way back we decided to take the detour to the Organ Pipes. It was a 30 minute walk to the other side of the Mount, and the way down was fairly slippery due to the recent rain. The Organ Pipes are a geological formation, from lava that cooled, contracted, and formed cracks which propagated downwards as the mass cooled. While you can clearly see why it is called such from sight, the pictures I got were not as clear. Therefore, I decided to climb up them as high as I could go. This was to my girlfriends dismay as she thought it ‘was too dangerous.’ If you’re an able climber I would advise to do it. There was an abundance of foot-holes, and it was very fun. I had played a few games in the Tomb Raider series when I was younger, and I felt just like Lara descending an ancient temple. I climbed fairly high and managed to get a few better pictures of the Organ Pipes and descended back down.

The whole hike was around 5 hours in total, with the way up to the summit, the detour to the Organ Pipes, and the way back down.  To say the weather in Dunedin has been pretty miserable lately, this was a walk to brighten up the gloom. I hope that if I get to the age of 99 I can still hike as well as Alfred Hamish Reed, and if I can I’ll certainly return to do this walk.

Harbour Cone, Otago Peninsula

It’s been a while since I have properly posted anything, but I’ve been a busy, busy bee. I do however have plenty of exciting walks to share with you. The most recent was on Harbour Cone. If you’ve read my posts before you’ll probably know that I’m an Otago Peninsula fanatic. I’m considering staring a fan club. Harbour Cone was brought to my attention while looking around the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. There I saw this very cool painting below, which detailed that it was the largest hill on the Peninsula. So the next day, when it wasn’t siling it down with rain, we embarked to the OP and set off walking over the rolling hills.

(Robin White, Harbour Cone)

There were several different approaches you could go to on the hike, and we chose the one starting from Broad Bay. From there, we were given the choice of the left-hand Bacon St track, or continue right on the Highcliffe Rd track. We chose the latter after a local advised us it was a less arduous, but longer route, offering better views on the way. The first half of the walk was a beautiful country stroll through farmers fields. You are surrounded by sheep, lush green hills, and the odd glimpse of the ocean. Some of the crossings were fairly overgrown, which meant you had to cross over the main road a few times, but it was always clear which direction the route was meant to go.

After about an hour you reach the bottom of a steep track up to the summit of Harbour Cone. This proved challenging but a lot of fun. The Bacon Rd track which we decided against was meant to have been like that for the entire walk. I think here we definitely chose wisely.

As we made our way up we turned away from the hill every so often to see a more spectacular view each time. Once we had reached the top we were greeted with a stunning 360 panoramic of the Dunedin harbour, the peninsula, Hoopers Inlet, and many of the different beaches I have written about before. If we hadn’t hiked up to Mount Cargill the previous week, I would have said that it was the best view Dunedin has to offer. It is stunning. To me, the picture below has the appearance of an oil painting, and my memory of it is very similar. Hoopers Inlet, which is the body of water in the centre of the picture, looks rather boggy driving next to it. From above it is incredible. The beach to the right of the image is Allan’s.

Harbour Cone is a fantastic walk that I would recommend to anyone in the area. Much of it is easy-going, and the last stint is fairly difficult, but the views along the way and at the top are well worth it. For anyone wanting to join the Otago Peninsula Fan Club, henceforth known as OPFC, drop me a message. T-shirts for all its members! (members must purchase there own T-shirts)

(I will write about our Mount Cargill hike and Wanaka Part 2 very soon I promise)

Wanaka (Part 1)

Last weekend we decided to strap our boots, stretch our glutes, and take a trip to Wanaka. This place is sublime. I know I often say that certain places are my favourite, but this is now at the top spot. It has got everything you could possibly want: mountains, lakes, kayaking, hiking, biking, bars, restaurants etc. I could go on further. This edition has been penned ‘Part 1’ because we did two main activities while we were there, and I want to focus on both more closely. This first part will centre on our journey to Wanaka, which was a bit of a disaster, and my new favourite sport: kayaking.

We departed from dry Dunedin on Friday afternoon and were in high spirits ready for a fun filled weekend. Our first stop was Roxburgh on the way to Wanaka where we had booked to stay in an AirBNB overnight. When you hear yourself saying, ‘the worst case scenario will be that we sleep in the car’, you know you’re not in a great situation. As we got to around Lawrence the heavens opened and we were driving in torrential rain. It was almost as if we had entered the Bermuda Triangle. All at once it started to rain, my phone died, and my girlfriend’s phone reception went off the radar. It was a pretty dire situation, as we didn’t have our Satnav with us.

After driving for far longer then it should have taken we reached Roxburgh and now had the dilemma of finding the house. We somehow managed to call the owners, who through a  crackly speaker explained, ‘… near lake Roxburgh… third left… after big sign…’ And so we searched on for a while longer, losing signal again. After a while we decided to turn into the first house we could see and ask for directions. By a miraculous turn of events it was the correct address, and they welcomed us with open arms and a warm bed.

We arose Saturday morning a tad groggy from the ordeal of the previous night. However, as we reached the outskirts of Wanaka our spirits were greatly lifted. What a place! It is a haven. For anyone that has visited Queenstown it certainly has similarities but is strikingly different in one way; there are far less people. If only Queenstown was not such a tourist hub it would be a great place. But there were too many people and there was too much going on. Wanaka is far better, and we instantly felt as we were on holiday. We had some breakfast and then took to the lake.

 

The vast lake is a sight to behold. Engrossed in the towering mountains it lies peacefully-still in the isolated town of Wanaka. After some deliberation on what activity to do first we decided on kayaking. At the reasonable price of $20 per hour each, we grabbed our paddles, secured our life jackets and thrust our kayaks into the water.

It has been 10+ years since I had last been kayaking. And this was on the rather gross Pugneys Lake in Wakefield, UK. I remember thoroughly enjoying it then. We had gone as an end of season football trip, and thinking back I don’t know why I didn’t go back and do it again. It is great fun. You can imagine that I enjoyed it tenfold this time, as I had transferred the murky waters of Wakefield to the clear lake surrounded by mountains in Wanaka.

We paddled out to the advised limit and sat staring at the wonders before us. Here we were lying in the very middle of a lake, in the centre of a huge mountain range, and we couldn’t hear a single sound. It was probably the most peaceful thing I have ever done.

The next day we learned that you can paddle to a small island, and also to the famous Wanaka tree. Both of which we had somehow not noticed (much to the amusement of one of the locals). After finding out this information we decided to take to the lake again. So on this occasion we rented the kayaks for 2 hours and set off to the Wanaka Tree. The tree is submerged in the water and from the right angle you can get an incredible picture. From the lake though, all you are looking at is a multitude of tourists. Therefore, we decided to walk back to it later. Just as some of the tourists were moving away I thought it would be a great opportunity to wade out to the tree and get a picture next to it. I nearly fell several times but I got the picture. When I came back I could see that the people had all congregated again like sheep, ready to take my picture. One of the locals had explained that in all her years she had never seen anyone stood next to it. I asked myself, ‘I am a local hero, or did I just kind of deface a famous heritage tree?’

Once we had realised we could not get a good picture of the tree on the kayaks, we pursued on to Ruby Island. I really have no idea how we missed it. It is fairly big. But I guess we were too consumed with the surrounding mountains. We got out and had a look around, skimmed some rocks, and soon realised we were running out of time. We had booked for two hours, but now only had 35 minutes to get back to shore. Moreover, we were definitely the most tired we had been while paddling. It took a lot of effort to get back in time, and we were thrashing the water a lot more than we had before. We turned up on land fairly drenched, and both looked liked we had been swimming, but we were on time. My right sleeve was soaked in water from where I had tried to turn around and nearly flipped the kayak. Oh well, it was still a whole lotta fun.

To sum up Wanaka Part 1, this place is very special. There is so much to do, and I’ve only really talked about Kayaking so far. In the next part, I will be talking about the hikes we did while we were there, and I may write more when we decide to go back in the next couple of weeks. I can’t speak for the North Island, but certainly for the South Island, if you are here, go and visit Wanaka, you will not be disappointed, and you will not want to leave.

 

 

Long Beach, Dunedin (Part 1)

Lying just 30 minutes drive outside of Dunedin, Long Beach is one of the most popular beaches in the area, and it is easy to see why. The journey there, the beach, the cliffs, and the caves, all make this place simply stunning.

Warauwerawera, as Long Beach is known in Maori, is a small settlement just past Port Chalmers, with around 100 homes. Due to the fact that the beach lies in a bay and is not very affected by swells, it is a very popular swimming destination. But to look at this place you would want to swim here even if the waves were higher than your head. It is a paradise. It is also popular due to the rock faces which offer great climbing opportunities. There are many clubs that use the cliffs in the area. The most favoured is called Driver’s Rock, which lies halfway along the north end of the beach. The rock got its name after a fourteen year old girl named Agnes Driver died there in 1890. People believe that Agnes was walking along the cliffs with her sister and a gust of wind blew her hat onto a tree near the cliffs edge. She supposedly then lost her footing when reaching for her hat and fell from the edge.

Now, you may have been wondering why this post is called ‘Part 1.’ This is because we were strapped for time when we first came here and did not get to see the place to its full potential. In this post I will talk further on the journey to Long Beach, and the cliffs and beach itself, but we did not have the chance to explore the vast caves. I was under the impression that they were rather small but large enough to camp in. However, after talking to a friend about them he had explained that they go very far back and one would need a torch to see it all. I will report further on these when I return to them, which will be in the not too distant future.

The journey to Long Beach was fantastic, and this was due to the landscape. A perk of living in New Zealand is that the scenery on the way to your destination is nearly always as beautiful as the place you end up. We couldn’t believe that we had not seen these views before. They were amazing. I don’t usually like car journeys, as I tend to get some mild travel sickness, but when travelling around here you seem to forget about your ailments and just drink in the country.

 

Long Beach itself is a scenic paradise. The cliffs surrounding the settlement very much remind me of Austria and that is a wonderful thing. It didn’t seem very much like New Zealand to me at all, but the landscape does seem to be ever changing, and I guess I haven’t seen all that much of this place just yet. Going to places like this really make you think you are on holiday. As I mentioned earlier, the cliffs are a popular place for rock climbers, and we managed to catch a glimpse of them. We both would love to have a go at it properly with harnesses, so maybe when I come back to finish ‘Part 2’ you may see some pictures of me half way up the cliffs edge (hopefully not crying out of fear).

 

The beach itself is one of the best we have been to. Looking out to the ocean from it is mesmerising. There is not a thing in sight. No boats, no surfers, no nothing. It is not likely to be the same in the height of summer, but it was great to have it all to yourself. I can confirm too that the beach is ‘Long’ and offers a picturesque walk of around 2.4km. With the cliffs, the ocean, and the openness of the beach, it makes for great scenery as you leisurely stroll.

All in all I must say that this beach has a lot to offer. I was annoyed that we didn’t get to see everything the first time but we will definitely be going back to check out more. The cliffs, caves, rock-climbing, and beach are fantastic features of this small scenic settlement, and I cannot wait to update you with ‘Part 2.’

Brighton Beach, Dunedin

Okay, I’ll admit that this isn’t as much a beach review as it is advice on how to spend a jolly good Saturday morning. We just happened to choose Brighton Beach which turned out to be an excellent setting.

We started our day early by going to the bustling Dunedin Farmers Market. This is a place we’ve frequented regularly on our Saturday mornings, as it is a great chance to pick up some regional fruit, veg, and what we love most, cheese & bread. We decided on a loaf of Focaccia, and four different segments of cheeses. The market sells fantastic products, and there are usually a few guitar, violin, or piano players around, which adds to the vibrant atmosphere.

Once we had made our purchases we wandered home to pick up supplies and set off to Brighton Beach, which lies about 20 kilometres south west of Dunedin. The beach is long, but doesn’t have as many of the cool features I have come across at other New Zealand beaches. That should not deter you though, as it makes for a great walk, run or picnic. It is a fairly popular destination, but in typical New Zealand fashion it was pretty deserted barring a few families, and so we set up our extravagant picnic in the perfect isolated spot. The views were wonderful, and the whole scene made for a relaxing lunch. All we needed was a bottle of Speight’s Golden Ale to bring it all together, but we settled for a nice cup of tea instead. We’ve become exceedingly British in the fact that we take a flask with tea in everywhere we go now. We probably keep it over water on most trips. On this occasion we took our cups with us while we went for a paddle. Not noticing the tide coming in rapidly we turned to find it was upon us and a large wave showered us. You’ll be pleased to hear our cups of tea made it out alive, much to our relief. Take our clothes but never take our tea.

 

Our Saturday morning was well spent at a great beach and with great food. While I would encourage you to check out Brighton Beach, the more important message would be to get out and enjoy yourself outside. It’s been a long time since I’d had a picnic and if you are the same, get to the market, get your tupperware out and head to the beach. This is probably easier done than said for those in New Zealand, but everyone should do it. I may be preaching to the choir here with travel bloggers, but it’s called the great outdoors for a reason, right?

 

 

The Road to Milford Sound

While I have already written about the natural wonder that is Milford Sound, the journey to it was nearly as magical. With many places to stop, the Fiordland National Park is the perfect place to spend a day exploring the bush. There is a chunky list of things to do en route to the Sound, but alas, we only had time to do a few. The ones we chose at random were The Mirror Lake, another one I can’t remember, and Lake Marian.

From Te Anau, it is a 120km drive up to Piopiotahi, and the views on the road are quite spectacular. The change in environment as you make your way are noteworthy. You come from open town, through forest and bush, through towering mountain ranges and to the still lakes of the Sound. This route can be fairly treacherous though, and there are a number of reasons why. The snow, ice and possibility of rock slides can cause issues, but I think the biggest issues come from the pesky Kia’s. These large mountain birds are known by many to be extremely peevish. The first one we saw we got out of our cars and had pictures next to. We will never make this mistake again. This crafty little bugger was acting as a decoy while its friends tried to pinch our belongings from the top of our car. I imagined it with the Italian Job or Mission Impossible music going on in the background while they made there great heist. “I only told you to peck the bloody doors off!”, he squawked.

Our first stop was at the Mirror Lakes. While you can see a mirroring effect on the Sound itself, it wasn’t quite as motionless as this one. It is relatively small, but the gargantuan mountain overhead shown in the lake is a sight to behold. One does wish that the lake was larger to gather a greater image of the mountain, but it is still very cool.

Next, we stopped at a trail described as a beautiful waterfall. The problem I have here is that I cannot remember what it was called. I have tried and tried to think, but to no avail. It is definitely one of the points between the Mirror Lakes and Lake Marion (but this doesn’t really help because there are quite a lot in the middle of them.) While I cannot remember where it was, I certainly remember that it was indeed beautiful. It offered a picturesque creek and a stunning waterfall. As the water came down it looked like silk on the back of the smooth dark rock. Mixed with the hearty greenery of the bush, it is worth checking out. (Even if this does mean you have to have a guess where it is)

Our final stop on the journey was Lake Marion. On this occasion I have saved the best for last. What a treat to stumble upon, and we didn’t even walk the whole trail! You first cross a swinging bridge over a creek, and then it is a steady ascent up and then back down to the lake. We were strapped for time, so we only got the chance to walk for around 40 minutes. On the incline, you walk along the running stream and pass waterfall, after waterfall, after waterfall. Each more stunning than the last. There is something very soothing about the noise of falling water as you stroll through the bush. We had to shoot back to the car as we were going to the glow worm caves later that afternoon, but how I long to see the end of that track. It was wonderful.

All in all the journey to Milford Sound was nearly as delightful as the place itself. While it is great to be ferried around on a boat and leisurely gaze upon the mountains in the Sound, it is another thing to strap on your boots and explore yourself. I think the trip highlighted for me that I am the type of person that enjoys the latter much more. We will be traveling back here soon to visit the other possibilities on the journey to the Sound, and I can’t wait to tell you all about it. (I may even find the name of the forgotten waterfall)

 

Victory Beach, Otago Peninsula

Not only is this the longest beach on the Otago Peninsula, it is also one of the best. At 3.5km, it offers the chance for a great afternoon ramble, a picnic, and even the opportunity to climb The Great (little) Pyramid.

Around 30 minutes drive from the Dunedin City Centre, Victory Beach is situated on the Pacific Ocean coast of the Peninsula. If you’ve read any of my blog posts before you will probably know that I write about the Otago Peninsula quite a lot. But it is for a good reason, and it never fails to leave me astonished. While on our journey to Victory Beach we were amazed to find that we had risen to the heavens. We were above the clouds and soaring like birds. I expected to see Mount Olympus or Zeus fly by me. It was incredible, and a great way to start the trip. The pictures below don’t entirely do the scene justice, but you will get the idea.

Victory Beach was named after SS Victory, a sunken ship that was meant to set sail from Port Chalmers to Melbourne on 3 July 1861. This was due to the major incompetence and intoxication of Chief Mate George Hand. In the seven minutes that he was given full charge of the ship he had managed to run the ship aground. The cargo and passengers were forced to be taken off the ship, and there the ship lies to this day. In low tide you are meant to be able to see the flywheel, but we were not so fortunate. But you can see it in the above photo I have found.

While the history behind the beach was reason enough for me to want to visit, there are plenty of other reasons why this place is popular. The natural forming pyramids just outside of the beach make for fantastic views of the area. As you walk through the Okia reserve coming up to the beach you will come across two large pyramids. These are geometric basalt volcanic columns, and are quite spectacular. While you can climb both we decided to tackle the smaller one on this occasion. This is known to the locals as The Little Pyramid. Reaching the top will only take you five minutes and it lets you see a magnificent view of the peninsula region. I really cannot stress enough how beautiful it is. Before I moved to Dunedin I didn’t even know it was here, and it is now my favourite part of New Zealand. As you walk closer to the beach over the sand dunes, you will be able to see the back of the pyramids, and get a glimpse into how they were formed. I’m not much a geology enthusiast myself, but it seems pretty cool.

 

From the car park, to the pyramids, and finally passed the sand dunes is Victory Beach. It is a very open and wide beach, and although we had arrived on a beautiful and warm Sunday lunch time, there were hardly any other people. This seems very typical of New Zealand beaches, and as a British person I just cannot understand it. If that beach was in England it would be full to bursting. It could have been half as hot and there would have been multitudes of people. Not that I’m complaining at all though, it is far better this way. The beach is a private paradise, with the dunes to the back, ocean to the front, and cliffs to the side. It offers a great chance to have a picnic, walk, or even a spot of rounders.

On a final note I think it is important to say that this was my first beach experience in New Zealand where it was hot enough to take my shoes and socks off, and have a little paddle in the ocean. It’s been a while since my skin has felt the warm embrace of the summer sun. I had come from England from the winter, straight into the New Zealand winter. For any Game of Thrones fans out there I somewhat look like a White Walker at present. The point of this is that I have been to many beaches since I have been here, and they have all been highly enjoyable even in the winter cold. I cannot wait to revisit all of the beaches I have been to again in the upcoming summer. I consider myself a pretty lucky person to get the chance to visit these places, and if you ever come to this part of the world, you should definitely check out the Otago Peninsula. Rain or shine. Summer of winter.

 

Milford Sound

For my first real holiday since moving here for work, we went to Milford Sound. Now, when I think of New Zealand and what it has to offer this is what springs to mind. All the research you can do on the country beforehand seems to point to Milford Sound, and there is a very obvious reason why. It is phenomenal.

Piopiotahi, as it is known in the Maori tongue, was first discovered by Europeans in 1812, with Captain John Grono. He originally named the paradise Milford Haven after his home in Wales. It was then changed to Milford Sound later by Captain John Lort Stokes. Interestingly, Milford Sound is not a Sound at all. Technically it is a deep water inlet between steep sided, high mountains, which would make the place a fiord. It is about 13km in length and is one of the most, if not the most, popular tourist attraction in New Zealand.

Due to its fame and popularity, I think there is quite a bit of pressure to explain the majesty and the beauty of the place to a high standard. Moreover, for anyone that has looked into New Zealand at all, they would have already read a fair amount about it. What I will pick out of the trip is how it differed for me, and hopefully you will be able to read some rather cool stuff. The three main ways it did this were through rainfall, waterfalls and wildlife.However, I will start by giving my best attempt at a description of Milford Sound to you. Can you remember in Jurassic Park when Hammond (Richard Attenborough) first shows them the  park and the iconic theme music sets in? First setting out on the boat and turning the corner to the witness the mountains, the mirrored lake, the waterfalls, and everything else, is close to that. It is just incredible. I think in a rather cheating way it is beyond description. But I think Rudyard Kipling had it best when he described it as the eighth wonder of the world. That is certainly apt.

One of the main ways it could have been different from what you have read before is that it did not rain. This is nearly unheard of, especially when considering we had holidayed in the middle of winter. The fiord normally experiences 180+ days of rain per year. With an average rainfall of around 150inches per year. We enjoyed a glorious day of clear(ish) skies, albeit a tad cold and windy.

It had obviously rained very recently when we had arrived as the waterfalls were in full force. They really add to the allurement of the fiord. How the waterfalls may read different to what you have heard before was a personal event that transpired. When the waterfalls were especially big and easy to get to, the captain would often sail right up to them in order for us to get great pictures. There was one that I saw that I was very eager to get close to. The problem was that I didn’t have a rain coat. All we had were these incredibly cheap ponchos. As we glided ever closer to the waterfall I violently struggled to get this poncho on. All the while trying to have my phone out ready to take this picture I dearly desired. The ponchos we bought were so cheap they ripped as soon as I put them over my head. Poncho, after poncho, after poncho I threw on. Until it was too late. The fall came and quickly consumed me. Luckily I had enough ponchos for the whole boatload and more, so you’ll be thankful to hear I didn’t get too wet. I later found that the captain of the ship was in hysterics at my ordeal and I do not blame him.

The final way my experience may have differed was the wildlife. Although known for its animals we were incredibly lucky with what we found, and I believe I will struggle to see anything quite so amazing ever again. What we saw was a dolphin. And I know what you’re thinking, ‘everyone has seen dolphins before, why is that so cool?’ But this was no ordinary dolphin. Just as we set off on our return journey the captain alerted that a dolphin was at the hull. I was so excited. We all rushed over to the front of the boat and saw this friendly dolphin effortlessly glided along with us. It bobbed and it weaved and it played. I really was awe struck. It was an animal of pure muscle. Perfectly content with its lot in life, and perfectly happy to play with us. The dolphin stayed with us for at least 20 minutes, and it made the whole trip for me. I remember I used to hear people say, ‘Dolphins are my favourite animal’ And I just didn’t get it. ‘What is so special about them?’ I thought. Well now I know, and I’m pretty sure they are now my favourite animal too.

If you put it all together, the mountains, the waterfalls, the clear lake, the wildlife, it really looks as if it should be the location of a kingdom in a fantasy novel. You would expect to see water elves, nymphs, fairies or mermaids if you came here. I implore you to visit Milford Sound. There is an enchantment on this place, and I guarantee you will walk away with a spell on you.

Tunnel Beach, Dunedin

Situated just south of St Claire, Dunedin, this beach is a must for anyone in the area. Tucked neatly away among the cliffs, it offers a picturesque, secret paradise, unlike any New Zealand beach I’ve seen before.

The beach secured notability in the 1870s after John Cargill, a local politician, had a tunnel commissioned under the cliffs in order for his family to have access to the secluded beach. A trail track was opened on the site in 1983, and has since become a popular destination among locals and tourists.

The trail down to the cliffs from the car park offers some spectacular sea views as seen in the image below. The underfoot conditions could be better on this route, as it was found to be fairly slippy. Once you have reached the cliffs there are some benches for a spot of lunch or some comfortable viewing, and from there you can either go left to the beach through the tunnel, or climb to the cliff edge further right.

We chose the tunnel route, and descended into the neatly chiselled cavern. As we came through the end threshold, we surprisingly encountered a small(ish) sea lion.  Both of us were perplexed at how, and why, the little rascal chose this spot, as it would have had to climb some uncomfortable boulders, but we left the lion of the sea to it, and searched on.

Turning right, you are then brought face to face with the open ocean and the stunning beach. It’s main features include mossy boulders, smoothed rocks, waterfalls and mussels. If you are a handy climber, or just a child at heart like myself, this beach is ripe with rocks to ascend, which give much better picture opportunities. A word of caution, though, as they are slippery. Following the beach to the right will bring you to another waterfall, depending on the amount of rain that has fallen. Going to the left you will see a small underpass which you can crawl through, and brings you to a large open cave. You can also access this by following the beach round, alas, we did not know this, and got some rather muddy knees.

Going back to the cliffs you will come across some awe inspiring views of the sea, and of the beach you had just been exploring. Ascending the cliff can be dangerous, as we both simultaneously slipped on the clay-like mud. It seemed very slapstick and certainly gave the locals a hearty laugh at my girlfriends muddy bum. The only blip on wonderful experience would be the steep incline for the walk back up to the car. However, for anyone that walks frequently it would offer no issues.

Out of all the Dunedin beaches I have explored so far, this has certainly been my favourite, and I would highly recommend it to anyone. Just be careful not to slip off and become seal fodder.

Scenery: 4/5

Walking Conditions: 2/5

Walking Difficulty: 3/5

Finding Difficulty: 1/5

Overall Rating: 4/5