It’s a bold statement, but could just be true. Having spent periods of time in most of the other big cities in NZ, Dunedin escaped my radar. But there is something about this little city that packs a punch above its weight and makes it a very enjoyable place to hang out. As soon as you drive into the city, there is a real vibe and uniqueness that envelopes you. Something hard to put your finger on. Perhaps it’s the geography or the architecture? Maybe the historic Otago University in the middle of town, or the ever foreboding and somewhat brutal Winter climate. Whatever it is, we liked it a lot. We have selected some highlights from our short stay.
St Clair
An amazing crescent of beach with suburbia perched so close. Like everywhere in Dunedin, one minute you are at sea level and a few hundred steps later you are on top of a hill looking down on this amazing seascape. A wonderful golf course perched on the hill and lovely cafes abound.
We recommend the Long Dog Cafe — it’s plonked right on the rocky outcrop at the corner of the beach. It’s the perfect spot to watch the sunrise and one of the benefits of going there in Winter. If you went in summer, the sunrise would be over before they open!
Baldwin Street
No visit to Dunedin is complete without a visit to the world’s steepest street — Baldwin Street. A walk to the top will have you puffing and panting. Driving up or down here on a regular basis would be scary. Especially in Winter!
Every year around 30,000 Jaffas (a chocolate “ball bearing” with a hard candy shell) are let loose from the top of the street.
Chinese Scholar’s Garden (Lan Yuan)
Lan Yuan is a little piece of Chinese paradise and tranquility, close to the city. When you enter here, everything else seems like a world away. Dunedin’s Chinese history runs strong and deep since the goldrush days of Otago. A nice place to have a quiet walk and contemplate life. You can even play chess or mahjong here!
Saturday Farmers’ Market — Dunedin Railway Station
This is a real, old style popup market that is filled with a great mix of basic raw foods — fruits, veges, meats, honey and the like. And also has some lovely food treats to satisfy those pangs of hunger. We chose crepes — one vendor selling French crepes and another selling Chinese crepes. We later enjoyed some lamingtons we purchased. Would love to be able to go to something like this each week. Yes, Christchurch does have markets, but they are either too bloody expensive or rubbish. We really need an old style proper market like this. And the setting for this market is lovely.
Olveston Historic Home
Most people head straight for Larnach Castle when they come to Dunedin. But missing Olveston would be a real pity. This place is amazing. The home was gifted to the Dunedin Council when the last surviving owner passed. And what a gift it is! Everything in here is basically as it was, with virtually everything untouched. The house is incredibly well looked after and preserved.
The tour is a must. The guide’s knowledge was absolutely amazing and she was lovely. We were the only two people on the tour. We recommend taking the earliest time as there are less people. The tour runs for quite a long time and talks about every facet of life in this house that was amazingly “high tech” for its day.
And to cap it off, as we were completing the tour, snow started gently falling outside. Checkout the official website for Olveston.
Other Take-aways
It’s a lovely city to walk around. There is a variety of shops — selling the sorts of things you don’t see everywhere. The geography makes it interesting. The architecture is also interesting and has a uniqueness to it and there are lots of nice buildings and churches. We came away wishing we could spend more time there, as there were a few things we missed including Larnach Castle and a walk around Otago University amongst others.
Our accommodation was wonderful, exceeding our expectations. We stayed at the Bluestone on George. It was a short walk straight down George St to the city centre and the Octagon. One of the cleanest hotels I’ve stayed in. Room was spacious and well appointed. It was nice and quiet too.
Food and bar scene was pretty good, but you should plan where you will eat dinner and book a seat, as it’s not the sort of place that you can simply just walk around until you find something you like. We had a very nice dinner at Etrusco at the Savoy. This Italian eatery is a bit of a Dunedin Institution.
Don’t let Winter put you off going to Dunedin. It didn’t really stop us from doing anything.
We’ll finish with a couple of more pics…
