[Dunedin, New Zealand] The only noise to wake us out in the Domain were the sheep – fantastic spot to camp.

We started the day off with a pot wash behind the van and after our standard breakfast (tea, fruit and cereal) headed off towards Dunedin. The drive crisscrossed the Otago rail trail all day. Looks like a cool (and easy) bike trail to ride – maybe someday.

On a recommendation from a friend of Ingrid’s we stopped off at the Hayes Engineering Works. A small farmstead with a preserved machine shop and residence. The Hayes family started here way back (1880 odd) and are still manufacturing bits and bobs for farmers. Everything from gate hinges to windmill parts. The entire workshop is run by overhead pulleys, belts and wheels that were originally driven by a 6m windmill (later changed to a water wheel). It was sooo cool – lathes, drills, presses, grinders, hacksaws all driven by brilliantly designed belts. Boxes full of bits and pieces. Nothing went to waste. They spin up all the machinery for tours but only on certain days – unfortunately not today. In any event it was well worth the cost of admission.

The next ‘town’ on our route was Naseby. Another little ghost town with some cool old buildings and a few vintage cars. We popped into the museum – a random collection of random things obviously collected from local families. V had read that ‘Curling’ is big in Naseby. Hard to believe (the place is tiny) but sure enough we found a year round indoor curling rink with outdoor (winter only) luge and ice hockey rink. Incredibly odd. We popped inside the rink to find Kiwi, Auzzie and Japanese teams getting ready for an international junior tournament… in Naseby!?

We drove on through Middle March and past the end of the rail trail. Flat, straight roads turned to windy hills as we approached Mosgiel where we found the first traffic light since leaving Christchurch. Road works meant that large sections of road were a mixture of loose gravel and wet tar. What a mess on our little van. By the time we got to Dunedin we were getting tired and skipped through town in search of a campsite on the Otago Peninsula. It was a beautiful drive out along a windy coastal road and the weather was perfect but eager to find a campsite we didn’t stop to take photos (someday we’ll learn). The site at Portabello Bay was a bit like a parking lot. We are missing the open space of a free campsite in the middle of nowhere but a hot shower is always welcome.

BTW: The delay in posting is due to fact that cell phone reception has been terrible. Seems the country is not well covered at all – I suppose what’s the point when there are only 6 people in a town!

[Pictures: V sneaking a pot wash behind the van and our Domain campsite. Tractor and automates hack-saw at the engineering works. Yip, it’s a Curling Rink]

– Posted from my iPhone via 3G