I'm jealous of the time I had in South Island

GREEN IS EVERYWHERE SEEN - 

Back in July, I took an impromptu trip to South Island primarily to attend the annual Cadbury festival in the university city of Dunedin. I hadn't anticipated such naturally, stunning scenery of rolling hills, immensely, emerald forests and tree after tree. It was 5 degrees Celsius but Jack Frost was NOT nipping at my nose -- WHERE IS THE SNOW?? I was promised the fluffy stuff!! 

Dunedin Railway Station is one of the sights that was first on my list and it happens to be one of NZ's most photographed buildings. Google says it is classical, Flemish Renaissance and Neo-Gothic in style; it is grandiose and has been compared to a gingerbread house. Poking out from afar, was the Cadbury Factory's iconic, purple-coloured silo. I wish I had me one of them filled to the top with all my most favourites in the Cadbury range, with Galaxy and Lindor truffles thrown in for good measure. 

MY BELLY IS EASILY LED ASTRAY WITH GREASY GOODS - 

It was late in the day and I had somehow skipped lunch.. the thunderous rumblings in my tum and hangriness was a clear indicator that I ought to be fed. Had a couple of side dishes to satiate myself from Stuart St Mac's Brew Bar and the only reason I mention it is as it was there that I appeased my appetite with the *GREATEST* onion rings I've ever had in life!! 

I raged internally at having a top bunk bed at my backpackers -- as it's not about chucking a toddler tanty, you understand. Dunedin had already won my heart and mind within hours of arrival and that's not even taking into account the onion rings. 

CADBURY HAS BEEN IMPACTFUL TO MY LIFE TO THE CORE - 

Here's how I spent my 2nd day in Dunedin: attending The Chocolate High Tea that wasn't a high tea but a Kids Teddy Bears Picnic instead at Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula. It's the only 'castle' in the country but more of a 'Scottish baronial' mansion built in the 1870's. This event was a little too heavy on the teddy front for my liking. It was held in the Ballroom which was built for William Larnach's favourite daughter, Kate on her 21st birthday. It is said that she haunts the ballroom after dying in her twenties. 

Crackling fires had no guards which I felt was dangerous with numerous tots and toddlers toddling to and fro; a scorching, white ember flicked at me! As they played games like Pass the Parcel, I watched on like a chump and did not expect to have any fun but it was sweet to see the kids rejoice at the lollies they unwrapped. It was strange to be there as a child-less visitor and I was worried that may have weirded out the guests but I really had only booked a ticket as the website had said it was a chocolate high tea. 

A cutesie wutesie teddy choc-wrapped, fashion parade followed and then came the morning tea buffet where they over-promised and under-delivered as there was not one mug of hot choc!! This was not at all what it said on the 'tin' or was I a tad presumptuous? Teddy cupcakes, a teddy bear iced, chocolate cake and all other sorts of sugary goodness but it was the light and airy, chocolate mousse that suddenly made the world feel much more pleasant. While egg and spoon races were occurring, I explored the 7 acre Gardens of Significance; the exceptionally impressive views of Otago Peninsula amazed. 

YAY ME!! - 

I'd been longing to tick off curling (also known as chess on ice) from my Bucket list since my Canada holiday (where I could only watch on in Ottawa as the clubs are so elite and exclusive) so I signed up to a session of Cadbury Curly Wurly curling at Dunedin Ice Arena. Before we got round to sliding the heavy granite stones across the ice towards the circle target - the groups were fuelled on Curly Wurly bars courtesy of Cadbury. I didn't exactly dazzle at getting my stone closest to the centre of the house until my very last shot which was somehow in the innermost, centre circle after our coach whom was acting as sweeper, used his broom to decrease the friction (this slows the stone down and causes it to curl less). This secured my Blue team the win and I hope this won't come as arrogant as the rest o' the time, I was rhubarb as my Dad would say! I hasten to add that on my last turn, I used the delivery stick which enabled a more powerful release. 

Brrrrr, it was a chilly willy, nilly vanilly night being geographically closer to Antarctica and have its biting iciness sweep across one of the most Southern regions on earth. And where was I during an NZ midwinter? On a street bench in the dark of night with a cup of Kapiti's Anzac coconut cookie from Rob Roy's dairy before my dinner of grossly underportioned lemon chicken .. and I won't lose a minute's sleep over it either. I want to convey that I liked it a great deal. That was a nice day I had; so it was!! 

 Penguins are paramount in these parts

THIS DEGREE OF PRECIPITATION IS HIGHLY IRREGULAR - 

I don't recall authorising it to rain so intensely but it was caused by a destructive storm which meant that in the course of  day, a MONTH'S load had bucketed down from the sky and it was hideous. A state of emergency was called in various areas of South Island, Dunedin being one of them where widespread flooding from the torrential rain was so severe that it became the wettest July day ever recorded in Dunedin. On account of this weather battering Otago, the annual Jaffa Race was postponed for a couple of months (thousands of choc-orange sweeties are chucked/rolled down the world's steepest street for great causes) .. and I'd been excited to see the sea of orange. 

My morning was largely a write off as it was too treacherous to walk in those conditions but I set out for lunch and that didn't completely suck as my preferred fast food of choice, Nandos - popped up at the precise moment it was needed. Bless that cheeky piece of poultry! 

PACKING EVERY MINUTE WITH FUN ACTIVITIES, AS I DO - 

I rapidly scanned the artefacts and 'natural science specimens' housed at the Otago Museum which boasts the largest collection of moa remains. Some bits were as exciting as a stale piece of bread but I was there first and foremost for the Sense-ational Chocolate Science show put on by a South American exuding so much scientific wisdom. The audience ooohed at the chocolate cloud formation when he mixed something or other with another gas/substance and we all inhaled Dairy Milk scents.

Next came the hydrogen balloon explosion where he combined oxygen with hydrogen to ignite a flaming ball which caused a child in the crowd to cry when the rubber bag burst vigorously. His use of liquid nitrogen to create chocolate ice cream out of Cadbury drinking chocolate, water, sugar and cream was not so wowing to me as I see it on the reg as an avid Masterchef AU viewer. It was cool for those who are more easily flabbergasted. 

I GENUINELY AND EXCEEDINGLY DO NOT KNOW WHAT I'D DO WITHOUT HOT CHOCOLATE IN MY WORLD - 

The howling wind and skin-numbing downpour busted the umbrella I'd only purchased the night before!!!!!!! Still, I couldn't let something so minor keep me from Cadbury Cafe's, Turkish delight speciality hot choccie. It was more froth than choc but it made me all toasty in those moments. My medical condition of Chocolatitis is incurable!! 

Before braving the ongoing torrents on a wet and wild eve to get to the cinema to see Despicable Me 3, I sheltered from the storm a-brewing in the witch of weather's cauldron at my hostel. The Minions bring out the kid and me and put a grin 'buv my chin while the 80's throwbacks reminded me, an eighties child, just how ridiculous that era was - in the best sense of the word. The soundtrack had all humming along as the cheeky minions conspired to entice Gru to return to his shady dealings after he's sacked from the Anti-Villain League. The legendary Julie Andrews was vastly underused as Gru and Dru's mother but I'm still LOL-ing at the Minions blowing raspberries as a collective and breaking out of jail on flying toilets. Illumination Entertainment smashed it again as it's currently the 4th highest grossing animated film of all time.