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Dunedin
City in Otago, New Zealand

Dunedin

Dunedin is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago region.

Plan a trip to Dunedin→From Queenstown

Its name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. With an estimated population of 132,800 as of June 2025, Dunedin is New Zealand’s seventh most populous metropolitan and urban area.

See

Worth seeing

The following attractions are free: Baldwin Street, Dunedin Railway Station, Otago Museum, Public Art Gallery, Toitū Otago Settlers Museum, and the churches.

  1. 01
    Baldwin Street

    Located in Dunedin's North East Valley suburb, it is recognised as the world's steepest street according to Guinness World Records with a centreline gradient of 34.8%.

  2. 02
    Dunedin Prison

    2 Castle St, for tours), dunedingaolenquiries@gmail.com.

  3. 03
    Dunedin Railway Station
  4. 04
    Law Courts

    Designed by John Campbell, the law courts are one of the finest examples of Gothic civic architecture in the country.

  5. 05
    Dunedin Town Hall

    Lawson in 1878, it is New Zealand's only surviving significant Victorian Town Hall.

  6. 06
    North Dunedin

    Not your traditional attraction but a stroll through the student accommodation-filled streets around the university can give you a real insight into Dunedin student life.

Do

Things to do

Baldwin Street Gutbuster. Take part in a run up and back on the world's steepest street during the city's summer festival. Tramping. Dunedin has some of the most easily-accessible tracks of any city in NZ. In less than half an hour you can be in pristine bush far from the worries of the world.

  1. 01
    Moana Pool

    This is a public pool with water slide and spa, 5 minutes walk up Stuart Street from the Octagon.

  2. 02
    St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool

    1 Oct-31 Mar: Mon-Fri 6AM-7PM, Sat Sun 7AM-7PM.

  3. 03
    Rialto Cinema

    Nice movie cinema in a converted old theatre.

  4. 04
    University Oval throughout
  5. 05
    Forsyth Barr Stadium

    A futuristic rugby and soccer stadium, opened in 2011, it's fully enclosed with a grass surface, made possible by a transparent roof.

Eat

Where to eat

Dunedin is home to numerous reasonably priced ethnic restaurants and being a university town, the city is home to many establishments that cater to students. Lower Stuart Street, around the Octagon and the northern part of central George Street (including the side streets) have the majority of Dunedin's restaurants.

How locals move

Getting around Dunedin the local way

  • Get aroundPort To Port Cruises operate a charter ferry across the harbour to complete the circuit between Port Chalmers and Portobello.

From Wikivoyage: Dunedin, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.