Dunedin might be the second-largest city in New Zealand’s South Island, but as those of us who’ve been there know, the place has a reputation for being kind of an afterthought. But, well, after two years of living down at the end of the world, my family and I had just enough time left in our engagement for one more road trip across Aotearoa. And as we pored over the map, I guess the main reason for adding Dunedin to the itinerary was that we simply hadn’t made it there yet. So why not?
As it turned out, Dunedin was much cooler than we’d expected. Originally founded by Scottish immigrants, their heritage was evident in the city’s unique architecture. Yes, the temperamental South Island weather lived up to its reputation, but mercifully, we were able to duck into the Toitū Otago Settlers Museum in between gales, and even visit a lovely Chinese Garden when the sun was shining for a full hour. And after catching a surprise glimpse of the Southern Lights one evening, and then making an ill-advised attempt to drive up Baldwin Street the next day, any other group might have judged this whistle stop a raging success. But of course, there was still one more place in town that was crying out for a visit…
Most consumers are probably aware that Cadbury chocolates are a British confection, but apparently, people in the Southern Hemisphere have ‘sweet teeth’ too. The city of Dunedin had been supplying Australia, New Zealand and the Spice Islands with delicious Cadbury chocolate for decades, and in 2003, the company opened a museum to match the tourist attraction at its flagship operation in Birmingham. But unlike its UK facility, Cadbury World New Zealand actually took visitors on walking tours through its working factory. Naturally, the place quickly became one of the hottest local attractions.
With such a stellar reputation, what choice did we have but to visit? And of course, Cadbury World didn’t disappoint. Although I’d expected the attraction to have more of a theme park vibe, it was very cool to walk through the immaculate factory hallways as uniformed chefs hustled past, undoubtedly on their way to concoct some delicious new treats in the tasting laboratory. At different points in the tour, kids got to make their own sundae with unlimited toppings; fill up a gift bag full of New Zealand “favorites” like Moro Gold and Perky Nana; and even gaze in wonder at a huge “chocolate waterfall” over in the mixing building. And of course, for all the customers who still hadn’t gotten enough sugar in their systems by the end of the tour, there was a conveniently-placed gift shop and cafe at the exit.
But unfortunately my troupe was only in New Zealand on a limited engagement, so we departed Oceania when our traveling circus struck the tents. As is my practice, though, I continued following the local news, just in case circumstances might ever find us back out that way someday for an encore performance. And then one morning, as I virtually unfolded that sheet of digital newsprint, I was shocked to see that Cadbury had announced a plan to shutter its Dunedin operations and move the factory to… Australia.
As you can imagine, the decision was hugely unpopular. Even beyond the loss of so many good jobs, the Dunedin community would suffer from a huge loss of culture. For example, every July since 2001, Cadbury had sponsored an annual Jaffa Roll, where approximately 75,000 of their round candies were let loose down Baldwin Street in the dead of winter. The candies were individually numbered and “sold” for $1 each, with the proceeds split between a local charity and the owners of the fastest pieces.
And New Zealanders of a certain age may remember waking up on Easter morning to find a few choice “lollies” on top of the basket. Of course I’m talking about Pascall Pineapple Lumps, that delicious chocolate-covered treat, which as far as I can tell is still only consumed in Australasia. Could you imagine all those poor Kiwi children, waking up on a joyous holiday morning, only to find that the Easter Bunny had dropped off second-rate chocolates from across the strait in Oz???
As time passed and the Cadbury brand was gradually absorbed into the Mondelez food conglomerate, it was obvious that many local traditions were being swallowed up to disappear forever. Initially, at least, the Cadbury World attraction was slated to remain open, but that plan died with a whimper. After all, who wants to drive all the way to the edge of the world, just to visit a sad tribute to the ghost of a shuttered factory? The legendary facility closed entirely in 2018, leaving an uncharacteristic bad taste in the mouths of so many locals.
And today? Well, I simply haven’t got any idea what the confectionary scene looks like in downtown Dunedin these days.
Could Kiwi parents possibly have come to terms with the idea of feeding their children imported Pineapple Lumps?
Is there any hope at all that those tiny Jaffas might once again pour down Baldwin Street?
I don’t know. And I’m not sure that anyone else does, either. But one thing’s for certain:
Cadbury World is closed for good, and you can’t go there anymore.
One small consolation, though: one less reason to stop in Dunedin means that tourists now have one more reason to drive that bloody car all the way to Invercargill…