Still chasing Middle-earth in real life, we set out for Mount Sunday and kept rolling south through Tekapo, Aoraki/Mt Cook, Oamaru, and Dunedin—mostly in the rain, but with plenty of small wins along the way.
Mount Sunday (Edoras)
In my last post, we were heading to Mount Sunday. Since arriving in New Zealand, the weather has been rainy and cold, and this day was no exception—grey skies and drizzle the whole drive from Methven over gravel roads.
Mount Sunday was the filming location for Edoras in The Lord of the Rings. When we arrived, the rain paused, and the hill was mercifully clear. We hiked the short trail and climbed to the top in about half an hour, passing a guided tour that runs all the way from Christchurch (pricey!). We did it DIY for free and soaked up the moody views while the clouds toyed with us, but never fully lifted.
Lake Tekapo & Aoraki/Mt Cook
After the climb, we backtracked to the main road and continued south and west to Lake Tekapo. Even under slate skies, the place hints at how stunning it must be on a bluebird day. We found the last beds in town—an impersonal, crowded hostel—and were hustled out right at checkout. Not my favourite stop, and paying extra for patchy internet is getting old fast.
Post-run, we drove on to Aoraki/Mt Cook. The rain returned, and the mountain stayed hidden, so we settled for a hike up to the Tasman Glacier viewpoint. After the glaciers we’ve seen this year, it takes a lot to wow us—but the landscape still felt raw and impressive despite the gloom.
Oamaru: First Penguins
From there, we pushed to the coast and reached Oamaru, home to colonies of blue and rare yellow-eyed penguins. We watched the yellow-eyed penguins from a cliff-top lookout as they shuffled on the beach far below. The blue penguin colony charges admission; we skipped it and chased the free vantage points instead.
Our lodge-style hostel across from the beach was a welcome refuge—cozy, comfortable, and blessedly with Wi-Fi—as wind and rain hammered outside. We would have stayed longer if there had been space over Easter.
Moeraki Boulders
Timing low tide, we stopped at Moeraki on the way to Dunedin. The perfectly round boulders—formed over millennia as minerals accreted around a core and later exposed by the receding sea—sit scattered across the sand like giant cracked soccer balls. Strange, beautiful, worth the detour.
Dunedin: Easter Base
We based ourselves in Dunedin for the long weekend at a hostel called Hogwarts (yes, really), staring out at a grand cathedral in the rain. Good Friday and Easter Sunday had limited openings, but we still found plenty to do between runs, walks, and nosing around the city.
We passed on the full Cadbury tour (the factory isn’t operating on weekends anyway) and visited the visitor centre instead. The Speight’s Brewery tour hit the spot—informative, fun, and capped with a generous self-serve tasting. Pro tip: book the last tour of the day.
Otago Peninsula Wildlife
At last: a break in the weather. We drove the winding coastal road to the tip of the Otago Peninsula. The albatrosses didn’t show (no wind and a steep fee for the nesting side), but we hiked down to a beach with basking fur seals and—best of all—caught yellow-eyed penguins climbing toward their nests. Later at Sandfly Bay, we hit the jackpot: more penguins plus several sea lions, two of which had a brief, snarling dust-up straight out of a nature doc.
Steep Streets & Surf Beaches
We walked Baldwin Street, the self-proclaimed steepest street in the world, and bumped into a Dutch traveller we’d met in Hanmer and Oamaru—New Zealand’s backpacker circuit is a small world. We gave him a lift back out to the peninsula, scanned St Clair Beach (no sea lions there), then returned to Sandfly Bay for more wildlife watching as the light softened.
Farewell to Dunedin
Before rolling on, we admired the handsome Dunedin Railway Station and popped into the Settlers Museum for a well-curated look at the region’s early arrivals. Dunedin really does feel like the Edinburgh of New Zealand—Scottish echoes everywhere, right down to Robbie Burns in the Octagon.
What’s Next
We’re pointing the car further south into the Catlins next, saving that story for the following post. As I write, rain is drumming on the cabin roof again. Cross your fingers for a proper blue-sky day—we’re more than ready to dry out.
Reflection
If this stretch taught us anything, it’s that New Zealand’s magic isn’t weather-dependent. Sure, the postcard shots hide when the clouds roll in, but the place keeps offering up moments—penguins at dusk, sea lions arguing on a windswept beach, hot cups of tea after a soggy hike—that feel just as unforgettable. Sometimes the best memories are the ones you didn’t plan for, made under a raincoat with cold hands and a silly grin.
