Dunedin

Understand

Dunedin is a university town, a cultural hub, and a city with a strong historical streak. It is a small city with a compact, walkable city centre surrounded by hilly suburbs. It has easy access to beaches, wildlife attractions and areas of native forest.

Known also as "the Edinburgh of the South", the city has a proud Māori and Scots heritage. It has as its heart a statue of the poet Robbie Burns and many of its streets carry the same name as streets in Edinburgh (but visitors from Edinburgh may be confused as they are in a different order). Due to the gold rush in central Otago, Dunedin was the biggest and most prosperous city in New Zealand from 1865 to 1900, and many of its old buildings and character stem from that period. Because of history and geography, Dunedin is usually considered New Zealand's fourth major centre behind Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, despite being seventh in the population ranks.

thumb|Baldwin Street, steepest grade 1 in 2.86, survived a challenge to its record for the steepest street in the world in 2019 Dunedin sits in a natural harbour, with the centre of the city on a relatively small area of flat land surrounded by suburbs on the steep hillsides. Some of its streets are very steep: Baldwin Street is claimed to be the steepest street in the world.

These days, Dunedin is best known for its University of Otago, the oldest and one of the best universities in New Zealand, and its "scarfie" (student) culture. The university is the South Is…

Get in

thumb|Dunedin, Otago Harbour, and Otago Peninsula

See

The following attractions are free: Baldwin Street, Dunedin Railway Station, Otago Museum, Public Art Gallery, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, and the churches. right|thumb|A house on Baldwin St thumb|Inside Dunedin Railway Station thumb|right|Town Hall thumb|Robert Burns Statue in the Octagon

Buy

thumb|The Meridian Mall Most Dunedin shopping is on George Street north of the Octagon, centred around the Meridian/Golden Centre/Wall Street mall complex. There are also a number of souvenir shops near the Octagon.

Eat

Dunedin is home to numerous reasonably priced ethnic restaurants and being a university town, the city is home to many establishments that cater to students. Lower Stuart Street, around the Octagon and the northern part of central George Street (including the side streets) have the majority of Dunedin's restaurants. There are also a few interesting places on Albany Street, which runs across the south of the University of Otago. There is a full range of ethnic cuisine available, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, Turkish, Malaysian, Thai, Filipino and Indian.

One Dunedin favourite is the cheese roll: a mixture of grated cheese, onion and soup mix in a toasted rolled slice of bread, a speciality of the southern part of the South Island, available in cafes.

Drink

thumb|Speights brewery

Dunedin is known for its vibrant nightlife, mainly stemming from its large student population. It is also home to some well known beer breweries, Speights, Emersons and to a lesser extent Green Man. There is also a strong coffee culture with a number of good cafes.

Sleep

thumb|Night view of the town hall Dunedin has a wide range of places to stay in, from hostels to upmarket hotels. Most accommodation is close to the city centre, though some spots offer a challenging uphill stroll back from town. Most motels are located at the northern end of George Street, close to the university.

Stay safe

The city is quite safe, but try to walk in a group on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. People can get excessively inebriated and occasionally look to cause trouble. Exercise the same caution and common sense that you would in any other western city. The police station is in Great King Street, next to Countdown, the supermarket.

Connect

thumb|right|Telephone booths at the Octagon Dunedin Public Library has free Internet terminals and Wi-Fi. The Octagon has free Wi-Fi, as well as telephone booths (next to the Town Hall). The booths serve as a tourism attraction as well, due to their rarity, and distinct style characteristic for New Zealand.

Otherwise, Internet access is available at various cafes for a fee.

Go next

Christchurch, 5 hours north Wanaka and Queenstown, 4 hours inland via Alexandra and Cromwell Invercargill, for Bluff oysters, 2.5 hours south via Gore and Mataura Oamaru, 1 hour 45 min north Blueskin Bay, 30 min north