I've been fixated the idea of going to Dunedin since we came to New Zealand. It sounded so Scottish and I wanted in! Granted I've never actually been to Scotland, but why let a detail like that dampen my enthusiasm?
We'll chalk this one up to knowing yourself really well, because I wasn't wrong about loving it: it's my favorite city so far. It comes together at a central point called the Octagon (which, being like a tiny, less medieval, much less Italian version of Bologna made me really, really happy). And while it's all about Italy for me, Dunedin has one thing to offer that Bologna definitely doesn't: haggis!
We'll chalk this one up to knowing yourself really well, because I wasn't wrong about loving it: it's my favorite city so far. It comes together at a central point called the Octagon (which, being like a tiny, less medieval, much less Italian version of Bologna made me really, really happy). And while it's all about Italy for me, Dunedin has one thing to offer that Bologna definitely doesn't: haggis!
| We initially ordered it just to check it off of the list-of-things-tried, but it turned out to be DELICIOUS. It's hard to describe: sort of meaty, tangy, well-seasoned--definitely something I'd order again, or even try to make, if you know, I happened to have sheep organs lying around. We also had fun exploring thrift shops, hipstery cafes and drinking delicious coffee! I bought a romper that I shrunk in the wash a week later (womp womp) and we discovered a brand of soda that tastes like Coke, only good. |
So much pop culture. We loved it. Say what you will about hipsters, they know how to deliver a fun atmosphere and a mean coffee. One of the cafes was stocked with board games and children's books, making for the most entertaining brunch I've had in a while.
And street art! Christchurch has lots of street art too, but due to not having been destroyed recently, the streets of Dunedin give it a different charm.
We also went to the Otago Settlers Museum, which was pretty cool. Dunedin has a nice fashion scene, and apparently used to be the main source of clothing for all of New Zealand. There was an entire section of the museum devoted to period clothing, and I even got to try on the (bones? shell?) of a Victorian skirt!
Honestly, there was so much to love about this city that it's hard to cover everything we experienced over our three day weekend there. It wasn't ALL amazing though. Things took a detour for the uncomfortable when Sunday afternoon we encountered a couple of sloppy-drunk University students on the street. The girl barged right into my personal space and sang (melodically shouted) into my ear with her arms around me. She was very proud of her voice. The guy was pretty enthusiastic about it too:
Honestly, there was so much to love about this city that it's hard to cover everything we experienced over our three day weekend there. It wasn't ALL amazing though. Things took a detour for the uncomfortable when Sunday afternoon we encountered a couple of sloppy-drunk University students on the street. The girl barged right into my personal space and sang (melodically shouted) into my ear with her arms around me. She was very proud of her voice. The guy was pretty enthusiastic about it too:
Choosing to fight fire with fire, Josh swooped in and started beat boxing along to the song, which amazingly...worked! They ran off.
...to have sex against a wall. Oh, drunk people. Keep it together.
In the evening we grabbed dinner at a Thai place and our waitress recommended a place where we could get really amazing donuts afterwards. I'm more of an ice cream girl, but we took her word for it and I'm so glad we did! These donuts came with syringes so you could inject your own filling into them. It was fun to watch the pastry fill up, like it was taking a deep breath of creamy deliciousness; any food that is also an activity is OK in my book! | |
Steampunk must really be a big thing in the south because we saw a bunch of people dressed up in the Octagon the next morning: our second Steampunk encounter!
Then on our way out of town we stopped at Dunedin's world-record-holding landmark: the world's steepest residential street! ...which...might sound a little underwhelming, but being from a country that boasts the world's largest frying pan, paper cup AND mailbox, we can certainly appreciate its magnetism. |
It was pretty steep, to the point that when Josh asked me to take a picture of him I had to concentrate on holding the camera level because my brain was trying to compensate for the extreme angle. It was a serious workout to walk up and down, which, let's be honest, I probably needed. Goofing around, Josh got on all fours and imitated a mountain climber. It reminded me of a Justin Beiber video, so naturally we spent the rest of the afternoon trying to recreate it, even though we didn't remember any of the other dance moves.
I will always have a special place in my heart for the Chinese tourists, who probably didn't have a clue what we were doing or why, but instinctively felt it should be part of their vacation photos.