Dunedin, New Zealand, was our final port call on our December cruise Down Under, and we arrived on a beautiful sunny, breezy morning at Port Chalmers, the city’s main port, located about 8 miles from downtown Dunedin. Once again we decided we would explore on our own, and that began with our transportation into the city. Something that impressed me whenever we arrived at a New Zealand port was the cadre of friendly volunteers who stood ready in the cruise terminal to greet visitors as they disembarked. Most seemed to be senior citizens, and each was a font of local information, armed with maps and brochures and plenty of good advice about how to get around and what to see. Our Port Chalmers greeters quickly filled us in on the most inexpensive, easy ride to town: the city bus. We got the low-down on how to make our way out of the terminal and just across the street to the local library, where we were further directed to the bus stop.

Everyone in this cute little town was very helpful and welcoming, and in no time we were cruising along Otago Harbour and were then dropped off at the bus hub near the city centre. Our handy maps guided us to The Octagon, the central “square” at the heart of the historical city. Dunedin, whose name is an Anglicized version of the Gaelic name of Edinburgh, was settled by Scottish Free Church pilgrims in 1848, so I wasn’t terribly surprised to see that a statue of Robert Burns, the Scottish favorite son and poet, dominated the charming central park (complete with a pigeon perched on his head!). A gold rush in 1860 brought an influx of new residents and wealth, still evident today in all the lovely heritage buildings

Otago Daily Times building

scattered about the city.

It currently boasts a population of over 130,000 citizens and seems a clean, welcoming community. From The Octagon we made our way throughout the downtown core, coming upon one delight after another. Some of the other sites we visited:

St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral  Located just off The Octagon, this impressive church   boasts beautiful stained-glass windows. We struck up a conversation with the bishop, and she explained that in her former life she was a high school French teacher. One of her former students moved to France due to his lessons with her, where he learned to make stained glass. He is now installing newly commissioned windows in her cathedral. Wonderful story!

Otago Woodturners Guild  We wandered into this storefront and discovered a wonderful array of hand-turned bowls and other woodcraft. All of us came away with treasures for gifts and stocking stuffers, and we also enjoyed conversations with the artists themselves, learning about the different woods they used and a little about themselves.

Lan Yuan Chinese Garden  I visited this traditional garden on my own and found it a peaceful respite within the city. Opened in 2008, it took 8 years to develop the garden with the support of the Shanghai Municipal Government, Dunedin’s sister city. One enters through an imposing gate and can then take a self-guided audio tour around the different areas and pavilions. A pond with ducks sits at the center,   and around it are shady paths; a stone “mountain”  complete with hidden nooks, a waterfall and stream;   and delicately pruned trees.   A quiet courtyard with bonsai completed my interlude in this lovely space.

Dunedin Railway Station   Considered the crown jewel of Dunedin’s many charms, this Flemish Renaissance-style 1906 “Gingerbread House” building, complete with imposing tower,  and its beautifully landscaped grounds offer pure visual delight. The white limestone facings on black basalt create a stunning contrast, and the architectural details inside and out really wow visitors. Today it houses a restaurant on the ground floor and an art gallery and sports hall of fame museum above, but one can still imagine the hoards of travelers who passed through the main booking hall or stood on the platform in bygone days. Royal Doulton porcelain tiles feature prominently throughout . . . on the floors,   on the walls and in decorative panels.  Stained-glass windows with railroad themes and beautiful woodwork also provide evidence of the craftsmanship applied to every element of the building.

Port Chalmers Artisan Market  After logging thousands of steps, we gratefully caught a return bus to Port Chalmers, but we still had New Zealand dollars to burn in our pockets and a few more items to cross off our gift lists. Happily, the Port Chalmers Artisan Market, located in the city’s Town Hall and operating whenever cruise ships are in port, gave us ample opportunities to address both issues. We wandered through several rooms crowded with tables offering handcrafted jewelry, knitted and crocheted goods, wooden crafts and ornaments, carved stone pieces, health and beauty products, pottery, art photography and paintings. It was delightful to chat with the friendly and helpful artisans, too, and I was more than happy to support their work. I got a lovely hand-knitted sweater in soft pastels for our youngest granddaughter, and the cotton sundress I found for her big sister has been a favorite in June’s wardrobe.

Happy with our full day and our final mementos of New Zealand, we reboarded Royal Princess for a windy but stunning sailaway. We passed lush green hills dotted with stands of fir trees (so reminiscent of Oregon!) surrounding bright blue waters, ruffled with whitecaps. As we neared the end of the Otago Peninsula, we rounded Taiaroa Head, marking the entrance to Otago Harbour. Here sits a picturesque lighthouse, built in 1864 and holding the title of oldest working lighthouse on South Island. It provided a lovely farewell view of one of our favorite ports on the trip.

— Patty Vanikiotis, associate editor/copy editor