I ended up doing a little bit of traveling on my own back in February of 2020. I know what you’re wondering — where’s Stefan? Did you dump him on Stewart Island? Did he fall in a kiwi pit? Did he end up getting Marmite poisoning? Those are all great guesses, btw, but no! He had to go back to the U.S. for a couple of interviews and I was left to fend for myself in New Zealand for two weeks! When we found out that Stefan had to briefly go back to the US, I had a big decision to make: retreat back to at HelpX #3 near Auckland where I’d be safe among the sheep and hosts I already knew, or try something I’d never done in my life and solo travel in the South Island.
In the end, I decided to be brave and pick option 2. Traveling around Dunedin won out because my main purpose for coming to New Zealand was to EXPLORE! It was quite scary thinking of going to a place by myself and not knowing anybody within at least an 8 hour drive (and really, no close friends or family on this side of the planet), but in spite of my fears, I ended up meeting lots of solo travelers and even hitchhiked for the first time!
One of the first things I needed to book for my stay in Dunedin was accommodation. Stefan had stayed in hostels before throughout his time in Europe, and by how he described them, I thought they would all be grungy, dirty, and cheap. However, I needed a cheap place to stay and wanted to meet some other travelers, so I took to the interwebs to try to book something! Fortunately, there’s a site called HOSTELWORLD which has rankings on the best hostels available in the area. To my amazement, there was a hostel in Dunedin themed after Hogwarts! They didn’t have any openings the first night I would be there, so I booked my first night at a random hostel a little farther from the town square.
I was on the phone with my dad on my way to the first hostel, who was worried about me traveling alone in an unknown place. His comments made me worried about being there by myself, which was not good, seeing as I would be alone…at night…with strangers! I can imagine how tough it must be for a parent to see their child alone in foreign country, but I felt like New Zealand was very safe and telling me all the things that could go wrong did not make the situation any better! I needed support and comfort, and I was NOT getting any that night by any means.
I ended walking about a mile from my bus to get to hostel #1, which was on a hill (Dunedin is made up of nothing but hills, it turns out), and it looked to be a pretty run-down hill, too. I entered the hostel, which looked very similar to a frat house. I checked in and went to my bed, which was in a room with 4 other beds and just laid down to destress a bit after the travel and talk with my dad. I felt so uncomfortable! Had I made a mistake? Should I have gone back to the North Island where I at least know some people?! These were all the thoughts running through my mind that evening.
The next morning, I went to eat breakfast in the shared kitchen area. There were 6 other travelers eating breakfast at the table but none of them were talking. As awkward as I am, I was there to meet new people so I started a conversation with the couple in front of me by asking what they were planning to do that day. They were from Ireland and were taking a couple of months of vacation — then the whole group started talking! It was nice to see that there were less “frat guys” living there and more people like me just traveling and wanting to get to know a new place in the world!
One thing that I like about Dunedin (among many other things) is that it is a university town, so I decided to spend that day walking around the university and getting to know a little bit of the history there. It turns out that the University of Otago is the oldest university in New Zealand! Below are some photos I took of the university campus.
Days 2-4: Hogwartz & Hitchhiking
Even though I was excited to meet and get to know people from the first hostel, I was looking forward to be staying at the Hogwarts-themed hostel. When I entered, there were two women attending the check out desk and one of them reminded me so much of Madam Hooch from Harry Potter (turns out that she was the owner of the hostel!). Upon checking in, I was given a little piece of paper with a code for wifi (internet usage is super limited in NZ) and for entering the premises after dark — too bad there wasn’t a painting I could tell my password to! The large windows and old stone-looking walls really gave the vibe of staying at Hogwarts, and I was really into it!
I went to my room, which I shared with four other travelers. A couple of them were staying there long-term and helped do some cleaning at the hostel for room and board, and the other two were solo female travelers, one from Germany and another from the UK! We ended up sharing some stories of what brought us there and what our plans were for our upcoming travels. I got the best recommendations of what to do in Dunedin and I jotted all of them down in my journal:
visit the Otago peninsula and check out the albatross center (along with the fur seals)
check out the world’s steepest hill on Baldwin Street
walk through the Otago museum
explore Tunnel Beach
One of the women even mentioned that she had hitchhiked to the end of the Otago peninsula — I thought that this was fascinating and made me thing that I could do it, too! Well, I ended up doing all of the activities above and more! That night and the next morning I spent most of my time planning my whole trip there. I looked to https://www.bookme.co.nz/ (a site similar to Groupon, which gives discounts on certain NZ-themed activities and events) to see if there were any good deals coming up. I ended up grabbing a deal for the Larnach Castle, which was close to the Otago Peninsula, for Sunday.
I was still feeling a little insecure about meeting new people, so I decided to sign up for hot yoga down the street, which I also found on BookMe. They had six different yoga and pilates classes which were very relaxing and welcoming to my beaten up legs from walking the Rakiura track.
I talked to my German roomie that night, who was planning on biking to the end of the Otago Peninsula and back. It was about a 30 mile round-trip to go to the end of the peninsula, and even though I think I’m tough I know I’m not THAT tough — so I planned to take the bus. That Sunday, I grabbed my Osprey backpack and walked over to the bus stop and waited there. Now, I’m not used to taking the bus, so I just stood there waiting, and waiting, and waiting. Turns out the buses don’t take their regular routes on Sunday so I had to walk to the visitor’s center to find that out!
The bus also didn’t go all the way to the Otago Peninsula on Sundays, so I was going to have to find a way to travel the rest of the 11 km by myself! I started walking to my destination, but in my mind I knew there was no other choice but to hitchhike. Now, I know what you’re thinking: “She can’t hitchhike! She’s a girl — and not a very strong one at that! She’s going to get herself killed and murdered!” Yeah I know! But it made me think how since I was on a peninsula, people will be driving one way, get to the end, and then drive back the same way — and I imagined that at least 80% of them are tourists! And the other 20% were probably people just living there—not exactly the same situation as hitchhiking at a truck stop on the side of the interstate. And also what about all the women that told me they hitchhiked and were totally fine? With my stubbornness and determination (or lack thereof) of not walking the entire 11 km to get to the end of the peninsula, I walked up to a lady near a gas station and asked to see if I could get a ride. She said she wasn’t going to the peninsula but she gave me a comforting smile and said I could definitely go with her if she were! So I didn’t look like a complete psycho – that’s good!
Scenery on my way to the end of the Otago Peninsula
I walked quite a bit farther down the road and put out my arm out — I actually don’t know how I put my hand out, but I’m sure it was one of these four: (1) The thumbs up — “you did a good job if you picked me up”, (2) The thumbs down — “you did not do a good job if you didn’t pick me up” (3) Love sign — “I’m just here cause I love NZ” (4) The timid wave — “I’m just saying hi, but also bye if you don’t pick me up”
Your guess is as good as mine on which one I chose!
A kiwi man in his white truck stopped and asked if I needed a ride, and I, being nervous as I was said yes. I hopped on and he told me how he lived on the harbor. My first thought was “Oh no! He’s not a tourist!” So I held on tight to my backpack in case I needed to knock him over the head with it. Turns out he was a super nice guy and gave me a ride all the way to the end of the peninsula and told me to enjoy the albatross center!
I had done it! I hitchhiked all the way there! I let that sink in and headed up to the albatross center, which has a little café and a museum of an exhibit on albatrosses and sea life in New Zealand. Albatrosses have the largest wingspan of any bird AND are the largest flying bird! I didn’t end up seeing any actual live ones on the end of the peninsula but the exhibit gave me a good idea of how big this bird actually is!
After I walked around to either side of the center, I realized I had to go back the 11 km to where the bus dropped me off and then walk another who-knows how many miles to get to the Larnach castle. But, I was having such a great time that I just decided to start walking — I was going to get there one way or another! I tried my old hitchhike trick (perhaps one of the other four signs from above?). This time it didn’t work so well. Cars and cars passed me by without stopping. I walked about 4 km when a kiwi man in his little vintage light blue convertible showed up and asked me if I needed a ride! I said “yes!” and got in with no hesitation this time. We drove back with the sea to our right and my hair just flying in the wind — I felt like I was the star in a 1960s movie! People around us waved and I was on cloud nine! He asked me where I was going today and I told him that I intended to go to Larnach castle, but he could just drop me off at the gas station in Portobello (where the bus had dropped me off). He said it was quite a ways to get to Larnach castle so he could drive me there, but we stopped in Portobello for some ice cream — this was the best day ever!
Unfortunately, I did not get a photo of the vintage car, but picture something like this in light blue!
After getting all the way to the Larnach Castle, I was given a flyer with the description and history behind the building. The gardens in front of the castle are themed after Alice in Wonderland and the castle itself was built by a very wealthy family (super dull, I know, but it was beautiful nonetheless!).
After exploring the rest of the castle, I walked down to get back to Portobello and taking in what awesome day I just had.
Enjoying the funny signs in Portobello
Days 5-10: Hills Hills & more Hills
I heard that one of the things to do in Dunedin was visit the steepest hill on Baldwin Street. What I didn’t know that partly why Dunedin had the steepest hill was because EVERY SINGLE ROAD in Dunedin was a giant hill! Let me tell you, my legs were JACKED after walking around all of Dunedin day after day with my 10-20 lb backpack.
Despite the difficulty (or maybe because of it?), Dunedin is MADE for people walking on foot or traveling with a bike— the downtown area especially has crosswalks everywhere and the Otago peninsula has a bike lane the entire way through. It was fun exploring the new city by foot and it got me thinking: “why doesn’t everybody just walk everywhere?!” But I know that not all towns are as walkable as Dunedin and not everybody has the luxury of spending 2 hours to get to their destination.
So around day 7, I went to visit Baldwin Street, deemed the steepest hill by Guiness World Records. It was real steep, but then I realized all the other streets in Dunedin were just as steep :/
One other thing I really liked about Dunedin is that it has a fabulous Farmer’s Market every Saturday morning. The market had heaps of locals shopping about, and some of the favorites seemed to be the famous New Zealand pies and some food from a crepe stand. I could see that Dunedin was also environmentally conscious as they never served any plastic with their food and there was a “cup library” where you could rent out a cup for your drink if you forgot your own! The time I went, there was an Scottish band playing bagpipes. Dunedin was founded by the Scottish Free Church in 1848 and it’s name “Dunedin” actually means “New Edinburgh” — Edinburgh being the capital of Scotland.
The next day, my kickass German roommate — you know, the one who biked all the way to the Otago peninsula — mentioned she was going to Tunnel Beach and asked if I would like to join. We went together in her car and drove about 5 miles south of the hostel. It’s a little bit of a steep climb down to the beach, but I saw one of the most picturesque landscapes I’ve ever seen. It was so green! And so beautiful! I felt like I was in Ireland! Turns out this spot is named the “most romantic spot in Dunedin”. According to dunedinnz.co.nz: [at] “Tunnel Beach, where in the 1870’s John Cargill, a son of Captain William Cargill, excavated a tunnel down to a secluded beach so that the Cargill families could bathe in privacy away from the prying eyes of St Clair.” The only naked sunbather we saw was a cute fur seal enjoying the sunshine!
Days 11-12: Little Nuggets
It was time to plan how I was going to meet Stefan in Christchurch, where his flight back from the US was going to land. I looked up rental car options and found a relocation service called “TransferCar”. This company lets people “relocate” a rental car that has been driven so it can be driven back to it’s initial location (usually being the bigger cities in New Zealand like Auckland, Wellington, and Christchurch) at little or no cost. I ended up renting a car for about $20 USD per day! I would definitely recommend this service to anyone wanting to travel around New Zealand without a car.
I had met two young women traveling from Switzerland, who also wanted to travel to Christchurch and we worked out a deal to drive together with the rental car. I had to first pick up Stefan’s and my luggage from Invercargill (which our host let us leave at an AirBnB…another sign of Kiwis’ unnecessary generosity!) and then pick them up in Dunedin. I was nervous driving by myself on the road, considering I had never driven on the left side, but I got used to it after a couple of hours. On my way to Invercargill, I stopped at some of New Zealand’s most iconic spots, namely Nugget Point in the Catlins. The lighthouse at this spot is one of the oldest in New Zealand, and the place was called Nugget Point by Captain Cook because rock formations resemble small pieces of gold.
I then picked up my two new Swiss friends in Dunedin and headed up to the East coast of the South Island. I made them listen to a podcast on Harry Potter, and with that and me wearing my “9 and 3/4” shirt and staying at a Hogwarts-themed hostel, they probably thought I was some Harry Potter lunatic (but they wouldn’t be wrong!)
We visited the Orokonui Ecosanctuary, which is a bird sanctuary not far from Dunedin. We were able to see many of the country’s native birds like the Tui, fantail (or piwakawaka), and Takahe, and then drove to the Moeraki Boulders, which are beautiful large round rock formations.
We stopped at a cafe nearby to get some New Zealand pies and then drove the rest of the way to Christchurch, where we parted our ways. It was so great to meet young female travelers (they were around 20 years old). They seemed like they were really appreciating the landscapes that New Zealand had to offer and I think these are the experiences that all three of us will cherish for the rest of our lives.
What I learned from Solo Traveling
New Zealand is probably the perfect place to solo travel. It is so safe — in fact, “New Zealand is ranked 6th on SafeAround.coms’s list of world’s safest countries, with a safety index score of 90.2%.” according to newzealandnowgovt.co.nz. And I would say Dunedin is a great place to start!
Staying in hostels is a great way to meet other travelers. Most people staying in hostels are people doing their own thing and just wanting to travel and experience the world! They can come from all parts of the world and have many stories to share 🙂 Maybe some of them aren’t keen to talk and make new friends but I found that most of them are if you make the first move!
Traveling alone is an experience that I think many people should do. It makes you independent while also encouraging your inner curiosity!
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Thanks for reading! We know this post was long, but we would like to reward those that have made it this far if they can answer this question:
*Have you ever solo traveled in a new location before? If not, where would you want to solo travel to if you could?
Send an e-mail to [email protected] with the answer by October 20th, 2020 and 3 lucky winners will get a personalized postcard from us 🙂
If you enjoyed this post, let us know in the comments below! Also, we are trying a new thing of adding an Amazon banner to make some side income. If you shop on Amazon, please consider going through the following link and we make a little extra money at no cost to you!
About Dagmar and Stefan:We are a couple in love with traveling, meeting new people, learning about different cultures, eating good food, and sharing our experiences with others. Currently, we are spending the year 2020 traveling across New Zealand with a Working Holiday Visa!
Loved your new blog! Glad you were brave enough to travel alone and hitchhike! It is always fun to meet fellow travelers and experience new things! Kudos to you for safely driving on the left! Enjoy the rest of your time there! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous pictures and interesting adventures! Kay
You go, girl! How brave, how adventurous! Thanks for sharing so I could travel vicariously with you. I think I would like to explore Ireland or Paris if I were traveling by myself. Don’t really see that happening, but maybe. I have really enjoyed all your posts and all the beautiful pictures. Thanks for the postcard. We can definitely work on an instructional video about sheep! Ha!
Thank you for the wonderful pictures. And thank you for letting us share your solo travelling experiences: Curiosity and trust – people all over the world as a rule are helpful – may guide you.
6 Comments
Kay DuBois
Loved your new blog! Glad you were brave enough to travel alone and hitchhike! It is always fun to meet fellow travelers and experience new things! Kudos to you for safely driving on the left! Enjoy the rest of your time there! Thanks for sharing your gorgeous pictures and interesting adventures! Kay
Cindy Harrison
You go, girl! How brave, how adventurous! Thanks for sharing so I could travel vicariously with you. I think I would like to explore Ireland or Paris if I were traveling by myself. Don’t really see that happening, but maybe. I have really enjoyed all your posts and all the beautiful pictures. Thanks for the postcard. We can definitely work on an instructional video about sheep! Ha!
Rolf Roemer
Thank you for the wonderful pictures. And thank you for letting us share your solo travelling experiences: Curiosity and trust – people all over the world as a rule are helpful – may guide you.
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