Features

Believe it or not, there’s actually quite a lot to see in the mystical, mythological land that stretches beyond the Octagon. Crazy though it may seem, North Dunedin isn’t in fact the centre of the universe, and occasionally it’s worth venturing outside our cosy campus bubble for a bit of an explore. So be a tourist in your own town: rise above Castle Street, cycle along the harbour to Port Chalmers, visit the albatrosses, drive quickly past Mosgiel, take an audacious dip in the Pacific Ocean, ring the St Clair shark bell and cause alarm (geddit?). But don’t just take my word for it: six Dunedinophiles fill us in on their favourite spots around this fine town, and why they love living here

Mark Henaghan – Dean of the Faculty of Law
I’ve been living here since 1972 when I came as a student, and I’ve stayed ever since. Since university fees back then were paid by the government, and I worked at the Freezing Works in Pareora in the holidays, my partner (now my wife) and I were able to buy a house at St Kilda straight out of university. Now I live down the beach at St Clair.
 
My absolute favourite spot in Dunedin is a little patch on St Clair beach. Not down by the esplanade, because there’s just too many people there. There’s a little walkway off the street by the tennis court on Victoria Road, and it’s about three or four hundred meters up the beach from those pylons that stick out of the water. It’s quite wild, it’s got the lupins behind it, sand dunes, and it’s just natural. You can see way down to Lawyer’s Head, you can see out to sea. It feels like you’re miles away from any city - it feels like you’re way down at Aramoana or something, but it’s only ten minutes from the city. It’s only a few minutes from my house, and yet I feel like I’m miles away from everywhere, in that patch of beach. Some days I’ve been there and I’ve been the only one on the beach, there’s been driving rain and it’s freezing cold; other days it’s just tranquil and blue and beautiful. It’s like life; it’s constantly changing, constantly different. You’re on the edge of the world. It’s a nice feeling.
 
Phil at Doc’s Coffee House
I’m Dunedin born and raised, but I spent eight years in Auckland. I love that [Dunedin] is close to everything. The thing I loved about Auckland is the same thing that I despised about it: it has that big-city mentality, life is so fast all the time, and you can’t breath. Dunedin gives you a chance to take half a step back and appreciate everything that’s around you. There’s the beach five minutes away, you’ve got national parks two hours away…. Beautiful areas of New Zealand that you don’t realise are there… It’s country that you can’t explain to anyone who hasn’t been there. Dunedin is the gateway city to those areas.
 
You go to Sandfly Bay and there might be two other people there, and you’re like ‘whoa it’s busy today – one other carload of people made it out’. And it’s one of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Whale Bay was the closest thing I could find up north, and there’d be 300 people there some days. It’s different.
 
Larnach Castle is one of those beautiful spots that residents just don’t go - it’s a shame that it’s marketed as one of those ‘come to Dunedin!’ places. There are a lot of things like that in Dunedin that locals miss out on, like Olveston, Glenfalloch Gardens…. I love Aramoana as well.
 
Louis Chambers – Student and Generation Zero leader
I'm just coming to the end of my fourth year in Dunedin. I've done a reasonably standard student-flatting journey - lived at Knox first year, then moved out to North D, flatting on Dundas Street. In third year I did things a bit differently and was a Kiwi Host, living with internationals on Castle Street. This year I'm up on Queen, near the Night and Day.
 
I love how close Dunedin is to incredible outdoor spots. Some of the most beautiful beaches in New Zealand, amazing surfing spots, only a few hours to Wanaka and Queenstown, and great walking, running or mountain biking up Cargill and Signal Hill. The Organ Pipes are incredible. They're rock formations up the back of Mt Cargill. They look like organ pipes in a church and you can climb up them and get an epic view looking North to Moeraki and inland to the mountains. You can get there by driving up North East Valley and then veering right up on the hill at the end. There's a gravel car park on the left about 2km after you start ascending out of North East Valley.
 
Lawyer's Head is a pretty cool spot too. If you head out to St Kilda and then walk along the road or the beach to the east, heading away from St Clair, you get to a big rocky outcrop by the golf course. That's Lawyer's Head. If you adventure out on to the edge of Lawyer's Head, you get a great view looking down the coast to Tomahawk and Smails. Plus, on big swell days, the waves crash on to the rocks and soak you from head to toe.
 
Obviously Long Beach deserves a mention - beautiful beach, cool cliffs towering over you, and a huge cave at the end. Take some beers, a bit of firewood, some sleeping bags, a good crew and spend the night there. Epic stargazing and some cool little caves to spend the night in. There are even rock climbing routes on up the cliffs if you're keen. Just make sure you clean up after yourselves when you're done.
 
Elza Jenkins, New Zealand’s Next Top Model contestant (Cycle 2)
My twin sister Nellie and I were born and raised in little Dunedin. We both agree it has been an awesome place to grow up in. Nellie and I love living in Dunedin because it’s a creative, caring community. It’s a place that makes you thrive for more. It’s a starting out city which keeps you grounded but yet you want to leave for bigger and better things.
 
Dunedin has some great wee places; we love the town belt which has all these secret tracks which lead to an open area for awesome picnics where you can look out all over Dunedin. There are so many beautiful beaches that no one knows about like Murderers Beach, Alan’s Beach - anywhere along the Peninsula is ideal. Our aunty and uncle own a house on Saddle Hill which has a spa and bar and which is very secluded. You feel like you’re in another country when you’re there.
 
Keren Oey, Celebrate Hidden Dunedin
I’ve lived in Dunedin for 4 years, but I grew up in Mosgiel. I’m all about the views. Every morning I love this: when you come down Drivers’ Road and you come around the corner and you see the harbor, that’s my favourite.
 
Chris Green, Director, Celebrate Hidden Dunedin
I studied in Dunedin in the early 1990s, and returned to live here eigh years ago. My favourite spot is St Clair beach: wee kids can walk up and down, play scrag, have races, write things in the sand. During winter we can wander down there, grab a hot chocolate and watch the surf smack into the esplanade wall.
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Celebrate Hidden Dunedin
There’s actually an organisation whose name and objective – Celebrate Hidden Dunedin – aims to show Dunedin’s visitors and residents alike another side of the city. As one of its creators, Keren, explains, there are two sides to the Celebrate Hidden Dunedin project. Launched to coincide with the Rugby World Cup, the organisation has been running events to show rugby-mad tourists what else Dunedin can offer besides a fancy-schmancy stadium.
 
“Cuisine at St Clair” kicked the programme off, with local cafes, restaurants, and street performers turning the esplanade into a jolly seaside carnival. Another event saw students collaborate with their drink of choice – not to get wasted on Hyde Street, but rather to showcase the brewing brilliance of the university, polytech and Emerson’s in “The Science of Beer”.
 
Another event, the “Baldwin Street Gutbuster”, has been (so I’m told) the subject of international media interest, with various divisions for students, masters and other crazy people who think it’s fun to sprint up the world’s steepest street.
 
Not to be left behind, Dunedin’s music scene put on quite the event, with the Chills and the Verlaines – bands that were massive for students in the early 1990s, reforming; much to the delight of ex-students coming back to watch the rugby and relive the student experience from their cushy hotels.
 
Celebrate Hidden Dunedin is not just about these World Cup-related happenings though. The organisation aims to promote “secret spots” around Dunedin, grouped loosely into the categories of food & wine, outdoor, entertainment and shopping. The thinking behind this project is simple: “we’ve got this most amazing backyard on our doorstep… When I was a student I didn’t [explore], the life revolved around the student area or going away to Central [Otago] for skiing… There are just so many things to see and do. From heading out to the bays out towards the Peninsula, or if you’re into mountain biking and the outdoors, there’s a whole lot more than when I was a student. There’s an opportunity for people to get out, and hopefully Celebrate Hidden Dunedin gives students an opportunity to learn a bit more [about the city they live in].”