In the dreaming and planning stages of this journey we are on the times that we would have to stop and work were not the times that kept me inspired to keep going when things were difficult. I knew they were necessary but didn’t imagine they could be just as interesting as the traveling times. But spending extended periods of time in places actually adds to our whole trip in a unique way. We were really looking forward to spending a bit of time in Dunedin for this stint of work. It would be the biggest city we had been in for quite a while and one that we expected to have plenty of options for filling our downtime while we were here. Wayne and I had visited Dunedin before, spent one night and crammed as much in to two days as we could but left feeling it was a place with so much more still to offer.
We arrived in Dunedin on a weekend and had two days to spend just exploring a little, finding our feet in this new place before Wayne started looking for work. We have always read up about our options of places to park before we arrive. But when you are looking for a bit more long term options, in winter, in an 11.5 metre bus it sometimes means your plans aren’t completely clear until you arrive somewhere and see the options for yourself. Dunedin is very hilly, lots of narrow streets and flat space is at a premium. But we found two good options in Mosgiel and decided that we would most likely float between them during our time here. One had power for $15 a night but the walk to town from there was along a busy main road with hardly any grass verge to keep Oliver (and this Mums nerves) intact during the 10 minute stroll meant we would be largely stuck at the campground when we stayed here. The other option had no power and is just a carpark but at only $5 a night and with a playground, library, Mosgiel town center and a bus stop all just a few minutes walk along a nice safe footpath. Clearly the second option was going to make my weeks with Oliver go much quicker so we settled there to start with but with the knowledge that being the middle of winter we would have to float between the two a bit to keep our batteries charged.
I have to admit that our first couple of weeks in Dunedin flew by in a bit of a blur. We always expected it might be easy to find work here but never dreamed how quickly it would all move. Literally the first place Wayne visited offered him work, but there was a slight catch. They wanted to fly him to Christchurch the next day where he would work for the rest of that week then after that there would be work back in Dunedin for him. So then began the whirlwind of moving the bus to the spot with power so I didn’t have to worry about that while our driver was away, packing a bag and waving goodbye to Dad as he headed off on his plane. I know it shouldn’t have been because he was so little at the time but it was a bit of a shock for me during this process to realize that Oliver has no memory at all of the time when Daddy being away working every week was our reality. I guess I am grateful that he doesn’t remember how absent Wayne was in those years, that he can’t imagine a life where Daddy is not around. He wasn’t the only one who was glad to pick Wayne up from the airport and have that missing piece back again. Bus life (and life in general) is just better when we are together.
We have already found a few favourite spots in Dunedin. The beaches are beautiful, I think my love of a good beach is well documented by now and life just feels better when there is one close enough to get to on a regular basis. The botanic gardens here are great, you can get free food for the ducks and there are also swarms of pigeons keen to get in on the action who will literally land all over you to get to the food if you let them. There are a multitude of paths leading through the gardens and an amazing aviary at the top of the hill with a huge array of both native birds and colorful parrots from warmer climates. The city itself is interesting to wander around, scattered with old buildings, gorgeous churches and plenty of street art. So far Dunedin gets a big thumbs up as our home for the winter.
My Wandering Kiwi Family 