While it was storming when I fell asleep, the weather is quiet and peaceful when I wake up. The sky is blue, almost cloudless and the sun is rising. It’s probably going to be a bright day. I think this is one of my favorite parts of camping, waking up in nature. Just opening the doors of your car when you wake up and stepping outside while you wake up.

Before I make myself breakfast I walk to the beach behind the parking place. Now that the wind has almost gone, it’s not so cold at the beach and with the sun up the view is amazing. The waves are high and the beach stretches out really far. There is no one there beside me. I stand there for a while and then get the great idea to have breakfast at the beach. I walk back to the car and get my camping table and chair and the food for breakfast. While I’m packing the stuff for breakfast, I discover that I’ve lost my favorite book. I search, but cannot find it. I must have forgotten it at the coffee place the the other day. That’s quite a bummer, but I don’t let it destroy this great moment. I enjoy my breakfast at the beach, it’s lovely. After breakfast, I go back to the car, go online and reorder the book at amazon so I know I can continue reading it when I’m back home.

It’s only a short drive of about fifteen minutes to the city of Dunedin. They call this place also ‘Edinburg of New Zealand’, I think because it was founded by the Scots. There are many old and pretty houses and the streets are pretty uphill. I park just out of the city center and when I grab my backpack, suddenly I find my book back. I’m so happy. It’s interesting how you can be even more happy with something once you’ve lost it and find it back. From where I parked I walk to the city center. There are so many old houses and building here and there is also a lot of beautiful street art, it’s really nice to walk and look around. To my surprise I find a Starbucks. I didn’t know there was one here as well and of course I go inside for a cup of coffee and also to update my blog. This is one of the prettiest Starbucks places I’ve seen. There is a fireplace inside and there are large windows with high ceilings, so it looks really big. I update my blog and get to talk to some senior guys who tell me they come here often to talk and hang around. Some of them have been in the Netherlands in the past and we talk for a while about New Zealand and Europe and all kinds of things. I also look up some places to visit here and then go back outside, because it’s a beautiful bright day.

The seniors recommend me to take a train ride and so I go to the train station. The train leaves in 2,5 hours, so I still have plenty of time to do something else. I go back to my car and drive to Tunnel Beach, just out of the city. There are beautiful cliffs formed by high waves. It’s a nice short hike of about an hour and then I drive back to the city.

I pick up some sandwiches for lunch and arrive just in time back at the train station. I get myself a ticket for the 2.30pm train to Pukerangi, a four hour return train ride, so I should be back at Dunedin around 6.30pm. It’s a pretty old train with wood on the inside and outside balconies at the ends of the cars where you can stand on. Taking a train ride like this is something I’d really liked to do and I’m glad I got on one now. During the ride the train conductor gives lots of information about the places we drive by and on a beautiful day like this the ride is very enjoyable. I enjoy my lunch and the scenery that passes by. The train ride is beautiful and passes many mountains and rivers. After about two hours we stop at a mountain which is the destination of the trip. We walk around for about ten minutes and then the train returns to Dunedin. On the way back I spend some time reading, but not too much because I also want to enjoy the ride. Just before 7pm we arrive back in Dunedin. I walk to my car, go to a supermarket for some groceries and then drive to a camping place not too far from the city, because it’s getting dark soon. The camping place is closed, but some local people tell me it’s okay to park there anyway. A bit worried about wild camping, but too tired to continue driving I decide to stay here for the night.