Dunedin

Gracious, dignified Dunedinpread over the hills at the head of one of the country's loveliest harbors, Dunedin was envisioned by its Scottish founders as the "Edinburgh of the South." The Presbyterian settlement was colonized by settlers who landed at Port Chalmers in 1848.

After gold was discovered in Central Otago in the 1860s, the tiny frontier colony thrived. Prosperity ushered in a golden era in architecture, culture, and industry. Dunedin soon became the wealthiest and most influential town in Victorian New Zealand the model for the rest of the country.

A gracious and dignified city, Dunedin has a special charm. Its Scottish heritage is evoked in its street names and in the sturdy appeal of its handsome stone buildings. You'll find the country's only kiltmaker and whisky distillery here, and a statue of Scottish poet Robert Bums overlooks downtown activity from the Octagon, a small grassy park in the heart of the city.

Getting settled in Dunedin

Dunedin is a planned city, its streets and suburbs fanning out from the Octagon. Bisecting this downtown oasis is Dunedin's main thoroughfare, named George Street north of the park, Princes Street to the south. Most of the major downtown stores, banks, hotels, and restaurants are concentrated along or near this street. Stuart Street branches at right angles from the main street.

You'll find restaurants in the larger hotels and motor inns and others specializing in English, Italian, or continental cuisine scattered throughout the city. For an experience a little out of the ordinary, dine in an atmosphere reminiscent of a turn of the century railway station at Camarvon Station, housed in the historic Prince of Wales Hotel, 474 Princes Street. Vintage train carriages and equipment combined with handsome architectural features from one of the city's early mansions recall Dunedin's golden age. Most evening entertainment revolves around the hotels. Concerts are presented at Town Hall, and visiting artists perform at the Regent Theatre.

A walk around town

If you enjoy exploring a city on foot, you'll like Dunedin's compact central district. In an hour or two, you can stroll many of the downtown streets, enjoy a few of the city's parks and architectural gems, and absorb a bit of Dunedin's history. Ask for leaflets that indicate points of interest.

Many fine Victorian buildings give the city its distinctive character and recall the era when Dunedin was the most important settlement in the country. In older parts of the city, houses reflect the Scottish heritage of its early settlers.

The Octagon. Heart of the city is the grassy Octagon, where you stand beneath aging trees and survey the passing scene alongside the statue of Scotland's bard, Robert Burns. Shoppers pause here to chat, and office workers eat lunch on the grass on pleasant days.

Facing the park are the impressive St. Paul's Cathedral, the Municipal Chambers with its adjacent Town Hall, and the Regent and Fortune theaters. Daily at 12:30, 6, 7:30, and 9 P.m., the Star Fountain puts on a colorful display utilizing water jets, music, and lighting effects.

First Church. Walk east down Stuart Street, detouring a block south on Moray Place for a look at the First Church of Otago. One of the country's finest churches, it was designed by R. A. Lawson, architect of many of Dunedin's most distinctive buildings, and dedicated in 1873. Interior features include a lovely rose window and imaginative plant and animal motifs carved in Oamaru stone.

Railway station. Returning to Stuart Street, continue east past the Law Courts to Dunedin's elegant old railway station, built in 1904. Its facade features granite pillars supporting an arched colonnade, and heraldic lions ornament the copper lined tower. A delightful touch is the New Zealand Railways' motif (NZR) used with abandon etched in glass, patterned in mosaic floor tile, even created in stained glass (in the second floor windows depicting a smoke belching train).

Early Settlers' Museum. Follow Anzac Avenue south to the Early Settlers' Museum, noteworthy for its collection of vintage vehicles (steam locomotives, a cable car, a Cobb & Co. stagecoach, and Dunedin's first fire engine), old paintings and photographs, and relics of whaling and mining days. The museum is open weekdays from 9 A.M. to 5 P.m., Saturday from 10:30 A.M. to 4 P.m., and Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 P.m.

Angle a block south on Cumberland Street past Queens Gardens, a tranquil island in a sea of traffic. Then walk west on Rattray Street to the ornate Gothic Cargill Monument at Princes Street.

Classic buildings. Some of the city's well designed 19th century buildings are still in use in the stock exchange area. Many are constructed of Port Chalmers or Oamaru stone and include interior furnishings of native and imported woods.

To fully appreciate Dunedin's harbor setting, head for the hills. Framed between rugged peninsulas, narrow Otago Harbour cuts inland. At its head, Dunedin's buildings rim the water and climb the encircling hills.

Dunedin's planners reserved a band of greenery called the Town Belt on the higher slopes of the hills facing the harbor. Queens Drive, a 7 km/4 mile scenic road winding through this wooded retreat, offers motorists and walkers a succession of magnificent vistas.

Favorite close in viewpoints include Unity Park, Bracken's Lookout (Northern Cemetery), and Southern Cemetery. For sweeping panoramas of Dunedin, the harbor, and the Otago Peninsula, head north of the city to Signal Hill or Mount Cargill. One of the city walks (map brochure available) takes you through part of the reserve. It starts near Queen and Regent streets and follows Queens Drive north through Prospect Park and the Woodhaugh Gardens.

Southern Lakes district.

Other Dunedin highlights Dunedin's handsome architecture not only delights the eye but also provides tangible evidence of the prosperity and talent that enriched the burgeoning town during the late 19th century. It was then that wealthy residents began assembling some of the country's outstanding collections of art and historical items.

Otago Museum. One of the finest museums in the country, the Otago is noted for its Pacific collections of Oceanian art, Polynesian and Melanesian cultural displays, marine life and maritime exhibits, and fine arts collections. In Maori Hall, you'll see a reconstructed meeting house and storehouse, along with exhibits of Maori wearing apparel, tools, carvings, and greenstone articles. The adjacent Hocken Library is a repository of historic New Zealand books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and art.

Located at 419 Great King Street, the museum is open weekdays from 9 A.M. to 4:30 P.m., Saturday from 10:30 A.M. to 4:30 P.m., and Sunday from 1:30 to 4:30 P.M.

Botanic Gardens.

Established in 1868, this north Dunedin showplace is lovely in any season but at its best in spring when the rhododendrons and azaleas bloom in profusion and daffodils pop out of the lawn. Colorful autumn foliage brightens the upper area during April.The main entrance to the gardens is at Pine Hill Road and Great King Street; walking paths wend through the gardens.

Art Gallery. Located in Logan Park, the gallery is noted for the Smythe Collection of watercolors, paintings by Frances Hodgkins, and frequent special exhibitions. The museum is open weekdays and Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

University of Otago. New Zealand's first university was founded in 1869; it moved to its present site 9 years later. Walk through the stone archway and the quadrangle and

savor the old stone buildings, the mature trees, and a placid stream called the Water of Leith. About 7,000 students attend school here. Olveston. Built for a wealthy and well traveled Dunedin businessman and bequeathed to the city by his daughter, this 35 room mansion depicts a bygone era of gracious living. The Jacobean style house, completed in 1906, stands on a landscaped acre and is sheltered by tall trees. A showplace of Edwardian grandeur, the house contains antique furniture, paintings, and elegant household articles shipped here from all parts of the world.

Located at 42 Royal Terrace (at the comer of Cobden Street off Queens Drive), the building is open daily for guided tours.

Dunedin is the country's fourth largest city and the capital of Otago, the largest province. A commercial and manufacturing center, a busy port, and a transportation hub, Dunedin is the gateway to Central Otago and the

Getting there. Air New Zealand and Mount Cook Line planes land at Dunedin's attractive airport, located 29 km/18 miles southwest of the city near Mosgiel. Trains and Railways Road Services motorcoaches provide service to Dunedin from the larger east coast towns between Christchurch and Invercargill. Other motorcoaches link Dunedin with inland towns, including Alexandra, Cromwell, Wanaka, Queenstown, and TeAnau.

Accommodations. Downtown accommodations within walking distance of the Octagon include the Town House, City Hotel, Southern Cross, and DB Wain's Hotel. Cherry Court Lodge enjoys a garden setting a few blocks north of the park, and Leisure Lodge borders the Leith waterway near the Botanic Gardens. Pacific Park Motor Inn overlooks the Town Belt and harbor. The Shoreline Motor Hotel is located in south Dunedin. At

Larnach Castle on the Otago Peninsula, the stables have been converted to overnight accommodations.

On the North Otago coast, Oamaru has many hotels and motels; small motels are scattered along the coast. Getting around. A bus tour of the city and Otago Peninsula departs daily at 1:45 P.m. in front of the Govern ment Tourist Bureau. Taxis and chauffeur driven cars are available in Dunedin for local transport and touring. You can rent cars in Dunedin or Oamaru.

Tourist information. Stop at the office of the Otago Council Inc., 119 Princes Street, for information about Dunedin and Otago province. For travel reservations and tour information, visit the Government Tourist Bureau, 131 Princes Street. Local tourist information is also available in Oamaru.