Liz Carlson.

Gone are the days of grungy punk tags and ugly incomprehensible letters on back alley walls. Instead, there’s a growing interest in grassroots art that truly shows off the quirky side of this South Island city. Dunedin is redefining urban culture in New Zealand, one beautifully decorated wall at a time.

The artists flocking to the city aren’t just your average taggers, they’re famous artists travelling the world on assignments, aiming to bring life back into cities.

I hadn’t noticed the murals decorating walls of buildings on previous trips to the city, but for this last long weekend in Dunedin, I had the time to wander, get lost, explore, and begin to notice the amazing hidden gems you only discover when you slow down and take your time.

If you are looking for a little getaway to a place where you can take your time and be amply rewarded without the need to tick things off a bucket list, Dunedin is the place. When a city is willing to commission artists to decorate it, and add layers and depth to its culture, it’s usually a really special and independent place.

I got a proper introduction on my second day in town when I opted to go on a guided street art tour of the city. Although there is an amazing map you can get that shares many of the locations of the street art in Dunedin, new pieces are popping up all the time