Dunedin, New Zealand

We docked at Port Chalmers in the Otago Harbor, the gateway to Dunedin. Dunedin, located at the southern end of the South Island of New Zealand, was settled in 1848 by Scottish immigrants.  The name "Dunedin" means Edinburgh in Celtic.  The climate (cold in winter) and topography (hilly) of this area are similar to Scotland, so I guess they felt at home here. Dunedin has a population of 330,000 (the largest city on the south island) and is home to the first university in New Zealand.

The south island of New Zealand is hillier and less populated than the north island. The Otago Peninsula is home to seals, yellow eyed penguins, and a colony of albatross birds.  The architecture in Denedin looks European, with Gothic churches and an ornate railway station known as the Gingerbread House.

We visited Speight Brewery, started in 1876 in Dunedin, then went to the Otago Museum. The museum has Maori canoes (waka) and green stone implements, skeletons of the extinct moa bird, fossils, and world culture artifacts.

As we got ready to leave the port, a bag piper played for us. What a treat ... a little slice of Scotland.

Port Chalmers harbor, gateway to Dunedin, New Zealand

Dunedin railway station

Taps at Speight's Brewery in Dunedin

Sampling Speight's beer at the end
of the brewery tour

Maori waka (canoe) at Otago Museum

Skeleton of the extinct, flightless moa bird

Model of what early Maori wore --
everything made from plants

Moraki boulders at the Otago Peninsula  each