Te Anau to Dunedin

Leaving the silence of Fiordland behind us we doubled back on ourselves heading East through Central Otago along first the 94, then after a heavy brunch (tea, smoothie and cakes) in the township of Gore, we joined Highway 1 (a different 1 to that on the North Island) and continued East through lamb country, narrowly avoiding one sheep farmer letting out his sheep to cross the Highway.

The drought and heat has, according to the papers and the dairy farmers we met yesterday, been very difficult on the lamb industry. Though, as we drove through the sun and land became shrouded in fog until we reached the Pacific side, where, funnily enough, all that Tasman wind is gone and while it may still be cloudy it is hot-hot-hot again.

Back into built up areas, the road North into Dunedin became a motorway - wow - we've not seen one of these in a couple of weeks. Our hotel is situated on the North West side of Dunedin's central Octagon, around which the city is built. As cities go, its not very cityish. I suppose in the same way Reading is loosely a city. It just is for the sake of it (something to do with gold having been found here...lots of it).

We've had a brief look around at the olde buildings but aren't going to stretch to too much today. Tomorrow, we're off to Mount Cook, so I think we'll save our energy and I'll convince Laura we should go see that new film out today at the cinema.