Dunedin

Photo taken by: The Planet D (Flying Kiwi Traveller)

Tours in Dunedin

Dunedin - Tour Highlights

The Otago Coast stretches from the Waitaki River to the mighty Clutha River, on the South Island's eastern coast. About halfway between is Dunedin, built around Otago Harbour, which indents Otago Peninsula. On Moeraki Beach, about halfway between Oamaru and Dunedin are the unique, perfectly round Moeraki Boulders, which weigh up to four tons each.

Dunedin, with a population of 121,100, is the South Island's second-largest city and the commercial centre for the Otago region. Its name is the old Gaelic one for Edinburgh - appropriate since the city was established by Scottish Presbyterians. It is a gracious city whose numerous grand nineteenth-century and Edwardian buildings are unrivalled anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. Dunedin's architectural heritage has provided the city with some notable buildings, including the train station, town hall, university and many churches. There are also special former private residences worth noting including Olveston, a Jacobean-style family home and Glenfalloch, surrounded by 12 hectares of woodland garden. Neo-Gothic Larnach Castle represents the finest of nineteenth century craftsmanship.

Time spent here while on a Flying Kiwi tour:

We spend 1 night here.

Tours that take you here:

BOTH ISLAND TOURS:    SOUTH ISLAND TOURS:
Ultimate Explorer - 27 or 28 days     Summer Blast - 16, 17 or 19 days 
Total Aotearoa - 24 days Southern Light - 9 or 10 days
Grand Traverse - 15 days   


Where we stay: 

Dunedin Holiday Park & Motels - located opposite St Kilda Beach.

 - Laundry facilities $3 per wash, $4 per dry
- Free unlimited Wifi
- Cabin upgrades

Close to local restaurants and bars at Saint Claire Esplanade
- Salt Bar – Pub food
- Spirit House – Thai/Asian
- Esplanade – Pizza/Pasta

A natural attraction on the Otago Peninsula is the abundant wildlife, only a 15-20 minute drive from the central business district where you can view endangered yellow-eyed penguin, cormorants and albatross. Nowhere else in the world does the largest of the world's sea birds live within such easy human access.

Things to do:

Baldwin Street, located in the northeast suburb of the city, is well-known as the world’s steepest street. At only 350 metres long, a short distance in normal conditions, becomes a challenge for most with its steep gradient of 1:5.

 

otago settlers museum

Free Things to Do:

Visit the always colourful and vivid Botanic Gardens. Greet the amusing parrot in the aviary.

Take your time to discover Dunedin’s two amazing museums, The Otago Museum with a complete exhibition of NZ’s natural history; and Toitu Otago Settlers Museum where you’ll be able to dive into the country’s social history in an unusual and original way.

Insiders Tip:

The Dunedin Street Art Trail leads you on a discovery of almost 30 murals and artworks.  Painted by renowned worldwide artists, street art rarely looks this good! Who knows, maybe Dunedin is in the firing line for a Banksy! You can pick up a copy of the map at the Information Centre.

 

Baldwin Street

Hiking Options:

No visit to Dunedin is complete without walking up Baldwin Street, the worlds steepest residential street!

Cycle Options:

Dunedin Soldiers Memorial - the ride follows the coastline before climbing up over the Otago Peninsula. The hill climb is worth it for the views. Then you've got the down hill to look forward to as you make your way back to camp. 

Our pick of Dunedin's Top Activities:

 

learn to surf

Surf Lesson

Learn to surf with a qualified & experienced surf instructor. Each lesson is tailored to your experience, ability and skill and runs for 90 minutes. Lessons include use of all surfing gear and you get to play around in the waves afterwards to test out your new skills. 

 


Monarch wildlife tour Dunedin

Otago Peninsula Wildlife Tour

This tour offers unbeatable viewing opportunities in the Wildlife Capital of New Zealand (including the world’s only mainland breeding colony of the Royal Albatross) while you hear about the local history, geology and other interesting information about this stunning region.