Cromwell to Dunedin

It was only 7 C when we woke up in Cromwell this morning and as we left town we could see fresh snow on the surrounding hills....yes, in February. It is likely to get worse before it gets better as Cromwell is forecast to have a low temperature of 3 C tonight and 0 C tomorrow night. Brrrrr.  

We followed highway 85 from Alexandra to Palmerston with a couple of side trips. 

Our first stop was in St Bathans, an old town on a 27 Km loop off highway 85. The town was originally a gold mining town in the 1860s but is well past it's glory days. There were many old buildings of interest, but we also enjoyed the Blue Lake. 

A short distance down the highway we made our second stop at Naseby, where, according to Tricia, the local cafe served great Black Forest Brownies. The cafe was very busy and although the brownies looked good we opted for the generously sized Date Scones, which were most delightful. 

I also couldn't resist taking a picture of the advertising on the side of a building in Naseby, as in my parents house you either drank Tiger tea or nothing at all. 

It was then back on the road, heading to Palmerston, which pales in comparison to Palmerston North, where Margaret, Tricia and I were born. Finding no park in which to enjoy our lunch, we headed south towards Dunedin and ate in another little picnic area off the highway, of which NZ has an abundance. 

We were all very happy to arrive at our motel in downtown Dunedin, just one block from the Octagon, and to enjoy a hot cup of tea as the day did not really warm up much.

Later we walked to a supermarket for provisions and then had a 45 minute walk after dinner, before settling down to an English detective show on TV. 

Tomorrow we plan to spend the morning in the city and then venture out to an Albatross colony in the afternoon.