Tag Archives: Majestic Princess

Circumnavigating New Zealand — Arriving into Dunedin 2019


Dunedin, New Zealand

As with Fiordland, we passed through the city of Dunedin on New Zealand‘s South Island on cruises in 2019 and again in 2020, but 2020 saw us take a different excursion. So this week and next we’ll be taking a look at downtown Dunedin as seen in 2019 from our voyage aboard Majestic Princess. On our return visit to Dunedin the week after next we’ll be taking a train trip to Taieri Gorge. But for today we’re going on a Dunedin walking tour starting from The Octagon and heading east southeast along Lower Stuart Street.

Stuart Street at The Octagon

As we head toward Lower Stuart Street from The Octagon, let’s look back to the northwest and catch a glimpse of the spire atop Dunedin Town Hall:

Dunedin Town Hall

Then turn back to the east southeast along the historic areas of Stuart. In the view below you’ll see the Dunedin Railway Station, which is where we’re headed:

Lower Stuart Street

At the corner of Stuart St. and Moray Place are two views worth a moment of your time and some space on your digital camera’s memory card. Looking south you’ll see the impressive spire of the First Church of Otago:

First Church of Otago

And on the southwest corner is Dunedin’s impressive five-story Security Building, which dates back to 1918:

Security Building—Stuart St. at Moray Pl.

Further down the street is the historic Dunedin Law Courts building, which we’ll get to shortly. But before we do, we’ll pass by the surprising Art Deco façade of the Law Courts Hotel. Here I found the entrance rather fun:

Law Courts Hotel

As we approach the end of Lower Stuart Street we reach the Dunedin Law Courts building. This impressive example of John Campbell architecture was built in 1901-1902 in the Victorian Gothic style:

Dunedin Law Courts building

The central tower of the Law Courts features a depiction of Lady Justice:

Dunedin Law Courts building

And finally we reach the Dunedin Railway Station, which we’ll study in detail next week. This Wednesday we’ll traipse around The Octagon and take a look at the old Cadbury Factory. But here’s a small taste of next Monday’s viewing of the Railway Station:

Dunedin Railway Station

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Fun Photo Friday — Circumnavigating New Zealand; Milford and Doubtful 2


Peaks Peeking Through Clouds

Our last look at Fiordland before heading north:

Narrow Passage in Milford Sound

Milford Sound Waterfall

Pilot Leaving

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Circumnavigating New Zealand — Fiordland 2020; Cruising Milford Sound


Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Today we’re going to begin with Milford Sound in Fiordland National Park, then transition over to Doubtful Sound.

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Remember the two permanent falls in Milford Sound? Let’s take looks at both from slightly different vantage points beginning with Lady Bowen Falls, followed by Stirling Falls:

Lady Bowen Falls, Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Stirling Falls, Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

As I noted before, our 2020 excursion into Milford Sound gave us a vastly different weather experience than what we found awaiting us in 2019. Nevertheless, the drama made up for the coolish drizzle:

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

In the early afternoon we left Milford Sound behind and headed over to Doubtful Sound, which lies about 65 miles/105 kilometers to the south southwest of Milford.

Doubtful Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

You’ll see a lot more of Doubtful Sound on Wednesday, including some very playful dolphins playing in the wake of Radiance of the Seas. But for now I’ll just share with you a couple of images and some information on this fiord.

Doubtful Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Doubtful Sound is actually much longer than Milford, but in my view not quite as photogenic. Here the mountains seem less impressive, and there were fewer waterfalls. This may have just been my impression because the weather began to turn for the worse forcing me to seek shelter in the covered aft outdoor dining area for both me and my camera. This fiord is 25 miles/40 kilometers long, and at the widest point it stretches 2 miles/3.2 kilometers from shore to shore. At 1,380 feet/421 meters, Doubtful is the deepest fiord in Fiordland National Park.

Doubtful Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

Before we get farther in to Doubtful Sound on Wednesday, I’ll leave you with this final image from Milford Sound taken earlier in the day:

Milford Sound, Fiordland Nat’l Park, New Zealand

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