Saturday, February 6, 2010

Dunedin - Edinburgh of the South


From Kaikoura we went south to Dunedin.  Dunedin is Celtic for Edinburgh and that's why it's referred to as the Edinburgh of the south.  We stayed at the Stafford Gables YHA which is an old Victorian building on the edge of the downtown area.  It was a bit of a hike from the bus station but worth it as the building is very cool ( a former hotel I think) and it has a great rooftop deck that has great views of the city and the harbour.

Keith: Entertainer and Beer Expert.

We didn't have much time here (only stayed overnight) so we had to choose what we did carefully.  After a bit of research over a cup of tea we decided to head over to the Speight's Brewery for the brewery tour and tasting.  Speight's is a local NZ beer that has been brewed in Dunedin for well over 100 years.  The tour and tasting coast $20 ($18 for Court as she's a student.  Lee tried for the "Senior" discount but they weren't having it).  The tour was great.  Our guide Keith was very knowledgable and tons of fun - we would definitely recommend asking for him if you go on the tour.  Aside from his vast knowledge of Speight's beer, Keith is also apparently in the entertainment business and in his time has met all the greats including The Beatles, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and.....Max Bygraves! (our older readers may remember him ;-P).  He also let us pour our own beers for about an hour after the tour.  Cheers Keith!

4 comments:

  1. love the latest online letters! you kids are very good at this travel blogging thing...i see you have a particular interest in wine and beer production...it's good to have a focus! i didn't know a thing about NZ until you travelled there...i hope that you are picking up some little treasures to remember your trip...mail them home maybe at some point? i know, i don't leave the fairway, and i'm suggesting stuff! happy trails...welly is still a little less white than philly...love ad.

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  2. Eleanor and I are checking out your blog. This is the closest we will ever get to New Zealand! Enjoy all your tours!! We will be thinking about you. Closest Eleanor has ever gotten to a seal!! Love You!!

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  3. The race that Aragorn belongs to is the Dundedin. Clearly this could not be a coincidence. What % of your budget is for wine and beer? I think you've done a good job there.

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  4. @ Ran

    0% is the budget for beer and wine however I managed to pass the last two drinking sessions off as "excursions."

    L

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