Our cruise started at the South Island and was making its way north. New Zealand is made up of two larger islands (along with others!), the South and North Islands. We arrived in Dunedin on Tuesday morning – which was our first time stepping foot on New Zealand.

We had an excursion planned with the cruise ship for a city tour. It had a few stops for different points of interest. The first, while interesting, wasn’t very exciting to look at. Dunedin is home to the steepest road in the world, Baldwin Street. We didn’t drive up it, but you could see some brave folks making their way to the top. It was so steep because the city plans for Dunedin were drawn up in England, and they didn’t realize there was a VERY steep hill in the middle of town, and the builders made it anyways.

From there, the skies opened up and it started to rain as soon as we got dropped off at the botanical garden, which is internationally known for some of the species that are grown there. At this point, we were quite miserable from the rain and wind. But we did get to take a few quick pictures before heading back to the bus.

Our next step was the famous Dunedin train station, which is one of the cities most photographed buildings. It was built in the Renaissance-style – it had white limestone and black basalt rock. Together, this creates a beautiful contrast and to put a “cherry” on top there is a red terracotta roof.

The rain finally stopped for a bit – and we were able to take some pictures in that area. Additionally, just across the way there is the old prison and high court buildings.

We ended the tour at the Octagon – the city center. This is where St. Paul’s Cathedral is. We didn’t have time to pop in – but it was beautiful to look at!

After the tour, we made our way back to the ship and had dinner at the Mediterranean restaurant on the ship.

Up Next:

• Christchurch (Waipara wine tasting)