Dunedin City, New Zealand - Holidays Guide 2014

Dunedin city is regarded by many as the south’s Edinburgh, a city that is very proud of its rich Scots heritage. Ideally, Dunedin is a university town and it is vey famous due to its rather ugly railway station and one of the Godzone regions with the worst weather. At the heart of the city, there is a statue of historical poet by the name Robbie Burns. Most of the street in the city bears the same names as those of Edinburgh streets. The city came into existence at a time when people moved around using railways and ships before cars came to be the king. Some of the city streets like Baldwin Street are very steep and the yearly chocolate festival is held to celebrate this claim. 

The Dunedin International Airport serves both international and domestic tourists and visitors and locals get around on bikes, train or use the local bus service. The Cadbury World in Dunedin offers guided tours to Cadbury Chocolate World and even though visitors are offered free chocolate samples, don’t expect to see a lot at the factories. Since it was founded in the year 1876, Speights Brewery has been the city’s landmark and guided tours are offered to the brewery by well knowledgeable locals. You will learn about the culture and heritage of beer during these tours and there is a 25 minute session at the end of tasting beer. However, beer tasting is only allowed to those aged 18 years and above. 

Fortune theatre in Dunedin is found in an old converted stone church and this theatre has live professional performances by Otago citizens. There is also a local cinema where you can catch the latest films. The Octagon at the city center has an octagon shape rather than the usual standard shape. This area of Dunedin is very active/ busy with many businesses striving near it. The Robert Burns Statue sitting on Octagon is more than 100 years old and was restored recently. This highly statue was cast on the Octagon by a famous Edinburgh sculptor. The Organ Pipes is a small column of rock that offers splendid views over the city. 

The Otago University has pretty old buildings but with great architecture and most tourists simply go the university to wander around and there are some good bars/ cages and food stores located nearby as well. The learning section of Otego Museum offers free internet services. The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a futuristic stadium for soccer and rugby that was opened in the year 2011 for Rugby World Cup. Other interesting things to see include the University Oval, Tunnel Beach, Otago Peninsula, Otakou Marae, Larnach Castle, Dunedin Botanical Gardens, Orokonui Eco Sanctuary and others. The Baldwin Street has been recognized as the world’s steepest street by Guinness Book of World Records. Surfing and swimming on the beaches is a common activity as well. the highly accessible tracks in Dunedin offer a perfect place for tramping.