As we sailed into our first port of call in New Zealand, Port Chalmers, I was amazed to see how green everything was.
I was also surprised how hilly most of the port cities were. Lots of sheep grazing on those green hills! In New Zealand, sheep outnumber humans about five to one. It used to be much more, but the demand for wool has diminished. Now, they raise dairy cows, and export a lot of dairy products to Asia.
Coming into the port, we saw some albatross birds on the Otago Peninsula. This is where the Royal Albatross Centre is located. It is home to the world's only mainland Royal Albatross Breeding Colony. It was quite a distance away, so I mainly only saw white spots. I did manage to zoom in and get this slightly blurry picture of an albatross. They are very large birds with a wing span of almost 10 feet. (Remember, you can click on any of the pictures to enlarge them.)
Almost all of the ports we sailed into were commercial ports. Most of them had a great deal of lumber stacked up waiting for export. One of our tour guides told us that most of the ports only have one or two cruise ships arrive per week. Although tourism is an important part of their economy, it is not like the Caribbean or Mexico where the ports are geared specifically to the tourists. Most of the attractions at this stop were actually in Dunedin, so there were busses to take the passengers on pre-booked excursions or into town.
Princess once again messed up our excursions at this stop. I had booked us both an excursion to Larnach Castle. It got cancelled the day before we arrived. There was nothing else available that we were interested in. After talking to the excursion desk manager, he was able to get me one ticket to the castle. I ended up going without Kevin. There were two empty seats on the bus, so I don't understand how Princess screwed this up for us.
Dunedin was established by Scottish immigrants. Larnach Castle was built by William Larnach in 1871. He had made his fortune in banking and then land speculation, farming investments, timber and politics.
It took 200 men three years to build the shell and another 12 years for master craftsmen to finish the interior. Here's a painting of what it looked like shortly after completion, and a photo when I was there. It seems they could park the busses a bit further away, so they wouldn't be in people's photos.
The interior was spectacular with amazing carved wooden ceilings. The attention to detail by the craftsmen was mind boggling.
The grounds were also beautiful. We were there in November, which is spring. Many of the flowers were not blooming yet. These hedges were around much of the property.
Here's the front courtyard overlooking the bay.
I bet this arbor is gorgeous when the vines are blooming.
William had three wives. The first two both died at age 38 and were half sisters. He had six children with his first wife. The third wife was considerably younger than William, and rumored to have had an affair with William's youngest son. William Larnach committed suicide by shooting himself in the Parliament building. Rumors were that he was on the verge of bankruptcy, and that he discovered his wife was pregnant with his youngest son's child. Sadly, that son also committed suicide. So, even though this family had great wealth, it sure didn't bring them happiness.
The castle fell into ruin for years. In 1967 the Barker family purchased it and began the endless project of restoring it. They have turned it into a tourist attraction, as well as hosting weddings and other parties. It is now designated a New Zealand Heritage Landmark. The gardens have been given the rating of Garden of International Significance.
In the gift shop, I found some very soft scarves, hats and gloves. I got a good laugh out of the attached tags. New Zealand has had a real issue with non-native possums causing lots of problems. It seems they've found one way to help control the possum population. Combine the fibers with Merino wool and make clothing items! The possum fibers are hollow, which makes them light and warm.
Here's a view of the bay as we made our way back to the city of Dunedin.
This building in Dunedin is the Law Courts Building built in 1902.
I enjoyed my visit to Dunedin and Larnach Castle. Too bad Kevin couldn't come with me. He did walk into the town of Port Chalmers from the ship, and found a local brew to sample.
Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!
