We had a fairly early start as we had to be at the railway station by 9am. The trip up the Taieri Gorge proved to be as spectacular as we had been led to believe. The train left Dunedin using the national rail system but once clearing the Wingatui tunnel (circa 2km) it branched off onto the Taieri Gorge line. As it progressed climbing a steep gradient (2 big diesel engines) the river valley gradually got deeper and narrower as the photos show. The line through the gorge had been cut into the mountainside and was a major feat of engineering. There were a number of viaducts to cross with steep drops either side, including one which had a bend in it. Eventually we reached the plains some 3000 feet above sea level and Middlemarch which was the end of the line. We had an hour to look around the typical dilapidated town (population 150) with quaint buildings including hotel, church (3 in this case) and bar; this town was created in the Otago gold rush when thousands sought their fortunes. Once the gold was exhausted the farming prospered but eventually the railway closed to commercial traffic and is now wholly a tourist experience. It was then back on to the train and back down the gorge again to Dunedin.
As it was mid afternoon when we got back to Dunedin we decided to drive around the harbour area of the city. It is very hilly so we went on the coast road which involves driving with rocks on one side of the road with a sharp drop to the sea on the other. The port turned out to be busy with lots of containers and one ship being loaded with them. Further on we came to beaches where the sea was quite choppy but the wind surfers were enjoying it! On returning to our motel we decided to eat in this evening.
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