Dunedin and Otago peninsula

According to the bus driver, Dunedin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh, and that a lot of street names have been copied from there.

The vineyard exchange host has this to say about Dunedin:  "Dunedin has Scottish origins; the locals won’t let you forget that.  It is legend that Scotsmen have a formula for finding the perfect wife and only seek out women who meet the criteria which are:  Strong Legs for hill climbing; Good Broad Hips for child bearing; The Personality and Training of Mother Teresa for raising the children correctly and; The Bedroom Skills of a high class prostitute!!"
 
As far as scotish influences go, I think I only noticed it from one scotish store at the city centre. My own first impression of Dunedin was that the city is uphill both ways.

Scottish influence or not, the city is charming and unique in its own right. It does have its own fair share of Gothic architecture which is nice to look at, but what I liked the most is the hilly streets. the multi level landscape is just something special.

As I was walking aimlessly through the city street, I came across a chocolate factory. A CHOCOLATE FACTORY! I mean, who am I not to go in and realise a childhood dream.

I did overdo it though with the sampling and ended up going back to the hostel and not doing any more walking for the rest of the day.

School for boys

University of Otago

The train station

On my last day in Dunedin, I went into the tourist centre and booked myself on the next excursion to the Otago peninsula.

Maori meeting place

We boarded some Canadian made offroad vehicle....

I gotta say that it was well worth the drive as the seal colony was so close to us! Fur seal puppies are one of the most adorable creatures I've seen!

We did spot one little blue penguin (the smallest penguin in the world). Apparently they only come out in the evening and love to live in rocks.

There were also yellow eyed penguins, but far away down on the beach.

Fur seal pups

Yellow eyed penguins

Little blue penguin