Train to the Taieri River Gorge

Day 41, South Pacific, Australia and New Zealand Cruise

Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022; Port Chalmers/Dunedin, South Island, New Zealand.

As I was just about to publish this post, some news broke. The Majestic Princess, with 4,600 guests and crew, docked in Sydney this morning after a cruise to New Zealand with 800 Covid cases, mostly asymptomatic or with mild symptoms.

During his 6 p.m. announcement as we were about to depart Dunedin, New Zealand, Capt. Wouter van Hoogdalem said that Covid cases are increasing in the region and as a result, all company ships in this region are requiring everyone to wear masks while inside. He didn’t mention the news from the Majestic Princess, but I’m sure word will spread, as it’s all over the New Zealand and Australian media. He did report that we have just three people on board in isolation at the moment.

As beautiful as coasts can be, sometimes I just want to get to the interior – or at least as much of the interior as I can reach in a day. I like to take tours that leave the port city so I can see the “lay of the land,” so to speak.

Today’s excursion took me to the Taieri River Gorge on New Zealand’s South Island, via the Taieri Gorge Railway. We traveled slowly for a couple of hours, crossing over wrought iron viaducts and through tunnels barely wider than our train cars. We followed the river’s path through the rugged landscape and tried to imagine the gold prospectors and others who ventured into this wilderness in the 1860s.

As we left Dunedin, the terrain went from flat to rolling. We passed the Wingatui Racecourse, which reflects a strong history of thoroughbred breeding and training. In some of the expansive pastures, mares were trotting with their foals trying to keep up. Other pastures were full of sheep. Again, as it is spring here, there were lots of lambs among the ewes.

Eventually we entered the gorge and wound our way to the station at Hindon, which consisted only of a small empty station building, a couple of sidetracks and a sculpture of Susan (Sue), a Collie representing the sheep dogs of the region. After we stretched our legs, the train conductors moved the two engines to the other end of the train and took us back to Dunedin.

The gorge was full of forest and hillsides covered with yellow-flowered shrubs. I learned they are gorse and broom. Gorse is a spiny noxious shrub that pretty much is considered a weed that has invaded the landscape, and broom is related. The lurid yellow flowers sure brighten the spring landscape.

Dunedin was the first town in New Zealand and remains the second largest on the South Island. Its name comes from the Scottish Gaelic word for Edinburgh. It was a Māori whaling station before Scots settled in the area. We docked in the nearby Port Chalmers, as the river into Dunedin was too shallow for our ship. As we sailed into the harbor, many passengers commented that the area reminds them of Scotland.

A shuttlebus (NZ$35 round trip, just over US$20) took those not on ship excursions into Dunedin, although a number simply explored Port Chalmers. Large stacks of logs at the docks are evidence of a thriving lumber industry.

Speaking of currency, I got about $200 each in Australian and New Zealand currency before I left home, and I think I will return home with most of it. There is less and less need, as credit cards suffice almost everywhere, including for the shuttle into Dunedin. “Tap and go.” I like to have a little local money for tour guide and driver tips, but that is about it. I’ll be back to both countries in February, so I will keep what I have for now.