Day 16 – Reminiscing in Dunedin

Peace Garden - note the arrival of the autumn colours

I went to University in Dunedin for five years. It was a time of transition from teenager to adult and I have fond memories of the place. My first couple of years there were a disaster academically with me coming close to being kicked out for not passing enough units. However, I found psychology and my academic path changed. There were small classes and great lecturers which made it a great learning experience. It was where I learnt to think critically and to not accept teaching at face value.

The city was about the same size as it is now and while I was there businesses were shutting down and head offices were going to Wellington (and thereafter Auckland). The climate was not great and I think worse than Wellington other than having less wind. It was cold for nearly six months of the year and I learnt to dress for the cold.

We took the car to Princes Street in the city and found a park. We went to one of the recommended cafés expecting crowds to be there. It was not busy at all and in fact the centre of the city looked abandoned. We had a nice cup of coffee and while sitting there I remembered that I had not fed the meter, so I went back hoping that I had not been issued a ticket. Fortunately I wasn’t. I think that perhaps they were not charging for parking to encourage people back to the city (it is very cheap by Wellington standards).

The Octagon - note the Covid protest

We spent the next three hours walking the streets, remembering what they used to be like. Arthur Barnett department store like Kirkaldie and Stains is no longer operating. The campus, while still recognisable, is lovely with Castle Street now pedestrianised, so that the campus is not split by what was the main artery of a one way system. There were a few students around but not a great deal of activity. They have kept the best of the old university and improved it out of sight.

Looking toward the old Registry building

When we returned to the car, thankfully there was no ticket!

I showed Bev the first place I stayed in as a student, then drove around the peninsular taking the coastal route until we turned up the road to Larnach’s Castle. There is a very nice separated cycle path along the coast which I would love to ride sometime but, unfortunately, we were not in Dunedin long enough to do it. Apparently there is one on the other side of the harbour as well making for a complete circuit. As an aside the cycling network seems to be better developed than that in Wellington.

Larnarch’s Castle was the same as previously, but different. It is a long time since I was there and the development of the property since around 1990, is significant. All the castle is now open to the public which is rather neat. We could even go to the top of the tower. The grounds and garden are beautiful. Clearly a lot of money has been poured into restoring the castle and its grounds. We were the only customers in the café where we enjoyed a delicious Devonshire tea and we were close to being the only visitors there that afternoon.

We spent a considerable amount of time exploring the property and must have been almost the last to leave. Just as we were departing, the wind must have changed because it became much colder and the misty cloud descended onto the peninsular.

I had a wonderful time reminiscing and it was so interesting to come back to a city I knew quite well to discover that much was same but also much had changed.