Taking a major route gets you from A to B in minimum time, but choosing the longer road allows you to explore beauty spots only locals will know. In the present case this meant deviating to the east of State Highway 1 north of Ōtepoti | Dunedin. We would discover a new favourite locale in Pūrākaunui Inlet and stumble across a beautiful rare bird we were not supposed to see here. At Aramoana, the small town with a troubled past, we would see our first mainland sea lion—having previously encountered them on Stewart Island.
Coordinates
Waikouaiti Beach, north of Ōtepoti | Dunedin, is edged with pīngao/ Ficinia spiralis—an endemic sand-binding sedge (first photo). Māori tradition says the plants are eyebrow hairs of god of the forest, Tāne Mahuta. Heading south there are views over Karitane from Puketeraki Lookout on Coast Road (second photo) and—further along—to the sand spit of Warrington Beach (third photo). The Blueskin Bay estuary inside the spit is known for clams/ cockles (final photo).
Opposite Warrington, Doctors Point Beach is sectioned by sea caves, so is best visited at low tide (first photo). Little blue penguin/ kororā nest here; as our visit was during daytime we only saw their tracks (second photo). Nearby Orokonui Lagoon Walk is a 3.5km/ 1h loop around an estuary (third photo). Bird life here is scant, but the area is actively rewilding. Replanting included the striking native red-flowering kākā beak/ Clianthus puniceus (final photo).
Pūrākaunui Road northeast of Dunedin is a scenic drive. There are views towards Pūrākaunui Inlet and further up the coast, back to Karitane and beyond (first photo). You can peer down into Otago Harbour, taking in Quarantine Island, Port Chalmers and Deborah Bay, which is filled with small boats (second photo). Look over Derbyshire-like drystone walls into Portobello Bay and at the 254m McCartney Hill (third photo). The road passes under Mihiwaka, peaking at 561m (final photo).
We freedom camped beside the beautiful Pūrākaunui Inlet, seen here with a view to 468m Mopanui peak (first photo). On a local track to the estuary mouth we sat a while to admire the sands of Pūrākaunui Bay opposite, together with the defensible cliffs of the 18th century Mapoutahi Pā (second photo); Warrington Spit is visible beyond. Returning via the Pūrākaunui Inlet Track (third photo) we saw a rare juvenile nankeen night heron/ umu kōtuku/ Nycticorax caledonicus. It was not supposed to be here (usually found in the Whanganui River area), nor awake (final photo)!
Pūrākaunui Inlet didn’t need to work hard to captivate us. It was a still evening as the tide returned (first photo). B walked up the road for an elevated view from green fields of a muted sunset (second photo), and a telephoto view of the boat sheds reflecting in fading light, with Mapoutahi Pā beyond (third photo). Next morning the sacred kingfisher/ kōtare/ Todiramphus sanctus visited, looking for estuarine edibles on the tide (final photo); S had earlier observed the kingfisher dispatching crab!
Over the headland, Long Beach to the northeast of Ōtepoti | Dunedin is just over 2km of sand—much of which was flying during our visit (first photo). The beach is sprinkled with turret shells belonging to the endemic sea snail Maoricolpus roseus (second photo). There are caves at the northern end, including a rather large one used by fire-making campers and party-goers (third photo). The adjacent crags are popular with rock climbers (final photo).
Aramoana. B was on shift in Dunedin Public Hospital when the bodies came in after the 1990 mass shooting; we visited the town’s memorial. But haunting memories isn’t all there is here.
The Mole (a man-made sea defence) is ideal for spying coastal birds, such as the white-fronted tern/ Sterna striata (first photo) and spotted shag/ Phalacrocorax punctatus—whose green cheek foretell breeding season (second photo). NZ sea lions/ Phocarctos hookeri—the rarest in the world—blend into sand (third photo). We were throughly sandblasted during a walk to Keyhole Rock on Big Beach (final photo).
Port Chalmers in Otago Harbour has a 23m long “Flying Whale” mural on the side of the Cruise Terminal building (first photo)—and an associated art shop on George St, which also features examples of heritage architecture (remaining photos). European settlement began here soon after Kāi Tahu sold the land known as Kōpūtai (“full tide”) in 1844. In 1881 the port shipped the first ever consignment of frozen NZ meat to Britain—the humble beginnings of a massive export business.
Mt Cargill to the north of Ōtepoti | Dunedin is seen here from Buttars Peak (first photo); it summits at 676m. The 105m tower is the city’s tallest man-made structure. These craggy rocks are the eroded younger remains of the 1000m Dunedin Volcano that last erupted 10 million years ago. From the lookout views extend over the city and down the coast into The Catlins (second photo); over the full length of Otago Peninsula (third photo); and north into Blueskin Bay/ out to Shag Point (final photo).
Accessed from Mt Cargill Lookout (alternative access is via Mt Cargill Road with limited parking), the 4km/ 1.5h return Organ Pipes Track leads to basalt columns formed during the volcanic creation of the Dunedin area. Descend to Buttars Peak at 617m for views (first photo) then continue downwards towards Mt Holmes at 575m. As you reach the latter, engage all-limb drive to ascend the columnar debris (second photo). Scramble through the scrub to reach more columns (third and fourth photos).
Orokonui Ecosanctuary is a community-led, not-for-profit, 307 hectare wildlife refuge with walking tracks. Enclosed by 9km of predator-proof fence, it promotes biodiversity for native species and habitats. In their respective enclosures we saw the native grass skink/ Oligosoma polychroma (first photo) and Otago skink/ Oligosoma otagense (second photo). Among the plants were the native tree fuchsia/ Fuchsia excorticata (third photo) and mountain daisy/ Celmisia hookeri (final photo).
New Zealand’s native lizards
There are more endemic lizards in NZ (over 120 species) than there are endemic land or water birds. Handling them without a DOC-issued permit is illegal.
Otago skinks are NZ’s largest lizards, reaching up to 30cm in length (noting the tuatara is not a lizard). Being unique to Otago, they are one of NZ’s rarest reptiles. Habitat destruction and introduced mammalian predators mean they are critically threatened, with a plummeting population confined to only 8% of their former range. Under licence, Orokonui Ecosanctuary breed them in protective captivity.
The markings of the Otago skink camouflage them against lichen-covered rocks and schist outcrops; the crevasses within provide them with shelter from frost, extreme heat and predation. With a lifespan of up to 37 years, they eat fleshy fruits, insects and other small lizards.
🌲 Rewilding
Orokonui Ecosanctuary is also a bird haven. Natives we saw during our 3-hour visit included the kākā/ Nestor meridionalis (first photo); tūī/ Prosthemadera novaeseelandiae (second photo); and NZ bellbird/ Anthornis melanura (📷3)—but sadly not the takahē/ Porphyrio hochstetteri (final photo). The latter photo was taken in Otago Museum: the Ecosanctuary’s pair were a no-show, as they’ve a chick and some 10ha to roam! Also no-shows were the jewelled gecko; tuatara; native fish and frog species; and butterflies—so we have reason to return!
Dosed up on nature, we were headed next into the urban environment of Dunedin City.
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