Day 4: Dunedin

Started on the Otago Peninsula again with a long and winding drive to Sandymount Reserve. I had thought it would be deserted, but the car park was already filling up with visitors. Some of these had hi-vis vests with lettering on the back, so I suspect they were volunteers concerned with the penguin program.

I began by toiling up the nearby hill for spectacular views of the peninsula, particularly the other side that I don't see from where I am staying. Then I set off for Sandfly Beach. The wind was relentless, so if there are any sandflies there they must behiding under cover and hugging the ground. It was mostly a downhill walk, but it became quite sandy, and I stopped before I got to the beach itself for fear of getting lost among the deserted sand dunes. I had assumed I could follow my footsteps back, but even after twenty minutes the wind was blurring them out, and by the time I toiled up the hill and got back it was as if I had never been.

By the time I did all that and also walked to the nearby lookout, it was after twelve, so I drove into town and headed for Emerson's Brewery for lunch and a tour. They have a big taproom where I had Poutine--basically chips, cheese and gravy. Then. as the only member of the tour party, I was taken around by an enthusiastic employee called John who had been involved with the company since its inception in 1992.

Richard Emerson, who set up the brewery, has been profoundly deaf since birth as a result of his mother catching scarlet fever. He's revered in Dunedin for setting up and running a successful business--which I gather doesn't happen here all that often--and although it is now owned by Lion Nathan (like Little Creatures) it's still run independently. As well as the main lines, they issue about fifty experimental one-off beers every year. And they're continuing to expand, although since the beer isn't pasteurised it doesn't yet suit the export market.

I finished with a tasting paddle of the six main beers--all very pleasant, nothing too extraordinary--and then set off to sober up with a walk to the Botanic Gardens. These are a hidden gem in the north of Dunedin, near the University. Lots of student accommodation round here, mostly old weatherboard houses which seem to have been taken over by the Uni. Some have been remodelled, other remain pretty much as they were. Some even have fanciful signs erected by the tenants -- 'Penguin Palace' or 'Trump Tower'.

The gardens themselves are quite large. They sit on the side of a hill and straddle a rivulet called the Waters of Leith. They're not particularly well-labelled, but they're pleasant to walk around. There are large stretches of bush and even an old cemetery, which contains the grandiose tomb of William Lanarch. And feral hedgehogs, one of which strolled across my path quite casually while I was wandering.

I bought some provisions in an Indian supermarket and walked back to the brewery, where I picked up the car and drove home. The days are very long here -- it doesn't get properly dark till 10 pm.

--

Jon Jermey
Indexer and database consultant
042 535 0422
webindexing.com.au

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