ALL NZ
LOCATIONS

NORTH
ISLAND

SOUTH
ISLAND

NELSON

WESTLAND

QUEENSTOWN
& CENTRAL OTAGO

FIORDLAND &
SOUTHLAND

DUNEDIN &
OTAGO
PENINSULA

MACKENZIE:
MT. COOK &
LAKE TEKAPO

CHRISTCHURCH & CANTERBURY

DUNEDIN'S APPEALS ARE AGRICULTURAL, ARCHITECTURAL, CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL, GEOLOGICAL,
AND ORNITHOLOGICAL. PREFER SAND BETWEEN YOUR TOES? DUNEDIN OFFERS GREAT BEACHES, TOO.
PHOTO CREDITS: NZ Tourism (LARNACH CASTLE / RUGBY PLAYERS); DAVID WALL-NZ TOURISM (OTAGO UNIVERSITY CLOCK
TOWER, AUTUMN / BALCLUTHA SHEEP FARM); KIERAN SCOTT-NZTourism (ST. KILDA BEACH); FAY LOONEY-NZ TOURISM
(THE CURIOUS MOERAKI BOULDERS); rob suisted-NZTourism (OTAGO PENINSULA BEACH ON SANDFLY BAY);
CHRIS McLennan-NZ TOURISM (YELLOW-EYED PENGUIN); DUNEDINNZ (DUNEDIN RAIL STATION).
-

The South Island's Second City has a rich history and varied geography,
offering attractions for birders, beachcombers, and culture and rail buffs.
-

Attractions in Dunedin City: Like Auckland on the North Island, Dunedin is a city arranged among the cones and craters of an extinct volcanic landscape. And, like Auckland, Dunedin city has spread far beyond its original setting to include considerable territory and incorporate several towns within its modern limits, so much so that Dunedin is New Zealand's largest city by area. Its territorial population (approx. 123,000) is second largest on the South Island (after Christchurch), and fifth overall in New Zealand. The inner city lays at the western end of Otago Harbour and is ringed by a crescent rim of volcanic hills. The city's center, The Octagon, is at the base of the ancient crater just west of State Highway 1, Dunedin's landmark 1906 Flemish Renaissance railway station ("Gingerbread George") and the harbor.

St. Paul's Cathedral and the Dunedin Town Hall are two
 landmark buildings lining central Dunedin's Octagon.
Photo NZ Tourism

          Scottish immigrants settled here in 1848, calling their town Dunedin, Scots Gaelic for Edinburgh. When gold was found nearby (1861) the resulting gold rush made Dunedin the largest city in New Zealand.  Imposing churches, concert halls, and other buildings soon were built. The country's first university, the University of Otago, was founded in 1869. Extensions of the railway from Christchurch arrived in 1878 and from Invercargill a year later. Houses in the ornate Victorian style lined the hilly streets surrounding the city center. Around the Octagon and throughout the city center churches, 

galleries, museums, the city administration center, and two cathedrals were constructed in gothic style of native South Island marble and bluestone. Dunedin—the furthest city in the world from Edinburgh, London, and other European capitals—was built in their High Victorian image.

Attractions in Greater Dunedin: Two principal attractions draw international visitors to Dunedin: The Taieri Gorge Railway and The Otago Peninsula:
 

PRINCIPAL ATTRACTIONS IN THE GREATER DUNEDIN REGION:

• Looking southwest to Dunedin from the Otago Peninsula.

• Looking northeast from the Otago Peninsula across Otago Harbour.

• Looking into Taieri Gorge from the Taieri Gorge Railway.

• Royal Albatross in flight off Taiaroa Head on the tip of the Otago Peninsula.
 

• THE TAIERI GORGE RAILWAY is a tourist railway
   that operates trains from Dunedin Railway
   Station inland (west) through the mountains
   to Pukerangi or Middlemarch via the scenic
   Taieri Gorge toward the old gold fields of
   Otago. Trains operate daily year round and
   connect to the OTAGO CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL,
   offering day & multi-day cycling excursions.
   The railway also offers Seasider trains north
   from Dunedin along the coast with views of
   Otago Harbour and the South Pacific.

Entering Taieri Gorge in the
mountains west of Dunedin.
Taieri Gorge Railway Photo
 

Albatross chick testing its fledging
wings on Taiaroa Head.
Photo DunedinNZ
 

• The Otago Peninsula extends twenty miles east of
   Dunedin city. A scenic coast road traces the
   peninsular perimeter. While most of the peninsula is
   an undeveloped conservation district, the peninsula
   has some very inviting beaches and spectacular
   sea cliffs. Birders and others often visit certain
   beaches hoping to see the rare yellow-eyed and
   blue penguins which nest on the peninsula. The
   world's only mainland albatross colony occupies a
   protected headland at the far end of the peninsula.
   The Royal Albatross Centre offers tours at the colony
   about an hour's drive northeast of downtown
   Dunedin at Taiaroa Head.

Lodgings: Top quality bed and breakfast lodgings in Dunedin close to all central city attractions and convenient for exploring the Otago Peninsula. See Sample Lodgings:

Home At First's Dunedin lodgings
provide a comfortable, convenient
base for touring and activities in 
the city and on the Otago Peninsula.
Photos © Home At First

Getting around Dunedin: Use of a rental car is essential here. Expect congested traffic on city streets. A section of State Highway 1 is a limited access motorway through Dunedin city center. Outside of Dunedin roads are usually lightly traveled.

Street sign aids walkers strolling near
the Octagon in downtown Dunedin.
DunedinNZ Photo

Getting to/from Dunedin: Home At First guests arrive in Dunedin by rental car, normally coming east from Queenstown or Te Anau in Fiordland in 3-4.5 hours. Adventuresome guests may arrive by the Taieri Gorge Express train from Pukerangi or Middlemarch following a multi-day cycle tour from Queenstown on the OTAGO CENTRAL RAIL TRAIL. Most depart Dunedin northwest for Mt. Cook/Lake Tekapo in 3-5 scenic hours or northeast to Christchurch in 4-6 hours.

The yellow-eyed penguin is thought
to be the world's rarest penguin.
Its habitat includes the Otago
Peninsula east of Dunedin.
DunedinNZ Photo.

BACK TO SOUTH ISLAND PROGRAM PAGE

HOME AT FIRST IS A DESIGNATED "KIWI SPECIALIST"
TOUR OPERATOR BY THE NEW ZEALAND TOURISM BOARD.


AFFORDABLE DREAM TRAVEL WITH ALL THE COMFORTS OF HOME.