It’s an unusually still day for Wellington, raining, but still. I have been day dreaming lately about moving away from Wellington, somewhere warmer, sunnier, like Nelson perhaps. But even on wet days like today, when there is stillness, it’s a beautiful place to live.

Once we take our seat on the plane, I go straight for the in-flight magazine, Kia Ora. It’s one of my favourites and I have been looking forward to an uninterrupted hour with it. It doesn’t disappoint. I am so engrossed in the articles that I hardly even look out the window. There is one on Fiji which gets me very excited for my upcoming trip and another one on Japan, a place that is moving higher up on my bucket list.

It’s a pretty smooth flight and when we land, I have only made my way through half of the magazine, the rest will be a good read for the flight home. We disembark the aircraft and walk across the tarmac to the terminal. There is a bit of rain in the air, but it’s not too cold. Mum and I catch a shuttle to the city, drop our bags off at the hotel and set out to explore.

We are in Dunedin. The last time I was here was 20 years ago! I am excited to not only explore the city centre, but also the peninsula. Our first stop is the old historic railway station. I have been looking forward to seeing some of the old buildings. Dunedin has strong Scottish heritage and some well preserved Edwardian architecture. Unfortunately, half the station is behind scaffolding, but I can still enjoy the beautifully manicured gardens out front and some of the architecture. It’s a magnificent building.

We are there on market day so we take the opportunity to wander around the farmer’s stalls. There is fresh produce, like fruit and vegetables, but at least half of the stalls are selling artisan breads, pastries, chutneys and even gin. There is a delectable selection of goods.

We then wander up towards The Octagon. Otago University Graduation is on. The students are walking in a parade and family and friends have gathered to celebrate this milestone. We then carry on with our walk, consulting a map every now and again, arriving at our next destination, Ocho.

Ocho is a local artisan chocolate company and we are booked on one of their tours. As we step inside, we are greeted with a warm, comforting smell of chocolate, very different to the overly sweet, sickly smell of Cadbury (a tour I did when I was here last). The chocolate smell at Ocho is refined, it draws you in, inviting you to taste its delights. We are a little early so we wander around the shop and have a chat with the staff. All of their beans come from the Pacific, mainly Paupa New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, but only 1% of all the cacao beans grown actually come from this region. The majority are from Africa.

As we begin our tour, we are given a tasting box with 10 samples and led into a hexagonal room with big glass windows so you can see all the machinery. It’s not operating today, but our host talks us through the process, pointing out the different machines and what they do. Our guide then leaves us to watch a video that takes you through the bean to bar process. The samples in our box line up with the different stages. I first try the roasted bean and accidentally eat the husk, which isn’t very nice. Once I realise and remove it, its much better. We then move onto the cacao nibs followed by un-tempered chocolate. It’s bitter, but there are some beautiful flavours that shine through. Best of all, it’s actually good for you – filled with antioxidants.

We then get to the 70% PNG and Vanuatu chocolate. They are made from the same variety of bean, but the different soil and growing conditions create quite different flavours. I love the Vanuatu chocolate and the fact that they each have their own unique taste.

Next in the box is a more standard, off the shelf, commercial chocolate. It is one I am familiar with and generally enjoy, but in comparison to the other two, it doesn’t taste so good. The texture is gritty and feels waxy in my mouth.

The last samples we try are Ocho’s salted caramel and beekeeper chocolate. The salted caramel is devine and my favourite of all we try. The beekeeper one is interesting – a strong cocoa taste that finishes with very distinctive honey notes. Although the tour has now officially finished, the host lets us try a few more flavours that weren’t in the tasting box. 70% Solomon Islands, horipito & kawakawa, (very kiwi), hotcross bun and an 88% and 100% cocoa. I walk out of the shop with 4 different flavours to take home.

After all that chocolate tasting, we are ready for some lunch. We find a nice little cafe near The Octagon called The Corner Store Cafe. I get a delicious pumpkin, chilli & lemongrass soup with sour dough. It’s beautifully presented and certainly hits the spot.

We check into our hotel, The Levaithan. It’s basic, but clean and comfortable and the building is beautiful, decorated with old furniture and stained glass windows. But there is still more to explore, so we head across the road to the Toitū – Otago Settlers Museum. It has a really interesting collection, including a room filled with portraits of early settlers. On the digital boards, you can look them up to find out their names and some have further information about them. I even find a Geary among them and wonder if they were related to my husband’s family.

After dinner we head back to The Octagon. This afternoon it was filled with students, this evening it is filled with smudged lights reflecting on the watery surfaces. Bars and restaurants are packed and despite the cold, patrons are still enjoying their meals and drinks outside.

We step off the street and head into the opulent Regent Theatre. It’s beautiful inside with chandeliers and ceiling roses – a bygone era frozen in time. We are here to see the Royal NZ Ballet perform Romeo & Juliet. It’s a perfect venue to watch this tragic love story unfold. The costumes are vibrant, floaty and mesmerizing. The dancers are expressive, passionate and the story is so moving. It was a wonderful evening out.