Dunedin

Dunedin is the starting point for people to travel on the Taieri Gorge Excursion Train to Pukerangi or Middlemarch

Dunedin has a vibrant feel and celebrates it’s centuries of Maori history along with the Scottish settlers, who in the 1800s added stunning Edwardian and Victorian architecture.

12,000 immigrants had arrived By the 1850s. In the early 1860s, gold was discovered which made Dunedin the richest and most populace province in New Zealand and bringing people from China and around the world to share in the wealth of the area.

The University of Otago, the oldest university in New Zealand, was founded in Dunedin in 1869.  It had over 21,000 students enrolled during 2013. 

Info

Population: 120,246
Website: dunedinnz.com




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Leviathan Hotel

Tagged as: Hotel, , Historic

200 metres from the Taieri Gorge Railway, the Leviathan Hotel offers budget accommodation with different rooms from dorm beds and economy rooms to suites with spa-bath. Buffet breakfast, and a la carte evening meals are available.

Rates:

Backpacker Dorm Beds $28

Backpacker Private Twin Rooms $75

Backpacker Private Triple Rooms $105

Economy Single Hotel Room $95

Economy Twin/Double Room $110

Standard Single Hotel Room $110

Standard Twin/Double Hotel Room $135

Standard Triple Hotel Room (4pax) $155

Suite $170

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97 Motel Moray

Tagged as: Motel, Self - Contained
Convenience.....Comfort.....Affordability
97 Motel Moray is the closest motel complex to the Octagon, the centre of Dunedin City, surrounded by great city shopping, restaurants, cafes and bars. 
Rates:

From $120 - $169

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Woodlands Village Motels & Apartments

Tagged as: Motel, Self - Contained

Woodlands Village Motels & Apartments Dunedin offer a range of units to suit your needs. Relax in spacious purpose built motels and apartments, surrounded by established gardens in a park-like setting.

Rates:

$120 for one bed room unit, from $145 for two bed rooms unit

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Railway Station

Dunedin is the home of New Zealand’s most photographed building, the Dunedin Railway Station. The station has been running since 1906 and was designed to suit the Edwardian Baroque style, a fashionable and desirable style of the time. A weekly Famers Market takes place outside the station on Anzac Square every Saturday morning. The station runs sight-seeing tours through the Taeiri Gorge and up the coast, both tours starting at $89.00 per adult. Departing times vary between seasons.

Phone 03 477 4449 for more information. Website: www.taieri.co.nz


Speight’s Brewery Tours

Since 1876, Speight’s Beer has been produced at this Dunedin Brewery which offers guided tours that could be described as interactive and informative for those interested in history, as well as for those who would simply like to see how the beer is made and sample it for themselves.

Adult rates are $25 for a 90minute tour. Bookings are essential – call 03 4777 697 to book in a time for your tour. Website: www.speights.co.nz


Early Settler’s Museum

The Toitu Otago Settlers Museum showcases people of the past and how they have shaped Dunedin’s future. The museum shows the character, culture, technology, fashion, and art from indigenous Maori, early Scottish settlers, and the early Chinese settlers.

After exploring the history of the settlers in Dunedin, stop for an organic coffee or a freshly made meal at the museum’s café.

Admission is free but some exhibitions may have a charge. Phone 03 477 4000 for enquiries. website: www.toituosm.com


Otago Museum

The Otago Museum is full of galleries and exhibitions. Learn about culture in the Tangata Whenua Gallery or the Pacific Cultures Gallery. Between these two galleries you will learn about Southern Maori lifestyles and mythology, and about a range of objects and tools used in places such as Easter Island. The Museum also has many galleries about people of history, animals, maritime, and nature.

The Otago Museum also has a tropical rainforest; an environment you will share with hundreds of exotic butterflies, as well as some birds, fish, turtles, a gecko, and a huge variety of plants. Visitors can observe and help release the butterflies into forest at 10.30am every morning, or join a guided tour at 1.30pm every afternoon.

Children may also be very interested in Discovery World, where they are able to connect with science and technology in a fun and interactive way. Children can create human-sized bubbles, walk along a giant piano, and much more. There are also Science Shows in Discovery World during weekends.

End your time at the Otago Museum in the Museum Café with fresh and delicious options that are suitable for both children and adults.

Open daily from 10am-5pm, call 03 474 7474 for enquiries or bookings. Website: www.otagomuseum.nz


Baldwin Street – The World’s Steepest Street

3.5km away from Dunedin’s city centre, you will find the world’s steepest residential street. This street hosts several events each year such as the Jaffa Race and the Baldwin Street Gutbuster. Baldwin Street will take around 10minutes to walk up, as it is only an achievable 350m long, with several small souvenir shops along the way.


Otago Peninsula

The Otago Peninsula has many attractions including wildlife which you can view at the Royal Albatross Centre and the Penguin Place, walking tracks, and Monarch Wildlife Cruises.

The Royal Albatross Centre offers a variety of different tours where you learn about the history of the people and wildlife on the peninsula. You will be able to view some of the wildlife and learn about their way of life. Family tickets range between $50 and $125.

Penguin Place also offers tours where you are able to experience a close-up view of the Yellow-Eyed Penguins in their trenches, huts and open spaces.

On the Monarch Wildlife Cruise you will be able to view up to 20 different species of bird and marine life, seals, penguins, and the Royal Albatross. This cruise is a fantastic experience that has won several different tourism awards.

For more information about booking tours or for any other enquiries, please phone:

Royal Albatross Centre: 0800 528 767

Penguin Place: 03 478 0286

Monarch Wildlife Cruises: 0800 666 272


Larnach Castle

Politian William Larnach constructed New Zealand’s first and only castle for his wife in 1871. This castle is now privately owned and is owned by the Barker family, who open their home to the public and use administration fees for conservation of this historic building. The castle has accommodation, a ball room, beautiful gardens, and can provide high teas and events.

A family pass is $68, and individual children and adult fees range up to $29.

Please phone 00 64 3 476 1616 for enquiries or more information. Website: www.larnachcastle.co.nz


Olveston House

Olveston was built for Dunedin businessman, collector and philanthropist David Theomin and designed by acclaimed English architect Sir Ernest George in the early 1900sThe home provides an accurate display of the early New Zealand lifestyle and was constructed in a Jacobean style with definitive detail.

Open 364 days of the year, 9am - 5pm
Six 1-hour public tours commence daily at: 9.30 am, 10.45 am, 12 noon, 1.30pm, 2.45pm and 4pm.
Please phone 00 64 3 477 3320 for enquiries or more information. 
Website : www.olveston.co.nz


Chinese Garden

The Chinese Gardens in Dunedin were designed to take people on a journey through Chinese history, culture, heritage, tradition, and nature. Adult admission costs $9, and tour options are also available.

Open daily from 10am-5pm.  For bookings or enquiries, please phone 477 3248. Website: www.dunedinchinesegarden.com


St Clair Beach

St Clair Beach is well known for perfect surfing conditions and white sand, lined with cafes and bars along the esplanade. You will have a fantastic view of the Southern Ocean and enjoy the lively yet peaceful atmosphere.

St Clair also provides outdoor Hot Salt Water Pools above the boulders on the beach. There is a pool with lanes and a toddler’s pool, both at 28 degrees Celsius. Enjoy a swim or watch on from the café. Prices vary between ages. Phone 03 455 6352 for more information.


Tunnel Beach

This Dunedin beach has a sandstone coastline that has been shaped into tunnels and cliffs from harsh weather conditions, providing beautiful and unique views. In the 1870’s John Cargill, a son of Captain William Cargill, excavated a tunnel down to a secluded beach so that the Cargill families could bathe in privacy.  Sadly Cargill's youngest daughter drowned by dangerous rip. Tunnel Beach has been called the most romantic spot in Dunedin.

Twenty minute walk from the car park. The walkway is closed for lambing from 1st of Aug- 31 Oct. Best at low tide. 

Tunnel Beach is located off the Dunedin to Brighton coastal road. 


Explore Dunedin's heritage buildings

Browse the city and view the heritage buildings that provides a unique opportunity to step back in time and discover what it would have been like in the 1800s.


Port To Port Cruises & Wildlife Tours
Cycle the Otago Harbour Loop and join Rachel on the Port To Port ferry from Portobello to Port Chalmers. The ferry trip is a Mini Tour in itself.
It completes the loop and adds a fun experience on the harbour (bookings are essential).
Cycling the Loop takes around 2 hours (add more time for stops and food). 
This 38km flat, paved, world-class, off-road cycleway is the perfect platform to enjoy the scenery, wildlife, boats, and more. 
There are lots of activities to do and things to see on the way. Spoil yourself and include a wildlife cruise, which is possible by staying on the ferry longer, and do the famous Port To Port Cruises two hour cruise, to see albatross, seals and much more.

Dunedin i-Site Visitor Centre

In the Octagon (26 Princes St.)

Summer (November to March)
Monday to Friday: 8.30am - 6pm, Saturday, Sunday 8.45am - 6pm and Public Holidays: 9am - 5pm

Winter (April - October)
Monday to Friday: 8.30am - 5pm, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays: 8.45am - 5pm

Ph: 03 474 3300
Email: visitor.centre@dcc.govt.nz.


Taieri Gorge Railway

One of the worlds great train trips, taking passengers to Pukerangi daily all year and to Middlemarch on Fridays and Saturdays over summer(1 October - 30 April ). Bikes carried free.

Ph: 03 477 4449

Email: reserve@taieri.co.nz 

Website: www.taieri.co.nz


Catch-A-Bus

A Door to Door Service that can meet the needs of Rail Trailers with daily services running in both directions. Operates Dunedin - Middlemarch - Waipiata - Ranfurly - Ida Valley or Becks - Lauder - Omakau - Alexandra - Clyde - Cromwell.
Catch-a-Bus can transport people to either end of the Otago Rail Trail or anywhere along the trail.
Ph: 03 449 2024. Website: Catch a Bus

 


The Rail Trail Guide Book

The single most important resource when travelling the Central Otago Rail Trail

A beautifully crafted book with amazing photography by Peter Andrews showing Central Otago as it truly is, one of the most rugged, extreme and beautiful locations on the planet. Stunning scenery, amazing and important historical and current information, detailed maps, lists of accommodation, frequently asked questions, where to eat, how far between towns, etc. It’s all in here.

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