Activity Dunedin & The Otago Peninsula, New Zealand

Heritage Highlights Walk

5.0 (17 reviews) one hour Free cancellation Private tour

out of 5

17 reviews

5.0

Dunedin is beautiful, even when it snows. This building is next door to the Dunedin i-Site Visitor Information Centre, which is the start point of our walk — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

Rugby fever, The Octagon — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Dunedin is a great wee city and is best explored on foot. Once New Zealand's largest city, and now a university town, Dunedin boasts picturesque streetscapes and some standout Victorian and Edwardian (and Art Deco!) buildings. This small-group tour is fun and interesting - and a great introduction to Dunedin. See our reviews!

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At a glance

Duration: one hour
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–10
Guide: English
Operated by: City Walks

Ages: Children (13–17 years) · Adults (18–120 years)

What is included

Included

Included: In-person guide, access to key sites and buildings.

Not included

Not included: Snacks
Not included: There are no additional in-destination costs on this tour.

Itinerary

The Octagon

15 min

Long the centre of Dunedin, The Octagon is a vibrant and attractive public space. Walkers will learn how the space has evolved, and how Dunedin has evolved. A comprehensive introduction here outlines Dunedin's pre-Colonial period, the Scots Free Church settlement of 1848 and the heady gold-rush years of the 1860s when Dunedin became New Zealand's first city. Guests will also learn of the challenges and opportunities the city faces now. Dunedin's fortunes have always waxed and waned: we learn how this has been reflected in standout Octagon buildings including St. Paul's Cathedral and Dunedin's Municipal Chambers.
St. Paul's Cathedral

10 min

Learn why the Cathedral occupies such a prominent site in what was a staunchly Presbyterian town. View the surprising contrast between the Cathedral's elegant neo-Gothic nave and brutalist chancel. Study the figures in the 'Dunedin window', a striking 21C design crafted in the traditional manner but with a contemporary Dunedin feel, and consider changes made and proposed to the building in the wake of the Cathedral's 2020 fire. From here we walk to Dunedin Railway Station, via streetscapes featuring fine Victorian, Edwardian and Art Deco buildings plus some of Dunedin's most-adored Street art.
Stop 3

10 min

Many consider the grandiose Dunedin Railway Station (1906) to be New Zealand's finest building. We'll view it inside and out, and discuss what the building is - and could be - used for now. The tour finishes here, so walkers are invited to linger and take photographs.