DUNEDIN DASH

ON THE EASTERN SHORES OF THE SOUTH ISLAND, THE NEW ZEALAND CITY MIXES CULTURE WITH OUTDOOR ADVENTURE—AND A PROUD LOCAL SPIRIT

- SHANEY HUDSON

The second-biggest city on New Zealand’s South Island, Dunedin certainly has character. Established as a Scottish settlement in 1848 after the Maori signed the Treaty of Waitangi with the British, it’s the kind of place where locals are just as proud of winning back the title of the world’s steepest street (from a Welsh challenger) as they are of being a UNESCO City of Literature. But it’s also a place firmly driven by community.

Take the old Cadbury chocolate factory—when one of the city’s biggest attractions (and employers) announced it was shutting down in 2018, locals rallied to create OCHO, the OTAGO CHOCOLATE COMPANY. It sources fair trade cocoa beans grown by Pacific neighbours and uses them in a handmade beanto-bar process. ocho.co.nz

If you’re after even more of a taste of the region, TITI, located in the St Clair Hotel, offers five-course tasting menus featuring hyper-local produce with a view over the water. More relaxed bites and barbecues can be found at the PROBATION SMOKEHOUSE, while in the city centre, THE SWAN has small meals and live music in its courtyard on weekends. VOGEL ST KITCHEN, meanwhile, serves wood-fired pizzas in an industrial dining space. titi.co.nz; theswan.nz; prohibitionsmokehouse. co.nz; vogelstkitchen.nz

Dunedin is also the place to go to take in some outstanding STREET ART, with works by international artists including Roa, Pixel Pancho and Natalia Rak. Follow the Dunedin Street Art Trail by checking out the map on the associated website. dunedinstreetart.co.nz