| Symposium on How the Brain Constructs Reality | ||||||||||
| 14 and 15 Dec, 2000 | ||||||||||
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| Symposium on How the Brain Constructs Reality | ||||||||||
| 14 and 15 Dec, 2000 | ||||||||||
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If you have a Cirrus or Plus bank card, you should be able to withdraw funds from your home-country account and get them in NZ$ via any ATM. ATMs are easy to find in most airline terminals. Your bank will usually charge you a transaction fee (about $5), so the best idea is to get a good-sized wad, say NZ$200. The ATM will give you a good exchange rate, probably better than you can get from changing traveller's cheques. If your debit card fails, you can always get a cash advance by using a credit card in an ATM. Again you will get a good rate, although you will pay interest on the amount until you pay your credit-card bill.
You can use a credit card (Visa or Mastercard) to pay for purchases in most shops, even for quite small amounts such as $5.00. You will likely get quite a good exchange rate and pay no transaction fee. You may also be able to use your Cirrus or Plus bank card to pay for purchases. EFT-POS is more widely accepted than credit cards, but you will probably incur a transaction fee.
There is no tipping in New Zealand. People in service industries all get humane wages. Occasionally I've even had taxi drivers give me a tip! For example, if the fare were $10.50, the driver might say ``Oh, just forget about the fifty cents''.
Take it from someone raised in subtropical Brisbane: Dunedin is cold. In December, there may be occasional days where the maximum gets over 20 deg C, but these are probably about the same frequency as days when the maximum is around 10. The average Dec maximum is proabably about 15. It almost always gets cold at night, usually about 8. The weather is very variable. You could strike days of sunshine and light winds, or days of cloud, wind, and cold showers or hail, or all together on the same day.
I always warn prospective visitors that no one comes to Dunedin for its weather.
The fine, sunny days that do occur are sublime, but not without danger, especially for visitors from the northern hemisphere. The clarity of the air means that the level of untraviolet light is quite high. At 13:00, unprotected skin can burn within about 15 minutes. The danger of sunburn is particularly acute this year, because the Antarctic ozone hole is of record size. Bring a hat, UV-blocking sunglasses, and a sunblock.
Bring a pair of sturdy walking shoes, some thick socks, a pair of denim jeans, some T-shirts (which can double as undershirts), a long-sleeved shirt, a bulky woollen sweater, and a wind and waterproof jacket. You will be acceptably dressed for virtually all occasions, including meeting the Prime Minister.
It would also be useful to include a pair of sturdy shorts, and a pair of sneakers. If you really want to overpack for NZ, you could bring a pair of sandals, a tie, and a jacket.
The secret of dressing in NZ is to dress in layers. If it gets cold, you add layers; if it gets warm, you strip off layers.
Driving from Christchurch (CHC) to Dunedin (DUD!) is a good thing to do as a tourist, with several must-see places (MSPs). One good plan is to leave CHC by about 10:30, have lunch on the road, and be in Dunedin in time for dinner. That gives you plenty of time to spend at the MSPs.
Head south on Route 1. Pass through Ashburton and Timaru. If you are feeling hungry, you could eat lunch at Timaru. The last time I stopped there (10 years ago, or so!), I ate at a small brewery in a historic stone building that was originally part of the wharves. It was immediately south east of the city centre if my memory serves. The food was reasonable, and the surroundings interesting. Otherwise you could push on to Oamaru. It's about 3.5 hours drive from CHC to Oamaru.
I don't know of any good place to eat at Oamaru, but a fancy place to have lunch is the Old Mill House, south of Oamaru. Oamaru, however, is definitely worth exploring, so you should either ignore your hunger pangs, or eat rough. I'm sure you can get a meat pie at a ``dairy''. (If you do find a nice place to eat in Oamaru, record its location for me!)
In Oamaru, walk around the main street to admire the beautiful stone buildings. Find the historical part of the city (about 400 m south east of the city centre). Visit the ancient, stone building that houses the Visitors' Centre. Walk through the narrow streets to the old, stone, wharf buildings, now some distance from the water.
If you still have not lunched, the Old Mill House is on the right of the highway, about 26 km south of Oamaru. In the same region, just a little further on, if memory serves, is the number-one MSP: The Moeraki Boulders. There is a well-marked left turn across some railway tracks. The MBs are spherical boulders formed by chemical action that are being revealed by erosion. The largest is nearly 3 m in diameter. Even if a blizzard is blowing, it is worth seeing the MBs! The cafeteria there serves a reasonable lunch. Feel free to resist the temptation to put money into a box the cafeteria's owners have put on the path to the boulders. The cafeteria and its paths are on public land, so most of the costs have already been met by the NZ taxpayer.
It's about another 45 minutes drive to Dunedin.
The road becomes quite hilly just before reaching the Dunedin area. These hills, and one in particular, the Kilmog, will warn you of the approach of Waitati, at which you will have a decision. Just before Waitati, you will find the highway passing narrowly between Blueskin Bay on the left, and the railway lines on the right.
If it is fine, you should drive over the hills to Dunedin via Mount Cargill and Port Chalmers; it's spectacular. Otherwise, you should stay on Route 1. Here are directions to St Margaret's College for both routes:
Turn left at Waitati, and find a right turn onto Harvey Road (it's the only road that ascends out of Waitati towards Mount Cargill, a mountain bearing a TV transmitter tower). Stay on Harvey Road until you come to Shortcut Road; take it. Turn left onto Mount Cargill Road (it may be unsealed), then left again onto Blueskin Road; you'll have Mount Cargill on your right. Blueskin Road affords beautiful views of Dunedin city and harbour. Stay on it, turning right at three choice points, until you come back almost to sea level at Port Chalmers. Turn left onto Borlases Road; this will take you to an intersection with Route 88. Turn left if you want to explore the cute town of Port Chalmers, or right on Route 88 to press onto Dunedin.
Route 88 skirts the harbour and will bring you into Dunedin. The road eventually becomes Ravensbourne Road and veers right, away from the harbour, at a wool scour. You will pass a concrete works on the right, then see the University playing fields on your right. Turn right at a traffic island into Union Street, passing the Teachers' College on the left. Take the first right into Harbour Terrace. Take the second left into Dundas Street. Take the third left into Leith Street. Drive onto a narrow path. St Margaret's is on the left.
If it is rainy, bypass Waitati by staying on Route 1. You will drive over a big hill, then take a steep descent into Dunedin, veering right onto a one-way street, Cumberland Street. Get into the left lane. At the first traffic lights, turn left into Dundas Street. Take the third right, just over a bridge, into Leith Street. Drive onto a narrow path. St Margaret's is on the left.
This page was last updated on 12 Dec 2000.
