We reached the end of the road when it comes to going south in New Zealand.  There is nothing beyond Steward Island so it is time to start heading east toward Dunedin.  But, we take the time to enjoy several stops along the way.

Fortrose Cliffs

The Fortrose cliffs offer a stunning view of beach, rocks, and cliffs.  Super pretty magical spot to be in first thing in the morning.

It was a bit cold and rainy so we continued on to our next stop, the Waipapa Lighthouse.

Waipapa Lighthouse

The Waipapa Lighthouse was constructed in 1881 after NZ’s worst passenger ship disaster occurred.  131 of the 151 souls on board lost their lives that day their ship ran aground.  Some of the bodies were transported back to Fortrose, but over 60 people were buried in a mass grave site near the lighthouse.

The lighthouse was operational until about 1976 when it finally became automated.  People lived on the grounds until about 1981 before moving away.  The lighthouse is a short and stubby one standing at only 12.4m tall.

Views from the lighthouse were a little obstructed by the grounds, but the walks around the lighthouse were lovely.

The rain was starting to come down a little more so we departed and made our way towards Curio Beach.  I hopped out to snap a photo and when I returned to the car a bird was keeping watch.

The photo of Curio Beach.

Dunedin

We finally make it to Dunedin and wow – we were surprised at what a big, bustling city this is.  We did not expect it at all.   The first thing I wanted to see is Baldwin Street which was recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records to be the steepest street in the world!

This 350-metre stretch of road has a maximum gradient of 19 degrees (though there are little bits that are 21 degrees) with the ground rising a metre for every 2.86 metres you cover horizontally.

The photos just don’t do it justice, but we did force our little BMW to drive up and down it just because we could.

At the top there is a little memorial.

Matt is not too fond of Dunedin because there are lots of one way streets, lots of traffic, and just lots of everything.  Its a good thing we are only here for one night.  We start to move north tomorrow.

• Kilometers traveled: 275km
• Hotel: The Laws Court (would not recommend!)
• Time traveled: 5 hours
• Kilometers walked: 4.3

Events from this blog post occurred in early March. Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind live events.  In our last blog post I share our experience at Stewart Island, the 3rd largest island in New Zealand.