Dunedin is the second largest city of New Zealand's South Island (after Christchurch) and is located on the island's southeast coast. It is 362 kilometres from Christchurch and 283 kilometres from Queenstown. It has a population of some 120,000 and is considered very much a university town with about 10 per cent of its young folk studying in the area's tertiary education institutions.
The area has a strong Scottish background and Dunedin was formerly called New Edinburgh. The city's name was later changed to Edinburgh's old Celtic name, Dunedin (Dun Edin, meaning Edin on the Hill).
- After a visit to Dunedin in the mid-1890s, the American writer Mark Twain said: "The people here are Scots. They stopped here on their way to heaven, thinking they had arrived."
The region. Dunedin is the main centre of the Otago region. The Otago Peninsula lies within the city boundaries.
Brief history. The Otago region attracted Maori settlers more than four centuries ago. Scottish migrants established a town in 1848. Gold was discovered later in central Otago and, with the attendant prosperity, Dunedin became New Zealand's biggest city and the country's industrial and commercial heart. Magnificently-ornate new buildings, many of which still stand today, sprang in the city with kerosene lighting, and freezing and hydroelectric works. In 1879, it was the first city outside the USA to have its own tram system. This was phased out in 1957. With the end of the gold rush, Dunedin was surpassed by other New Zealand cities in importance but remains the South Island's second largest city.
City centre. The heart of the city is in the city square which isn't square but octagonal. The Octagon links George St in the north and Princes St in the south. The octagonal road is named Moray Place.
Heritage buildings. Scottish Edwardian architecture was the hallmark of buildings constructed in the city's heyday, examples of which can be seen in St Paul's Cathedral, the restored Town Hall, Dunedin Railway Station, Larnach Castle 13 kilometres from the city centre, and Olveston house (built in 1904-1906).
Gardens. The Botanic Gardens, New Zealand's first, is located at the northern end of the city on the lower slopes of Signal Hill. The 30-acre harbourside Glenfalloch Woodland Garden is southeast of the city center and lies off Portobello Rd.
Harbour cruises. View albatross, fur seals, penguins, nesting birds, and dolphins on Otago Harbour wildlife cruises. There are fishing cruises as well. Or hire a kayak for a close-up look at marine and birdlife.
Birds. See the huge royal albatross at Taiaroa Heads at the tip of the Otago Peninsula. Also to be found on the peninsula is the yellow-eyed penguin, white-fronted tern, blue penguin and many species of cormorant.
Information centre. The Dunedin Visitor Centre is at 48 The Octagon in the restored municipal chambers. It is open from 8.30am to 5pm weekdays and from 9am to 5pm weekends, with extended hours in summer.
