Call that a castle?!

A steep street, Jimmy’s Special and a cartoon

27.09.2012

Our next stop was Dunedin and after arriving we suffered a night fraught with fear at the possibility of hearing a knock and a voice telling us we’d been fined for freedom camping. So waking up far too early we headed to Larnach Castle to wait until nine in the morning when it opened. This was on our to do list as it is touted as New Zealand’s only castle. This is somewhat misleading as it is not the castle one would expect coming from Europe. Instead it is more of a rich man’s home, and not a particularly large one at that, with a turret stuck on the side. Nonetheless we had a great time there delving into the history and exploring the house and gardens. We also particularly enjoyed that, unlike many stately homes in the UK, none of the artefacts or exhibits on display were roped off and you could wander around at will.

Our next stop was Baldwin Street, a suburban street on the outskirts of Dunedin. Why did we visit this street in particular you may ask? Well it happens to be the steepest street in the world. On driving up to it we were concerned that we weren’t in the right place as the streets looked ordinary sized. It wasn’t until we turned onto Baldwin Street that both of us gasped in shock at the sight in front of us! The road rose ramrod straight reaching straight into the sky. We raced on up it choosing to brave the steep road as opposed to the soppy option of the stairs and it was worth the climb just to say that we’d done it.

After the excitement of the street we retired to our campervan and realised how cabin feverish we were feeling. So we decided to treat ourselves. A quick stroll to the cinema and we’d chosen our film before heading on to the Italian restaurant for the best pizza either of us has tasted; Jimmy’s special pizza at Bennu’s. Our hunger sated we donned our 3D glasses and settled to watch Hotel Transylvania. We had a really good night and it was exactly what we had both needed.

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