Dunedin

Dunedin/Ōtepoti

Dunedin is the second largest town in the South Island and has a population of 122 900, according to a June 2008 estimate.  As the home of New Zealand’s oldest and one of its most prestigious universities, the University of Otago, the prominent student population has given the town a noticeable youth culture.  Dunedin is also a historically significant town.

Dunedin is situated on the hilly remains of an extinct volcano.  A gully created by the volcano was levelled and filled in the mid nineteenth century to build what has become Dunedin’s central business district and inner suburbs.  Dunedin’s outer suburbs are hillier.  According to the Guinness Book of Records, Baldwin Street (in Dunedin’s Northwest Valley) is the steepest street in the world.

The town is bordered by the Otago Harbour to the east and the Waipori/Taieri River in the south west.  Dunedin’s skyline is dominated by a ring of hills that form the remnants of a volcanic crater.

Dunedin’s climate is mostly temperate, although its erratic topographical layout can cause differences in temperate and climate between suburbs.  The town’s proximity to the ocean means that winters can be very cool.  Dunedin is one of the cloudiest cities in New Zealand, receiving an average of only 1650 hours of sunlight a year, and receives occasional snowfall (usually every two or three years.)

Captain James Cook first landed at Dunedin on February 25, 1770.  The abundance of seals in the area made Dunedin an attraction spot for sealers and it quickly became a major sealing station.  A feud between sealers and the Maori tribes residing in the region ensued.  

When permanent settlements were built in 1830, a wave of epidemics led to a drastic decrease in the Maori population in the area.

The Gold Rush in the 1860’s led to a dramatic increase in population.  During these prosperous times, many institutes and businesses were established.  Dunedin’s popularity continued after the gold rush ended due to the range of facilities in the area.

More recently, Dunedin has enjoyed prominence within the music industry, with many successful musicians of the eighties and nineties coming from Dunedin.  The 1960’s influenced, guitar led music that was popular with musicians from the town later became known as the Dunedin Sound.

Dunedin has four major universities and polytechnics, including the world class University of Otago.  The high student population is evident throughout the town.  Music and, more recently, fashion are developed industries.

Sealing and whaling are illegal in New Zealand today and as a result, the animal population is recovering.  Dunedin’s Otago Peninsula has the world’s only mainland Royal Albatross colony and many seal and penguin colonies.

Sight see-ers also enjoy Dunedin’s two castles, one of which (Larnach Castle) has been restored to its former glory and is open to the public, as well as the Dunedin Chinese Garden.  Dunedin also has a brewery and many theatres, galleries and museums, and has a booming ecotourism industry.  

Dunedin is a beautiful and vibrant city with important historical and environmental features.