Destination Dunedin

November 22, 2023November 21, 2023 by Metropol No Comments

Dunedin and its surrounds have so much to offer, that it may seem like there is too much choice. The city’s heritage, shopping, and art precincts, plus nature’s overflowing biodiversity and scenery, make it a fabulous addition to your summer getaway schedule. These Metropol suggestions may help you plan your next trip own that way.

3 & 5 December
White Ferns vs Pakistan T20i, University Oval, Dunedin.

9 December
A Toitū Christmas: Dunedin City Jazz Orchestra,
Queens Garden, Dunedin.
The Wild Epic Mountain Runs, Butler’s Green, Arrowtown.

31 December
New Year’s Eve Cosmic Countdown, Indigo Room Basement, Moray Pl, Central Dunedin.
Swing Under the Stars New Year’s Eve Grand Casino, High St, Central Dunedin.

14 January 2024
St Bathans Village Fete, St Bathans, Central Otago.

Splurge
Dunedin is a shopping hotspot, with enough stores on its main streets, and dotted about the city to fuel any shopping addiction. There’s acclaimed music stores such as Relics, fashion boutiques, the weekly Saturday markets, and those have-it-all spots, including Wal’s Plant and Fun Land, a shrub and tree store complete with mini golf, a driving range, a maze, and café.

Stroll
Take your trekking coastal, where sea spray keeps you cool and the views keep you cheerful. Test out Taika Waititi’s favourite opening to the ocean, Tunnel Beach.
Rock hopping, or beach hopping if you’re keen, are enjoyable ways to get your steps up, and not feel as if you’re exerting too much energy. For gorgeous greenery, walk Ross Creek. Sandymount Track provides fascinating ocean views, and the Flagstaff track will wow with its rolling hills.

Savour

If you’ve hit mid-day in this Otago city and you’re after a pick me up, you’re in luck. The city comes with a range of eateries and restaurants to excite your taste buds.

One popular eatery is the Ironic Café and Bar, which feeds from farm to table, with exquisite flavours and drinks to pair.

Or, put a new twist on a pub crawl: café crawling, which is a great option, touring the countryside and tasting the local treats in Dunedin, Mosgiel, Hampden, Oamaru, and the spots in between, making your drive home interesting.

Sip

Of course, after a long day of exploring and ticking off our Dunedin to-do list, it’s only right to find a quaint location to put your feet up and taste the local brews.

Dunedin hosts many breweries and distilleries, our top

picks being Sandymount and No8 distilleries, producing local, artisan-crafted, and delicious spirits.

Stimulate

Expand your knowledge and discover captivating stories of nature, culture, and science at Tūhura Otago Museum, or if you’re a sports fanatic, take a wander through the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.

If you want an excuse to take the world-class Taieri Gorge Railway, hop on to head to Middlemarch.

This little town boasts a compact yet fantastic little museum, with a lot to see, including a restored railway wagon, and New Zealand’s first submarine.

While you’re there, explore the Middlemarch area and take a photo in front of the Rock and Pillar mountain range featured in Peter Jackson’s iconic film, The Hobbit.