Dunedin & Coastal Otago

Dunedin wears its history with style. Scottish roots, gold-rush swagger, and a university heartbeat combine to create a city that’s both dignified and playful. Carved into hills and wrapped around a bright harbour, it’s the South Island’s best blend of culture and coastline—with penguins and albatross living basically next door. Come for the stories in stone; stay for surf at sunset, brewery chatter, and the kind of wildlife encounters you’ll talk about for years.

Just 20–40 minutes from central Dunedin, the Otago Peninsula feels like a different world—winding harbourside roads, hills stitched with pasture and bush, and a coastline that trades gently lapping bays for dramatic cliffs in a heartbeat. It’s one of the easiest places in New Zealand to pair real-deal wildlife encounters with a relaxed day of exploring. Build your trip around tides, sunset, and tour times, and the peninsula will hand you the kind of memories that stick.

Set on the windswept sands of Koekohe Beach, just north of Dunedin, the Moeraki Boulders look like they’ve rolled out of a myth and paused mid-journey. They’re easy to reach, easy to explore, and—if you time the tide—absolutely unforgettable. Here’s how to turn a quick roadside stop into a standout memory.

Oamaru is where imagination meets limestone. By day you’ll wander a Victorian streetscape that still hums with makers and galleries; by late afternoon you’ll be watching fur seals on the wharf; by dusk you’ll be quietly cheering as little blue penguins waddle home. The town is compact, creative, and unusually photogenic, with an easy rhythm that rewards unhurried travel. Plan loosely, book the key bits, and let Oamaru fill the gaps with good coffee, friendly banter, and unexpected detours.