, right down to neighbourhood names: Corstorphine, Morningside, Portobello. But while its august Caledonian template saw Dunedin's streets arrayed with dazzling Victorian, Edwardian and art-deco architecture, it has woven a weft of hedonism and laid-back distinctiveness into its Instagram-friendly vistas – as if Edinburgh had created a love child with Brighton. Framed by sturdy South Island hills and a fine harbour, Dunedin is the perfect off-radar city-break addition to any itinerary. It is beautifully compact, thrumming with creative buzz, and energised by the presence of New Zealand's oldest university. The city is also a gateway to New Zealand's most mysteriously overlooked region – Central Otago. Think of a wonderland of world-class wineries, secluded Pacific beaches and transformed 19th-century gold-mining towns where boutique hotels and diners have replaced rowdy taverns. It is no surprise, then, that lovely Dunedin has been selected as one of just nine cities across New Zealand and Australia that are Set to host fixtures of the 2023 Fifa Women's World Cup when it kicks off on July 20. So, you had get booking before the rest of the world discovers it, too. Six ways to explore Dunedin Start by tapping Dunedin's Unesco City of Literatu){kind=link}
Mixing culture, charm and cool, Dunedin deserves a spot on every itinerary
My Dunedin Saturday began amid the foodie bustle of the weekly Otago Farmers’ Market in a historic train station yard, and ended among entranced nature lovers watching tiny blue penguins scamper across a moonlit beach whose Maori name means “echoing cry of the sea”.
In between, I discovered A-list art in libraries, lunched in mural-clad warehouses, and reflected in the calm of a Chinese Scholar’s Garden. No wonder this multifaceted city has a central hub called the Octagon.
One of New Zealand’s oldest cities – and for a century its richest and most prestigious – it was envisioned by its early-19th-century Scottish settlers as an antipodean homage to their homeland capital (Dunedin derives from the Gaelic name for Edinburgh), right down to neighbourhood names: Corstorphine, Morningside, Portobello.
But while its august Caledonian template saw Dunedin’s streets arrayed with dazzling Victorian, Edwardian and art-deco architecture, it has woven a weft of hedonism and laid-back distinctiveness into its Instagram-friendly vistas – as if Edinburgh had created a love child with Brighton.