… to Dunedin.

I started my visit with lunch with Mayor Peter Chin and several City Councillors. As always happens, we found a variety of unexpected topics of mutual interest. For example, I enjoyed comparing notes about Las Vegas with one of the Councillors who has a family member living in Nevada. (I am a partisan of Las Vegas, in part because of my inexplicable attraction to neon, and in part because of a couple of glorious New Year’s Eves that I spent there with my partner, my family from back East, and our great friends Kevin and Vana.)

The Mayor, Councillors, and I also talked, of course, about the upcoming Rugby World Cup and Dunedin’s new rugby stadium. I was diplomatic enough not to ask about that whole dust-up in the newspapers about the future location of the 7’s tournament.

After lunch at Knox College with the Rt. Rev. Dr. Graham Redding (left) Master Bruce Aitken (right), and Professor Amanda Barusch.

As in Christchurch, I had a varied and interesting schedule in Dunedin. I have a passion for science and science education, and I made it a point to meet with the leaders of the New Zealand International Science Festival. I am planning to attend this year’s Festival in July, which will be focusing on the science of food. I am particularly interested in meeting the Festival’s latest discovery – an American rapper who only raps about science. You can find more information about the Festival at scifest.org.nz.

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