Friday, April 16, 2021

Day Fifty Seven North Dunedin

As the nights get darker earlier, I am walking streets closer to home and today I walked part of quite a few streets but only completed 6 streets

706. Titan Street
707. Gore Place
708. Lovelock Avenue
709. Arden Street
710. Sylvan Street
711. Knox Street

I walked around part of the student area which is mainly on the flat so there weren't many views.  One place that I got a great view was at the look out near the Northern Cemetery down to the playing fields near the University and out to the harbour.

I also saw Mount Cargill as the sunset and the clouds turned pink.  I have enjoyed looking out for Mount Cargill as I walk around the city.  As long as you can see Mount Cargill, you will never get lost in Dunedin.

On my walk today I walked past the Willowbank Distillery.   The Willowbank Distillery was opened.  and was the world's southern most distillery and it thrived until 1997 when the factory was sold and closed. The remaining barrels of whiskey were auctioned and are currently being stored in Oamaru.  Today the stone distillery buildings have been converted into student flats. 

On a narrow street hidden among the student flats is the Robert Law Writers Cottage.  The cottage, once owned by writer Robert Law who died in 1992, is run by a trust.  The house is available for writers to come and live in Dunedin  for a limited time rent free so they can concentrate on their writing.
 


Nicknamed 'the Coronation Street flats' because they look very much like the terraced houses on the British TV show Coronation Street, these flats and many others like them have housed students for many years. 

My walk tonight took me past many of the older Coronation Street type houses.  Parking is at a premium in the student housing area. 


I enjoyed walking Lovelock Avenue which runs through the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.  Lovelock Avenue is named after Jack Lovelock who  was New Zealand's first gold medalist in to win a gold medal in Athletics in the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.  

Lovelock Avenue winds it's way from the University to Opoho through the upper gardens so the gardens is on both sides of the road. 

On Lovelock Avenue is Lovelock House which was built in 1876 as the residence for the supreme court judge. The house consists of 14 bedrooms and is now used as student accommodation

I have been able to see the Dunedin Botanic Gardens during many of my walks and today I walked right around it.  The Dunedin Botanic Gardens is the oldest botanic gardens in New Zealand, established in 1863 and is the end of the Dunedin town belt.  

 At the entrance to the Northern Cemetery on Lovelock Avenue is the memorial to Thomas Bracken. Thomas Bracken  is an Irish born New Zealand poet who wrote the New Zealand national anthem 'God Defend New Zealand' in 1878.  He is buried in the Northern Cemetery. 

At the lookout near the Northern Cemetery I walked past some huge Australian Gum Trees.  I imagine they were planted around the same time that the cemetery opened in 1872.

I walked past one painted telephone cabinet tonight.  It reminds me of a more psychedelic time. 


Distance walked:  6.1 km      Walking time   1 hr 6 mins    

Total distance: 450.8 km       Total walking  84 hr 46 mins

No comments:

Otago Harbour Cycleway 30 October 2023

With my sister in town, it seemed a shame to waste a calm, sunny day so the two of us hopped on a bike each to enjoy the recently opened 32k...