National Geographic Traveller (UK)
Inside guide
What not to miss in Dunedin, New Zealand
The second-biggest city on New Zealand’s South Island, Dunedin certainly has character. Established as a Scottish settlement in 1848 after the Maori signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British, it’s the kind of place where locals are just as proud of winning back the title of the world’s steepest street (from a Welsh challenger) as they are of being a UNESCO City of Literature. But it’s also a place firmly driven by community.
Take the old Cadbury chocolate factory — when one of the city’s biggest attractions (and employers) announced it was shutting down in 2018, locals rallied to create OCHO, the OTAGO CHOCOLATE COMPANY. It sources fair trade cocoa beans grown by Pacific neighbours and uses them in a handmade bean-to-bar process. ocho.co.nz
If you’re after even more of a taste of the region, TITI, located in the St Clair Hotel, offers five-course tasting menus featuring hyper-local produce with a view over the water. More relaxed bites and barbecues can be found at the PROHIBITION SMOKEHOUSE, while in the city centre, THE SWAN has small meals and live music in its courtyard on weekends. VOGEL ST KITCHEN, meanwhile, serves wood-fired pizzas in an industrial dining space. titi.co.nz theswan.nz prohibitionsmokehouse.co.nz vogelstkitchen.nz
Dunedin is also the place to go to take in some outstanding STREET ART, with works by international artists including Roa, Pixel Pancho and Natalia Rak. Follow the Dunedin Street Art Trail by checking out the map on the associated website. dunedinstreetart.co.nz
You’ll also find art and intrigue in the city’s impressive collection of museums and galleries. Standouts include the TOITU OTAGO SETTLERS MUSEUM, complete with steam locomotive in the foyer, and the MUSEUM OF NATURAL MYSTERY, an intriguing collection of bones and bone art and design displayed in a private home by artist Bruce Mahalski. The star attraction, however, is LARNACH CASTLE, set in the hills outside the city. Built in the
1870s, the Scottish-style manor has been meticulously restored and has a history that could rival anything from Downton Abbey. toituosm.com royaldunedinmuseum.com larnachcastle.co.nz
But Dunedin’s appeal doesn’t lie solely in the city centre. Head out to the 12-mile-long OTAGO PENINSULA, where you’ll find an incredible array of marine life, including both the world’s smallest and rarest penguins: the little blue and yellow-eyed penguin, respectively. It’s also where you’ll find the only mainland breeding colony of the northern royal albatross in the world, which can be viewed from the observatory at THE ROYAL ALBATROSS CENTRE. Unbeknownst to most visitors, however, is that beneath the colony is the HISTORIC FORT TAIAROA, built to protect Dunedin from the threat of Russian invasion in the late 1800s. New Zealand fur seals and the endangered New Zealand sea lion can also be seen on the beaches around the peninsula. albatross.org.nz
North of the city is the ambitious OROKONUI ECOSANCTUARY, a 760-acre parcel of cultivated forest where endangered and rare species have been introduced, including a breeding pair of the vulnerable takahe, and young southern brown kiwi, the rarest species of kiwi in New Zealand. There are guided walks and tracks through the eco-sanctuary, which is open on weekends. orokonui.nz
Of all the area’s natural assets, the black-and-whitesand beaches are a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. The easiest to access is ST KILDA BEACH by the Esplanade, but TUNNEL BEACH is a bit more special, featuring spectacular rock arches, which can be accessed by a man-made tunnel carved through the cliffs.
The coast is also a great gateway to experiencing Maori culture. Way out on the Peninsula at night, you can wrap yourself in a sleeping bag with cup of hot chocolate and learn about tatai arorangi, or Maori astrology, on a SOUTHERN SKIES STARGAZING tour. horizontours.co.nz dunedinnz.com SHANEY HUDSON