Drove through several small towns on our way to Dunedin on the east coast.
Baldwin Street in Dunedin claims to be the steepest residential street in the world; it reportedly averages 1:3.41 (16.33° or 29.3%) for 161 meters but its maximum is claimed to be 35% for an unknown distance. My friend in Auckland said that when she was at University people would ride down it in trash bins. Apparently somebody got killed doing that so it is discouraged.
The train station is lovely.
Dunedin is home to the only dental school in New Zealand. It is commemorated by molar statues by the sea.
The road to Mt Cook was closed so we ended up staying an extra day in Dunedin. We were then scheduled to go on a boat excursion to see some wildlife but that too was cancelled due to bad weather. We did spend a lovely afternoon at Larnach Castle at the end of the Otago Peninsula. The castle was built by William Larnach and completed in 1874. Larnach had several personal and professional setbacks including the loss of his first wife in 1880, his second wife in 1887, and his favorite daughter in 1891. In 1898, he shot himself with a revolver. The property has changed hands several times since then and is now open to the public.
