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View of the house and lowland from
the adjacent hill |
We had a late start today, possibly a combination of jet lag and the long drive the day before. We spent the morning exploring the farm which contains mainly sheep and cattle. It is split by the road into a flat lowland area and a quite steep hill, prone to land slip because of the rainfall and clay soil structure.
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The gorse looks like wattle, but is
covered in long spiky thorns |
We climbed up the hill to where the cattle were grazing, and where Kate had stacked dead dry gorse bushes that had been poisoned some months ago. The gorse is quite a pest here, and left unchecked can cover the hillsides.
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| Frances and Kate setting fire to the gorse |
Because of the steepness and instability of the hillsides caused by the retention of water in the clayey soil attacking the gorse is quite difficult.
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| The fire burned fierce and hot |
Anyway because of the dry conditions and lack of wind, we proceeded to stack more dead gorse and set fire to the piles.
The fire burned quite fiercely, but still not long enough to kill the still living bushes.
But the time we'd finished the burning off, it was almost 2 pm and we were all quite hungry so we headed into
Outram for lunch.
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| Roast beef at the pub |
Outram is a rural suburb of Dunedin, with a population of about 1,000. The original town was formed at a river crossing (ferry then bridge) on a route to the Central Otago goldfields.
The village was moved following a flood in the late 19th century and relocated to its current location - it's still located on a flood plain and has levee banks to protect the town. It was the first town in New Zealand to have electric street lights and still has the towns library. We only just made it to the pub before the kitchen closed, and it was roasts of the day (pork and beef) all round with the local
Speight's beer. Speight''s Gold is quite good, but the Alpine is a bit bland.
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| The Wobbly Goat Cafe |
After lunch we went to the nearby Wobbly Goat Cafe for some very good coffee and delicious cakes, especially the Lemon Meringue slice.
The rest of the afternoon, of which there was very little left, we relaxed in the farmhouse, interspersed with farming activities such as moving electric fences to direct the cattle and sheep into newer pastures to make the best use of the feed grass. That is, the idea is to eat out one area before moving to the next.
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| The location of the Fortune Theatre |
That night we decided to all go to the theatre in
Dunedin to see "Lungs" by Duncan Macmillan. It was playing at the
Fortune Theatre. which is in a gothic revivalist former church.
The play was about an overly analytical couple trying make a decision about having a baby. Interesting, but a little too angst-ridden and overwrought for us.
Afterwards we walked around the Octagon, the centre of Dunedin, which has a mixture of architectural styles, and was quite lively with a mixture of pubs, bars and restaurants.
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| Terriaki Bef Don |
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| Frances Kate & Arthur at Jizo |
We settled on the Jizo, a Japanese restaurant & bar for a late snack, Kate remarking that it was the first time she'd seen empty tables. The food was very good and the staff very pleasant which made for an excellent end to the day.
