Dunedin is the 7th largest city in New Zealand (and 2nd largest on the South Island), and so far, it ended up being our favorite city on the South Island. It was our first 3-night stay, but we could have stayed much longer. Our AirBnB was the best yet, located up a giant hill in the middle of the most beautiful garden. It was one of my favorite South Island stays.
The city itself is located on lots of hills. Our “walk” to the grocery store seemed to be one of the most challenging hikes we’ve done in the week we’ve been here. So many stairs. It reminded me of Duluth (on the North Shore of Minnesota), except that it’s not on one hill overlooking the water but rolling hills. It also had a bit of a San Francisco or Seattle vibe, just smaller.
We had our first rest day here, which included some writing, Lord of the Rings – The Two Towers, lots of reading, and a mission to find pizza. Our second day got us out to explore.
Highlight of our time in Dunedin:
- The drive out to the Otago Peninsula to see some New Zealand Fur Seals and the Larnach Castle
- Walking up the steepest street in the world
- Checking out street art and Scottish architecture scattered throughout the city
- Hiking down to Tunnel Beach on our way south out of town
I hope that we find ourselves back in Dunedin at some point. It’s the first place we’ve been that we both agreed we could live in for a while, except for the fact that every walk is like an intense go on the Stairmaster.
Enjoy the photos and make sure to comment and say hi!! If you have any questions, let us know!
From this coastal town, we were heading south to the Catlins and the southernmost point of New Zealand, Slope Point.
