Tunnel

Tunnel Beach is another interesting Dunedin spot.  We went with some friends to Tunnel Beach. According to newzealand.com, "In the 1870s Dunedin entrepreneur and politician, John Cargill, gave instructions for a tunnel to be carved through a sandstone cliff so that his family could have access to a beach near his home. It is rumoured he gave it to his daughter's as a birthday present. The tunnel provided them with private access to the beach and prevented 'exposure' at the public St Clair Beach nearby.The beach was used frequently at low tide by the families of John and Edward Cargill, both were the sons of Captain William Cargill, the driving force and inspiration behind the settlement of Otago in 1848."  I have also read John Cargill's daughter was pulled out to sea by the rip currents and drown on her 16th birthday.  Enjoy the pictures.

Vandals got to this sign, but a charming group photo nonetheless.

The walk down to the tunnel.  

Spectacular!

Claire in the tunnel (poor photo).

Boogie Boards!

Superhero/Ninja Oliver on the rocks!

Family

Claire and Oliver arrived today from the U.S.  They will be with us for the next three weeks.  Having our family be apart for so long has not been easy, even with Skype.  It will be even harder when they go back.

Claire, Molly, and O at the Dunedin train station.

When we told you, our friends and family in the U.S., Canada, and Great Britian, what we were doing you offered us your enthusiastic encouragement.  The friends and colleagues we have made in New Zealand have made us feel incredibly welcome.  Many of you have given a great deal of support to us, either in Bloomington or in Dunedin.  We could not possibly thank you enough.

So, with the family back together again, here it is one more time: THANK YOU!

Oliver fitting in.

Fair

On Saturday, March 31 Columba College held the annual Columba Fair, which is a fund raiser for the school.  The head convener of the Columba Fair is Jennifer, a Texan of considerable skill in the organization, delegating, and baking departments.  Her ability to run a well oiled fund raising machine has become the stuff of legend in Dunedin.  This year's fair has raised a considerable amount of money that will go, in part, to finding equipment for the new science lab.

How do you organize a school fair in New Zealand that makes a considerable amount of money?  You make sure the fair has . . .

A petting zoo, 

a plant and herb stall, 

a tombola (raffle),

fresh produce, 

an Easter tent, 

something to keep the Board of Trustees busy, 

kid games,

kid games that allow kids to hit things, 

and hit more things, 

a book sale,

cheerful volunteers, 

sheep,

plastic fish in bags of water,

friendly greeters,

sheep dogs (Hello, Teddy!),

egg decorating contests,

games of skill (like sock toss), 

an International Foods tent*,

the obligatory bouncy castle,

Scottish bagpipers,

bungie jumps, 

really good coffee,

a dunking booth,

well loved toys,

sweets,

a "sausage sizzle,"

a high dive tank,

head prefects, giant (visible) rabbits, and cute children with whistles,

well loved junk,

well loved clothing (piles of it!),

"Pick-a-Stick,"

a silent auction, . . . 

. . . and much, much more. So, in order to have a successful fund raising school fair, it really boils down to three key ingredients:

1. Extraordinary Leadership (Jennifer)

2. An army of volunteers, and 

3. An extraordinary leader's spouse (Will)

*The International Foods tent featured "New Orleans Gumbo" which took me aback somewhat.  Sometimes I forget that we are "foreigners."

Purakaunui

That's roughly pronounced pair-uh-canoe-ee.  Purakaunui is a small village near Long Beach, just north of Dunedin.  Long Beach was our destination on Otago Anniversary Day, which is a holiday for the Otago region.

Like most things, going to the beach in New Zealand is different.  As a Hoosier drives--carefully--along the roads that lead to some truly amazing, unpopulated, pristine beaches its in the back of the mind to listen for banjos playing or the squeal of distant pigs.  But that does not happen and you simply ignore the posted road signs.  Four-wheel drive is highly recommended.

The beaches are fantastic playgrounds for young and old.  Molly, Camilia, and Nathan found this incredible old tree with rope swing.  There were no signs warning of the inherent dangers, probabilities of death or loss of limb, and as I started to say "be careful" I caught myself and I let them have fun.  They did.  So did I.

When you come to New Zealand, if you plan to swim in the ocean, bring a wetsuit or rent one.  The water is cold and its a necessity. Molly and her friend Camilia are creature of the water, so a little chill was not going to stop them. . . 

. . . because they could warm up in the sun or lay in some of the tide pools which were warmer.

When you go to the beach, you should pay attention to the tide tables.  If you go when the tide is low, you get a glimpse of some interesting biological, geological, and physical phenomena. 

I am not a biologist.  These are limpets attached to a rock.  I understand that they are monovalve shellfish.

This is Camilia's dad, Blair, walking through one of the beach caves.  The surrounding igneous rock is basalt, the direct result of volcanic activity in this area millions of years ago.  You can easily make out the layers when you are standing next to them.

Sand ripples.  Same in both hemispheres, but cool nonetheless.

This is me on the beach.  Behind me you can see the caves in the cliff face.

Molly out in the water.  There are kayakers behind her in the distance.

The drive to and from the beach is another reason to be thankful for Dramamine.  Most of the roads, including the main roads, undulate and reduce to single lane tracks.  The coast road above Port Chalmers is beautiful, however, and worth filling a couple of air sick bags.

Port Chalmers from McAndrew Road

It was a great day.  Many thanks to Camilia and her family for sharing it with us!