Robin’s Birthday Surprise - Dunedin

 Well, here we are in Dunedin. But how did you get there from Christchurch, I hear you ask?  The fact is, as I had already speculated, the motivation behind my birthday surprise trip, was a Qantas sale which coincided with a scenic NZ train tour!  The perfect recipe for a wonderful surprise trip. 


We left the hotel in Christchurch by taxi a little earlier than the appointed time of 06:45 and it wasn’t until we pulled up outside the Christchurch Addington Railway Station, that I knew for sure we were going on a rail adventure. 

Following check-in and some people watching while we awaited boarding, we eventually pulled away right on time at 07:45 and journeyed through beautiful sunshine, across the Canterbury Plains before hugging the coast the majority of the way to Dunedin, the huge picture windows affording unhindered views of the vistas around us. 












The Southerner, a heritage rail journey between Christchurch and Dunedin, replicates the seaside journey that once ran all the way to Invercargill, for a very small window of 5 days a year. You can do Christchurch-Dunedin return in one day if you choose, however I now know we have the three day package, so there are more surprises in store over the next two days. 

We braved the cool air and spent some time in the open viewing carriage while we traversed the coastline, enjoying the abundance of birdlife, as we passed across bays and headlands, before arriving in Dunedin just before 2pm. After a logistical process that resembled herding cats, we were dropped at our hotel all of a ten minute walk away!  If only we had known 😂 







After a reviving cup of tea we regrouped and headed out into the late afternoon sunshine for a short walk and visit to the Toitu Otago Settlers museum, a social history museum dating back to 1898, now housed in a stunningly modern piece of architecture. 

It was getting cold and the sun was dipping low by the time we came out so we returned to our hotel room with its big windows overlooking the harbour,  to rest and freshen up before dinner downstairs in the hotel restaurant. 

All in all a very relaxing and enjoyable day … I wonder what tomorrow will bring? 

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