Mo's Birthday and Summertime Down South

We knew we were in for a special treat on the Otaga Pennisula.  After a scenic ocean-side drive in the country (half-hour away from Dunedin), we spent an overnight visit at a Scottish castle.  It lived up to its reputation and I felt like "a queen for the day". The highlight was an evening dinner with ghost stories in the main dining room at Larnach Castle.

Here are some pictures of Mo's birthday at the castle:

Driving out to the castle

It was an incredible drive (windy and narrow) on a perfect summer day.  We had views of the city, cruise ships heading into the harbor, and quaint villages.  The road was supposedly built by convicts for horse and buggy traffic.   

This unique castle was a century-old baronial manor, New Zealand's only castle.  It was over four stories that contained beautiful Italian marble fireplaces, antique furniture, and paintings of the William Larnach family. Three workman reportedly spent 12 years carving the ceilings in the castle.  It took over 14 yrs to build the castle but eventually it fell into disrepair during the 1960s.  In 1967, a family bought the worn-down castle and spent years restoring it.

A splendid view that looked out towards the lofty Taiaroa Head, the tip of the peninisula.  There was a colony of albatrosses, huge seabirds, that gracefully swooped, turned and soared overhead while in flight.  Earlier in the week, we had toured the Royal Albatross Center for a special viewing of the big birds (wing span of 3 m.) with their chicks.

We spent part of the day exploring the castle.  Of course, no castle would be complete without its turrets and winding staircase to the upper level of battlement.     

No cooking or cleaning for me.  It was a Jan. birthday dinner to remember. There was plenty of room for dinner with other guests who sayed in the lodge accommodations.

 

In Dunedin, we took time-out from our conference to explore. We hiked up the world's steepest street to discover we forgot the camera.  We hiked back down and then sped up in the car so we could take some snapshots.

Ready, set, go!  I'll race ya.

I know-you already saw pictures of Gabe and paragliding.  However, this picture was the bird's eye view.  Such a brave young man to fly around in the sky.