NEW ZEALAND'S GAELIC SECRET
Larnach castle offers stunning views over the Otago peninsula. © Dunedin Tourism
I will tell you a secret. Far away, down the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island is a city that for decades has worked hard to get on the tourist map. When international visitors come to New Zealand, the regular circuit of Auckland, Rotorua and Queenstown is basically the Top 3 most visited places. The thing is, New Zealand has secret gems all over the place, areas less visited, out of “radar range” and the city where I live is one of those secrets.
Whenever I have the chance to guide travellers who have trusted me to venture outside of the usual touristy kiwi spotlights, I make a point of spending a few days in my hometown. And I always get the same feedback….”now we know why you live here…”. Dunedin is the perfect size, about 128,000, depending if the university is active. If not, remove 21,000 studying (and partying) souls. In the heaviest traffic jam, it would take me 15 minutes to get out of town and be in the countryside. The city over the years has gained a reputation as one of the best “living environment” in the country based on cost of real estate, proximity to coastline and countryside and it’s university is ranked in the top 1% across the world.
Developed in the mid 19th century as New Zealand’s first city, Dunedin offers a fantastic combination of wild beaches, coastal hikes, a superb harbour with a university backdrop where even Scottish TV and film crews fly all the way from Europe to re-create the Old Scotland feel. Dunedin’s name comes from the old Gaelic one for Edinburgh - appropriate since the city was established by Scottish Presbyterians. When cruise ships arrive in town, locals have to bear and grin as the bagpipes are played for visitors at every street corner. But we do love our grand Edwardian buildings that are unrivalled anywhere in the Southern Hemisphere. The grand train station has been declared the most photographed building in New Zealand and on a busy day the selfie sticks are in full swing. The highlight for many visitors are not the pubs, local breweries, giant painted artworks on buildings or watching surfers compete against seals for the perfect wave (best viewing spot is by the outdoor café near the shark sighting warning bell). The highlight is in fact a side trip on the nearby peninsula.
I always plan a full day on the Otago Peninsula, a crooked finger shaped headland framing the harbour. Branded as the “Wildlife Capital of New Zealand”, the Peninsula can offer in one day close encounters with NZ fur seals, sea lions, royal albatrosses and blue penguins in a completely wild environment of wind swept beaches and walking tracks that will leave all gobsmacked with stunning views. Add a picnic on the beach and a fun 15 km e-bike excursion on a new waterfront bike path, the day is a total winner and little by little the secret is out. Dunedin is very cool. Just don’t tell anybody.
St Paul’s Cathedral and Town Hall at sunrise. ©Dunedin Tourism
LITTLE KNOWN FACT:
On 16 July 2019, the most terrible news happened. Dunedin’s Baldwin Street had lost its title of Guinness World's Steepest Street to Ffordd Pen Llech in Wales, with Baldwin Street being evaluated at a gradient of 35%, and Ffordd Pen Llech at a gradient of 37.45%. Dunedin locals did NOT take this lying down and a campaign started to fight this shattering news. And on 8 April 2020, after an extensive appeal to Guiness filed by several Dunedin residents led by surveyor Toby Stoff, Guinness agreed that the steepness of a street must be based on the central axis, which meant that Ffordd Pen Llech had a gradient of 28.6% compared to Baldwin Street's 34.8%. This meant that the title of Steepest Street in the World was returned to Baldwin Street!
BEST MONTHS TO VISIT
Probably best to avoid the months of June to September, our New Zealand winter when I will admit it is not the best weather for picnics on the beach... The best months are from December till May, our summer and fall seasons.