New Zealand Part 11: Dunedin

Our journey continued as Halley and I traveled south from Oamaru to the city of Dunedin. I had been looking forward to my first visit in this university town. (Dunedin is home to the University of Otago.)  It’s also the second largest city in the South Island. We hadn’t visited many cities on this trip, so this stop promised to be something different.

Dunedin is noted for its Victorian and Edwardian architecture.  Of course this meant Halley and I went out for several walks about the town. Our hotel was on Princess Street and an easy walk to The Octagon.

Scots settled in the Otago region in the mid-nineteenth century and built the town. The gold rush and the city’s excellent harbor equated to prosperity. As it grew to become a capital city, new and grander buildings followed.

One of these structures was the Dunedin Town Hall. Built in the nineteenth century the building is the seat of the municipal government. It faces the center of the Octagon.  During our visit there was a concert/party of some sort taking place on the lawn in front of the building. I don’t know what the celebration was about, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves.

To the left of the Town Hall is St. Paul’s Cathedral. The two buildings make an impressive sight–a bond of secular and religious governance. I’m not sure if that’s the intended message, but that’s my take on it. The site has been in use as a church since the nineteenth century. The cathedral was built in the early part of the twentieth.

No story about Dunedin would be complete without some mention of the Railway Station. As I noted above,  Dunedin was a commercial center. From the harbor goods traveled by rail to other parts of the island. In 1906 the city completed construction of a magnificent railway station. According to Wikipedia it’s made of dark basalt and Oamaru whitestone. Try as I would I couldn’t get a photograph to do it justice.

I don’t want to give the impression that Dunedin is living in the past. They are a busy port city with cruise ships arriving all the time. While near the harbor, I saw this building. It’s a real estate agency, the Ray White Agency to be exact. I like the mirror effect and the reflections.

I alluded to the tourist industry above.   These tourists may choose to explore historic architecture, or they may look for something different.  How about this building?

I’ll talk more about Cadbury World in a future blog.  It too was a short walk from my hotel!