Boulders, A Castle, and a Bunch of Churches and Fancy Buildings

I was probably a little harsh about the B&B last night. We got up this morning and Norman and Stephanie had prepared a lovely “Kiwi Lite” breakfast for us. It is their take on the continental breakfast, but Norman said he can’t call it that if they’re not on a continent. The table was laden with fresh raspberries, rhubarb, fruit salad, granola, toast, yogurt, cheese, butter, cream, custard, and jams. Then they passed around hot cross buns. We shared the tiny dining room with two couple from China. One couple from Hong Kong spoke English and told us about their trip. They left their one-year-old son with the grandparents so they could take a 2 week holiday.

On the way from Oamaru we stopped to view the Moeraki Boulders on Norman’s recommendation. The boulders jut out from the beach. Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. Crystallization of calcium and carbonates around charged particles gradually formed the boulders in a pearl-like process that took as long as four million years. The soft mudstone containing the boulders was raised from the seabed around 15 million years ago; waves, wind, and rain are excavating them one by one.

Cracked boulder

The inside looks like brown sugar

My artistic photo of Shawn

The beach was covered with this pinkish-red fern-like kelp

Back on the road, we took the scenic route and stopped a few times along the way to admire the view.

This rooster and his buddies were not happy about me stopping to take a picture

We stopped at a cafe in Port Chalmers for lunch. Kiwis like dips. They do not serve bread at the table before your meal, but you can always order it as a starter with dips. Shawn has olives, garlic hummus and pesto dips for his rosemary flatbread. I had the kumara (pumpkin?) soup.

Walking about Port Chalmers, we found a picturesque church, but all the churches around here are photogenic.

Unloading logs and shipping containers in the port

The houses are built on hills in town

Our first stop in Dunedin was the Larnach Castle. New Zealand’s only Castle, built 1871 by William Larnach, merchant baron, and politician, for his beloved first wife Eliza. It took more than 200 workmen three years to build the Castle shell and master European craftsmen spent a further 12 years embellishing the interior. Larnach spared no expense on his dream home, which features the finest materials from around the world.