Dunedin is graced with splendid Edwardian and Victorian architecture and a variety of museums and galleries. Steeped in history, it is surprisingly modern, with a thriving business district of tempting shops, entertainment and cafes. The surrounding region is teeming with wildlife – from the Royal Albatross to rare penguins and sea lions.

The "What of Where"?
Dunedin is known as the "Edinburgh of the South" and is proud of its Scottish 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 after Scottish immigrants began to settle there in the mid-1800s.

Dunedin's Record Breaking

• 
  Otago Peninsula, is the world's only mainland Royal Albatross breeding colony. The majestic seabirds have a wingspan of 3 metres.
• The world's rarest penguin, the Yellow Eyed Penguin is found on the Otago Peninsula.
• Dunedin is the best preserved Victorian and Edwardian heritage city in the southern hemisphere.
• The University of Otago is New Zealand’s oldest and the first to admit women.
• Baldwin Street is the steepest street in the world, a claim which is celebrated during the annual chocolate festival by rolling 15,000+ jaffas down it.
• Lanarch Castle is billed as "the only castle" in New Zealand.
• Dunedin Botanic Garden is New Zealand’s first botanic garden.
• Dunedin Railway Station is arguably the most photographed building in New Zealand.
• Otago Girls High School is the longest established girls' high school in the Southern Hemisphere and said to be the sixth oldest in the world.
• New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame is the national sports museum of NZ's sporting achievements.
• Lake Sutton in Middlemarch is New Zealand's only inland salt lake.
• The City of Dunedin is geographically the largest city in New Zealand at 3350 square kilometres.

Local Knowledge

• The University (established in 1871) the South Island's second largest employer, and by far the biggest contributor to the Dunedin economy. Dunedin is a "University Town" rather than just a town with a university.
• The Clock Tower at the University of Otago, tolls the hours for the lively students who make up almost a fifth of the city's population.
• "Dunedinites" (the Dunedin people) are generally friendly, usually more than in the bigger cities of New Zealand.
• Ask nicely, and the locals may even tell you where the good spots are for gathering shellfish, catching Blue Cod, and viewing the wildlife.

Getting Around

The Dunedin Bus Service is fairly average but cheap and does get you around. The Peninsula bus route from the Museum is a good way to see the Peninsula, unless you're terrified by oncoming traffic: in places the full sized buses are wider than the lanes they travel in. The traffic is generally used to this and travels very cautiously.

Dunedin's hills are extremely steep but the town centre is reasonably flat. There is an excellent route along the western shore of the Otago Peninsula to Harington Point.

Regional Attractions Accessible From Dunedin

• Otago Peninsula, a long finger of land along the rim of the Dunedin Volcano.

Best Views

Best Months

It does get cold: many of the streets are iced over in winter, and every two or three years, the city gets a snowfall however, in the Winter months the days are usually clear and sunny. Summer temperatures average around 18 degrees celsius but have sometimes reached 30 degrees.

Clothing

Dunedin's student population dictates a 'hip' fashion sense, but really anything goes. Due to the ozone layer above New Zealand, it is strongly advisable to include sunscreen lotion, sunglasses and a hat.

Shopping

The main shopping area is George Street in the city centre. There are also many suburban shops located in Mornington, the Gardens, South Dunedin and Mosgiel. Tourist shops include the New Zealand Shop (in the Octagon) and The Scottish Shop (on George St).

Due to the history, Dunedin has many antique dealers. There are also handmade homeware retailers, galleries, artists workshops and clothing designers, giving the city a cosmopolitan mix of creativity.

Other Facts

Telephone Area Code: 03
Population: 110,800 (2008)
Local emergency contact number for all Police, Fire and St John Ambulances : 111

Activities

Day Tours in Dunedin

Dunedin's activities centre around history and nature. It can offer the visitor some great holiday experiences as outlined below:

	Lanarch Castle Billed as "the only castle" in New Zealand, it's very pretty but technically only a manor house and there is another (ruined, but being restored) building in the same predicament called Cargill's Castle in the southern suburbs of Dunedin. Lanarch Castle has a rich and interesting history.
	Cadbury World Take a guided tour of the Cadbury Chocolate Factory, a factory that accounts for more that 75% of New Zealand's chocolate production. Tours run every half hour.
	Speights Brewery The brewery has been a Dunedin landmark since its founding in 1876. The guided tour takes you through the Speight's brewery, sharing the heritage and culture of beer, from the Babylonians to today. The tour's finale is a 25 minute beer tasting. You must be 18 years old to join in on the tasting.
	Royal Albatross Colony The only mainland albatross nesting site in the world is an hour's drive on a road that skirts the water for most of its length without any guardrail. Albatrosses may be seen during the summer months, as well as other wildlife at all times of the year.
	Orokonui Eco Sanctuary Home to some of New Zealand's most fascinating and rare wildlife and providing visitors with exceptional experiences while allowing native flora and fauna to live naturally in a safe haven. The Orokonui Eco Sanctuary is open exclusively for guided tours of this inspirational conservation project.
	Monarch Harbour Cruise No visit to Dunedin would be complete without a visit to the beautiful Otago Harbour, Peninsula and spectacular Taiaroa Head to view the Northern Royal Albatross, Penguins, seals and other marine mammals, and over 20 species of birds and marine life. Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours provide voyages of discovery among a unique diversity and abundance of wildlife, dramatic views and significant geological features.

Things to do in Dunedin

This list will assist you in accessing all the natural and man-made visitor attractions and activities that Dunedin has to offer.

	Otago University Otago University has some great old buildings to wander about and see, when Uni's in its a good place to sit, people watch and take it all in, some good food/cafes/bars are nearby too.
	Walking Tracks Dunedin has some of the most easily-accessible tracks of any city. In less than half an hour you can be in pristine bush far from the worries of the world. Ask about Green Hut Track, Carey's Creek, Possum Hut, Rosella Ridge, Yellow Ridge, Rocky Ridge, Rongamai, Honeycomb, Powder Creek, Long Ridge, Swampy Ridge, Leith Saddle, Burns, Rustlers, Nichols Creek or Nichols Falls.
	Organ Pipe Rocks If you like a bit of a hill-climb, go out along North Road to the Organ Pipes, a collection of rapidly-cooled rocks which have self-formed into organ-pipe-like structures. The walk along a bush track up to the Pipes themselves is very scenic and well attended by small, harmless wildlife.

Activities Outside Dunedin

These activities are available around Dunedin.

	Tunnel Beach The story goes that crazy old Cargill had a steep tunnel cut through the stone cliff, so his daughter could go to the beach. Some stories say she later drowned, but it's a lovely beach all the same, and the tunnel is very spooky. You need to walk over farmland to get there, so access is banned during lambing.
	Otago Peninsula - much scenic coastline including rugged points and headlands, wildfowl-laden mud flats and beautiful Allans Beach (plus several smaller beaches) on the south/east coast, and picturesque hamlets on the north/west coast (including a pretty and peaceful cemetery on a little spit of land called Dunoon, many boat-houses and a miniscule beach). Seals, sea-lions and other interesting fauna turn up at all of the southern/eastern beaches.
	Taieri Gorge Railway The line travels through spectacular scenery along the banks of the Taieri River, through numerous tunnels and climbing along the Taieri Gorge to the Strath Taieri. It crosses a dozen viaducts, including the southern hemisphere's largest wrought iron structure, and passes through ten tunnels.

Diary of Events

Coach Tours Which Include Dunedin

The following fully escorted coach tours are our top 3 which include Dunedin.

TranzAlpine Tour The South Island's splendid scenery might be the best part of this 9 day fully escorted coach tour, or perhaps it's the inclusions like the TranzAlpine Train journey, the Milford Sound Cruise, the dinner at Queenstown's Skyline Restaurant, the stay at the West Coast Glaciers, the traditional Scottish Haggis Ceremony in historic Dunedin or the Jade Factory visit. Not to mention the visits to remote National Parks of Fiordland and Westland, this tour is a delight to the senses.

Best of New Zealand Fully escorted coach touring to see New Zealand's many seasons from cruising the rugged rocky coastline, Dunedin beaches, Maori native culture, glow-worm caves, Rotorua's geysers & hot mud pools, NZ's capital city, Interislander Cruise, fur seals & optional whale watching flight, touring past NZ's highest mountain, alpine scenic lakes, ski capital Queenstown, a tour of an historic castle, cruising on Fiordland past waterfalls & rock seals in Milford Sound, staying near icy glaciers and garden city Dunedin- all in 17 days.

New Zealand Encounter This special 18 day tour covers New Zealand's best sights, with 5 cruises - Milford Sound's fantastic Fiordland cruise, Queenstown's Paddle steamer, Interislander, Lake Rotorua's breakfast cruise & the Bay of Islands cruise. Contrast that to the hot, steaming landscape of geysers & mud pools, complimented by Maori native culture. Follow the longest river, see the richest gold & silver river, see the highest mountain, and stay in the capital of NZ. Spot wild dolphins, fur seals and whales. Feast your senses at ski resort Queenstown, and then hike on the world's most accessible ancient glacier. Finally take the world famous TranzAlpine Train across mountainous terrain to finish in the garden city of Christchurch. Cover it all from chilly Christchurch to warm Auckland.

Films Made in this Region

The following motion pictures were filmed in the Dunedin: Out of the Blue 2006, Perfect Creature 2005, Sylvia 2003, Scarfies 1999, The Last Tattoo 1994, The Grasscutter 1988, Shaker Run 1985, Pictures 1981. The famous film The World's Fastest Indian 2005, was shot in nearby Invercargill.

Eating & Sleeping

Cuisine

George Street is has many restaurants, starting about two blocks north of The Octagon (in the centre of Dunedin). There are also a few interesting places on Albany Street, which runs across the south of the University Of Otago.

Regional Specialties

One interesting local specialty is Kumara chips, made with a local sweet-potato variant and typically priced at about double the cost of potato chips. The kiwis are also good at making ice cream, and many places sell cones for fairly reasonable prices.

Accommodation

The following is a selection of the hotels Relaxing Journeys use in our escorted coach tours.

Kingsgate Hotel, Dunedin Kingsgate Hotel Dunedin is right in the heart of the city and ideal for business or leisure. You are within strolling distance of stately homes and Gothic revival style buildings; Otago Museum is a fifteen minute walk away, the beach ten minutes drive and the Central Business District is right on your doorstep.

Cargills Hotel, Dunedin Cargills Hotel offers travellers premier hospitality during their visit to Dunedin. Recently refurbished, with excellent accommodation and a friendly, warm atmosphere. We are famous for hosting our guests, rather than merely serving them. You'll find us open seven days a week for accommodation, conferences, functions, fine food, casual meals, or just good coffee!

Premium

Scenic Hotel Southern Cross Dunedin’s largest hotel, Scenic Hotel Southern Cross, proudly stands in the heart of the city. Dating back to 1883, this landmark building now blends Dunedin’s distinctive charm and heritage with the modern day comforts guests demand in a world-class hotel. The uniqueness of the historic parts of the hotel, and our commitment to excellent customer service will ensure you have a memorable stay.