It takes almost an hour to reach the city center from the port. The city is not very impressive. However, our plans were not to spend time in the city but travel to Clealand Wildlife Park - a sanctuary where you can pet Australian wildlife. Our plans fell through because public transportation was not available on a Sunday. The excursion to Clealand was offered through the cruise ship, which in retrospect we wished we had booked through.
The Healsville Sanctuary was disappointing. We viewed one shy koala too high in a eucalyptus tree to see.
Walking Tour Rating:
Serendip Park is as close to a genuine bush walk as you can get in these parts. With enough patience, herds of kangaroos can be sighted through the bush.
Having little knowledge of the surrounding area, we pre-purchased a bus ride into Dunedin the night before. Not surprisingly, Dunedin is a beautiful city with great architecture, commerce and cafes -- just not our thing. We boarded the bus to return to the ship after a brief walk-around and a few photos.
As we returned to port, we found the spectacular beauty of New Zealand was awaiting us right in Port Chalmers. Multiple hiking paths existed to choose from and the hiking was exhilarating due to the challenging hills, unfamiliar plants and trees canopying over us creating a jungle-like feel but the benefit of crisp cool weather instead of humidity. The hike was an experience of awe and the clear lookout point we reached was a brilliant landscape surrounding the ocean. Views that almost seemed more like a flawless painting than real life.
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