Dunedin & Otago Peninsula Holidays

Where are Ōtepoti Dunedin & the Otago Peninsula?
Ōtepoti Dunedin is located on the east coast of New Zealand’s South Island and, after Christchurch, is the second largest city on the island. It’s just a 30-minute drive south of the city to the Otago Peninsula.

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Ōtepoti Dunedin heritage
When visiting Ōtepoti Dunedin, you could easily think you were in a city in Scotland. At the centre of the city is The Octagon, an eight-sided plaza with a statue of Scottish poet Robert Burns at its heart. Reverend Thomas Burns, the poet’s uncle, was one of the first settlers arriving on the John Wickliffe ship to start a new life in New Zealand. The Toitū Otago Early Settlers Museum gives an insight as to what life was like for the first Europeans arriving in New Zealand. Today, amongst Dunedin’s impressive Victorian buildings you will find shops selling tartan trinkets and bars serving whisky. Perched overlooking the harbour is Larnach Castle. Commissioned by banker and politician William Larnach in 1871, it’s New Zealand’s only castle. The gardens, rated a Garden of International Significance by the New Zealand Gardens Trust, are impressive with many native species on display. Olveston Historic Home is a museum filled with antiques and artworks collected by philanthropist David Theomin. It is worth a visit for a glimpse into what life was like in the early 1900s.

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Natural landscapes
Shaped by the Southern Ocean, the beautiful Otago Peninsula has many natural features. Head to Victory Beach to see the pyramids – triangular-shaped rocks, created millions of years ago with the eruption of the Rakiriri volcano. Follow the passage built in the 1870s to Tunnel Beach to see the large sandstone sea arch and cliffs where fossils have been found. The Sandymount Track leads to a dramatic sea cliff known as The Chasm and also to the Lovers Leap arch, that fills with water from the incoming waves.

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Walk on the wild side
It’s no surprise that Dunedin and the surrounding Otago Peninsula has been described as ‘New Zealand’s wildlife capital’. It is home to many rare and endangered species including the yellow-eyed penguin and the world’s smallest penguin – the little blue penguin. Taiaroa Head is the world’s only mainland royal albatross breeding colony, an amazing bird to see in flight with a wingspan of up to three metres. North of Dunedin, overlooking Blueskin Bay, is the Orokonui Ecosanctuary where you may see the colourful kākā parrot and New Zealand’s national bird, the kiwi. The Otago Peninsula is also home to fur seals at Pilot’s Beach and the endemic New Zealand sea lion at Te Rauone Beach.

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