Ōtepoti Dunedin – Like Bali but with wetsuits
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unnerstunner, home of the giant Albatross, great beaches, the country’s only genuine castle and injectable donuts.
Not to mention the world’s steepest street, stunning auroras and the birthplace of Six60.
Like Bali but with wetsuits! At least that’s how Dunedin positioned itself when we came out of lockdown. Enterprise Dunedin Manager John Christie thinks it may be time for a brand refresh, but says it’s a hard call when a city has as much to offer as Dunedin. “We get a hard time about the weather,” he says. “People think we’re under snow for six months of the year, but the reality is we have a settled climate, bright blue skies and really clear nights. The evenings are long and it's not as wet and windy as other places.”
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“And one day is never enough.” The most common complaint from visitors to the city is that they wished they’d stayed longer, according to John Christie who says a day is never enough to discover the city’s intriguing past. “There’s a lot more to Dunedin than most people realise,” he says. The city boasts a population of 135,000 and one in five locals are students bringing an exciting younger vibe to the city. Should you visit when there’s a rugby game on at the stadium, John recommends heading along to witness the hijinx in the student area, called the Zoo, which he says can be just as entertaining as the game itself. The infamous Castle Street with its student digs is worth visiting too, and if you’re a Six60 fan you can pay homage at the gate to the flat at 660 Castle Street where the popular band was formed.