Taieri Gorge: Rail Journey through a Strange and Beautiful Land
Today the Oceanic Discoverer arrived in the fine southern city of Dunedin. Founded by Scottish settlers in 1848, Dunedin is the chief city of Otago, which with its sister province of Southland makes up the southern quarter of Te Wai Pounamu, New Zealand’s South Island. A combination of Scottish enterprise and the wealth generated by the 1860s gold rush has left Dunedin with a leagacy of many fine Victorian era buildings. Here we find the University of Otago, New Zealand’s first University, a place that has made a huge contribution to the cultural and intellectual life of the country. The city is famous for its vibrant student culture, and the art, music amd occasional mayhem this produces. The Maori name for Dunedin is Otepoti, reputed to mean ‘the place beyond which no one can go’, where waka (canoes) were put ashore. We followed in this tradition, leaving our own waka in port and dividing our party for two distinct adventures.
One group of Lindblad guests set off for a day on the Otago Peninsula, a haven for local wildlife. The team observed the only mainland breeding colony of the Northern Royal Albatross at Taiaroa Heads. They were also able to get up close and personal to New Zealand Fur Seals, a species that is found in abundance on the peninsula.
For the rest of us the day was spent on a railway excursion through the Taieri Gorge, a truly spectacular part of the southern landscape. The railway line passes through magnificent gorge country, a landscape carved by the winding Taeiri River. A bizarre series of rock pillars and formations set in semi-arid country gives the journey an otherworldly feel. The line passes over high viaducts and clings to steep schist slopes. The traveller can not help marvelling at the achievement of the railway workers of the 1870s and ‘80s who built this line with sweat, muscle, pick and shovel. Throughout the journey we were entertained by commentary from the train guide, who told tales of building the line, and of the lives of the isolated farming families who lived in the area.
As we ventured into the open stone and tor country to the north of the Taieri Gorge, we followed yet another trail pioneered by the first Maori inhabitants in the thirteenth century AD. The European settlers who followed in the 1850s brought large scale farming to the area, to be followed by the gold prospectors of the 1860s and the railway builders of the following decades. The railway is no longer a working line but is now for tourists who wish to appreciate the natural beauty of the area and the human history visible in the railway itself. The line, which once went into the heart of Central Otago, now stops at the charming little town of Middlemarch. There it joins the Otago rail trail, a cycle way on which a three day journey can be taken through spectacular scenery and great wine country. For us though, Middlemarch was the end of the line. There we were served with a superb meal at the Quench cafe, our local hosts keeping us entertained and informed about the area. Then it was back on board for a return journey through the Gorge. A day of magnificent weather enhanced the visual experience and provided the chance for photographers to get busy. A great way to travel!
