Dunedin

The "Edinburgh of the South" was founded in 1848 by Scots, and the architecture is reminiscent of its northern namesake (Dunedin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh). The climate is also reminiscent, albeit inverted. The bus driver on today's tour said they normally get their first snow in July. It's been mostly sunny while I've been here, but once the sun goes down it gets proper cold.

Unlike Edinburgh, Princes Street is not "where it's at" in downtown Dunedin. If you are looking for central accommodation, you are better off staying on the George Street side of the Octagon. This is where all the shops and most eateries are, and this street also leads to the university, so plenty of cheap eats to be found. The University of Otago is the oldest university in New Zealand, and the city's biggest employer. I was keen on doing a Master's in NZ some years ago, but the cost was just prohibitive. University of Otago currently charges NZ$26,800 for a Master in Tourism!

The city has the most famous railway station in the country, now only used for tourist services. Apparently the 11th most photographed building in the world! It also has the world's steepest street (Baldwin Street), and New Zealand's only castle, Larnach Castle. It also has a Cadbury's factory, so yesterday I took a factory tour with samples included, yum! At $20 it was a bit cheaper than the Birmingham experience. Every July, they put on the Chocolate Carnival in the city. One of the events includes rolling thousands of numbered Jaffas down Baldwin Street. First to reach the bottom wins a prize! The proceeds go to charity, and the city's children stuff their faces with the contestants.

The city also has a beer brewery (tour with tasting costs $28), and on the Otago peninsula ("wildlife capital of NZ") you can see penguins, albatrosses, and seals. But not for free. There are 1- and 2-hour city tours, and the Taieri Gorge Railway, which I didn't bother with. The public transport system uses the same plastic cards as Queenstown, so that was a bonus. The route numbering system is a little confusing, there are different numbers depending on direction, often followed by a letter to denote a variance. There are 7 fare zones, so the cost mounts up quickly. I just had a look at the public transport system in Melbourne, and was amazed how cheap it is! A large city with trains, buses, and trams, daily fare cap is only AU$6.80! That's £3.70! And that includes the airport! The cheapest day ticket in NZ was in Wellington, and it was still more expensive than Melbourne.

Being a student city, there are several cheap lunch deals to be had. 11.30-14.30 you can get a Chinese takeaway for $7. The Botanic Garden (NZ's oldest) with aviary and the Otago Settlers Museum are free to visit. The Chinese Garden costs $9.

Tomorrow I'm heading back to Queenstown to collect my suitcase, then on to my final destination in New Zealand: Christchurch.