Discover the Scottish Soul of Dunedin.

The gold rush of 1881 attracts immigrants from all over the world. A few months later, the population has multiplied by five!

Imagine 60,000 people, including 35,000 gold miners in an atmosphere of saloons, gambling dens and other brothels.

Colossal fortunes are won and lost every night, and the city limits increase to accommodate a thriving industry.

A quarter-century later, the veins are exhausted and the hunger for gold disappears. The city that had become the most populated of New Zealand undergoes the exodus of a large part of its population.

In our day Dunedin remains the second largest city of the South Island, and the 5th largest city of the country.

Its main characteristic is to be a student city, but it is also an architectural wonder. This is where the first university was founded in New Zealand in the year 1869.

I remember my last trip to Dunedin with some good friends as if it was yesterday. The international airport is located 30 km from the city center. There was a free seat in our car, you could have joined us!

I'm not the only one to be disappointed by the way cities are depicted in guide books. The principle which consists to list all the hotels and museums is pretty boring and looks like the Yellow Pages.

On Kiwipal, we will be happy to guide you to the encounter of the city and its inhabitants.

Rest assured, we are not going to try to visit everything at full speed. If we must choose between two activities, we will follow our mood without planning too much.

I have several alternative routes, the key is to have fun and experience beautiful meetings with the locals.

So, is Dunedin deserving its reputation of jewel of the South Island? We will go and see by ourselves!

You cannot miss the railway station on your arrival in town. Because of its original architecture, it is the most photographed monument in New Zealand.

Its construction mixes the beige limestone from Oamaru, the blue stone from the Otago and the beautiful marble from Aberdeen. Its Edwardian style earned its architect, George Troup, to be affectionately nicknamed "George Gingerbread". This is one of the most beautiful railway stations in the world, and an irresistible invitation to travel.

Its dimensions remain modest when compared to other more prestigious railway stations. But the perfection of its proportions give it nevertheless a sense of grandeur.

Watch the clock tower and its immense quadrants surrounded by carved lions.

Prior to entering the railway station, we will discover the covered gallery that served as a parking to former horse carriages. The interior is as decorated as the outside, and perhaps even more beautiful.

The stained glasses clearly reflect how important were the trains for the settlers who founded the city.

One cannot imagine the patience that it took to assemble 725,000 square mosaics which constitute the ground of the departure room. Stairs with elegant wrought iron railings give access to the first floor.

The "New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame" is a museum dedicated to the celebration of the country victories' during international sports competitions.

Of course, rugby is celebrated through the legendary exploits of the All Blacks.

It is probably too soon to lock ourselves in a museum. The desire to discover the city life and to explore the streets is too strong.

The bell tower that we can spot belongs to St Paul's Cathedral. It will be our landmark throughout the day.

Everyone is staring at St Paul's Cathedral with admiration. At the top of its broad marble staircase one can admire the central garden.

This is one of the nicest places in New Zealand. In the center of the Octagon, you will discover an imposing statue of Robert Burns.

Legend says that the famous Scottish poet, father of Romanticism, turns his back to the Anglican Church to better keep the Oban Pub under surveillance (the establishment has closed since a long time).

We'll sit a moment on the grass. If you have a smartphone, you can easily locate our position on a map.

A free Wi-Fi network covers the whole Octagon place. But you might as well decide to go on an adventure to explore the neighborhood streets.

The enchanting terraced houses along Stuart Street have more than a century of existence. Most were converted into shops.

The atmosphere is relaxed and shopkeepers welcome you with a big smile, always curious to know where you come from.

At the corner of a street you will discover the old city jail. Built of red brick, this is a copy of the Scotland Yard building in London.

A little further, the Otago Daily Times Building is the headquarters of the oldest newspaper in the country. Its facade is typical of art deco of the 1930s.

You are likely to bump into bagpipe players, and many stores dedicated to the selling of kilts.

The Scottish atmosphere is not a coincidence; the Dunedin City was founded by 344 Scottish settlers who left their homeland in 1848.

First established as "New Edinburgh", the city will be renamed "Dunedin" a few years later (Dunedin means "Odin on the hill" in Gaelic).

The Scottish accent has also survived through a part of the population. Some traditions, such as the preparation of haggis (a Scottish speciality), are still vivid today.

For all Scotland lovers, Dunedin is a wonderful surprise.

We will reach the highest point of the city. You have surely heard people saying that San Francisco has the world's steepest street. But the true record belongs to Dunedin!

The pavement is made of concrete, because the asphalt could flow in case of strong heat.

Who decided to build houses on this hill? In fact, the city plans were not designed here, but in London in 1846. The truth is that the land was bought a pittance to the Maori, and the western architects did not have knowledge of the terrain relief.

A staircase on the side of the road allows to climb the slope in less than fifteen minutes. The large low-riser steps facilitate the ascent. The beginning of the journey will seem easy, but the slope becomes steeper.

If you are out of form, you will wake up tomorrow with body aches in your legs. Rest assured, a bench awaits you halfway nearby an information panel claiming the world record.

I recommend you take a nice picture by putting your camera parallel to the slope. The result seems to defy the gravity laws. Once at the summit you will find a drinking fountain to cool off.

At this altitude, the panorama is beautiful and the slope is much more impressive.

Each year the famous Baldwin Street “Gutbuster” is broadcast on television. A thousand runners are trying to beat the record set in 1998.

Speaking of the world record, do you think you can go up and down the street in less than a minute and fifty-six seconds? And do not expect to cheat by taking your car!

At the end of the article, Ben the Kiwi will tell you some anecdotes about the famous accidents in the street.

I do not know if you've ever tasted the Jaffa candies? These small balls of chocolate with orange flavours are coated in red sugar.

These treats are very popular in New Zealand (Auckland residents are even nicknamed "Jaffa" but for another reason…). Going down the street, we meet John who lives in a small house nearby.

He tells us that during the chocolate festival, 30,000 Jaffa candies are dumped into Baldwin Street, to the astonishment of the public.

A siren can be heard and spectators start to yell the countdown. Five, four, three, two, one ... and the entire street turns into a candy river.

The candies are running down the slope at full speed.The noise is incredible till the arrival where a box collects the first five red balls crossing the finish line.

Each candy Jaffa is numbered by hand. The raffle helps raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for charities.

If your trip leads you to Dunedin in July (during New Zealand's winter when chocolate does not melt), do not miss this original event!

At the bottom of the slope there is also a small gift shop selling certificates.

You can buy one if you want to prove to your friends that you have climbed thesteepest street in the world

After all this exercise, we need to regain strength. To find our way back toward the Octagon, we can use the bell tower of St Paul's Cathedral as a landmark.

The Plato is one of the best restaurants in New Zealand. Despite its high reputation, it is quite affordable.

Fortunately, there is a free table for us. The shelves with their old coffee pots and vintage trinkets give a retro charm to the room. If the menu changes every day, seafood specialties are recommended.

Ingredients are fresh, beautifully prepared and served with a smile.

During dessert, the conversation turns to the afternoon's activities and the many choices we have.

Some want to visit the Settler Museum. This exciting museum retraces the history of the gold rush.

Others hesitate between the paintings of the Public Art Gallery and a stroll in the Chinese garden.

After tasting our beer ice cream (yes, it exists!) and still unable to make a decision, we decide to draw the short straw..

The Chinese Garden is only three minutes’ drive from the Octagon. It pays tribute to Asian prospectors who worked here during the gold rush era.

Dunedin has forged strong links with Shanghai, and the two cities are twinned today. The garden was opened in 2008, after eight long years of work to shape nature and carve rocks.

This safe haven does not merely reproduce the spirit of Chinese gardens of the Ming Dynasty.

Ten thousand tons of stone were imported especially from China for its construction in New Zealand. The little tea house worth the visit.

If the place is too crowded, you can visit the beautifulBotanical Garden instead.

Magnificent, it is above all appreciated for its Edwardian Winter Garden and its 300 varieties of rhododendrons.

In the spring when all the trees are in bloom, it is a real enchantment.

Early this afternoon, and as the fine weather seems to stay, a visit to the beach seems to be the most reasonable option. Dunedin is located on a peninsula and any half-hour walk or a short trip by car is all you need to get lost in the wild nature. I bet you want to swim!

When they weren't fighting, tribes were fishing or hunting the moas (a kind of ostrich of three meters' high, now extinct).

The first contact with Europeans will be very difficult. Three whalers are killed for having offended their hosts. A beach still bears the evocative name of "Murdering Beach" since this epoch. But today we will visit St Clair Beach, the closest one near the city center.

Some brave people are swimming, but we will just dip a toe in the ocean. One must not be shy to swim in a water at only 18 °C!

Most surfers in the water are wearing a wetsuit.

You can take lessons to master a surf board. Since my first attempts at Hot Water Beach, I realized that this sport is not restricted to an elite of bodybuilders with blonde hairs.

You can follow a surf training with an instructor.

If you really want to swim, don't forget that there is also a heated seawater pool near the beach. There is even a cafe to buy ice cream when you'll be tired of playing frisbee on the beach.

We could have spent the rest of the afternoon having fun on the beach. But our Bath towel neighbors have revealed to us the existence of a fantastic walk named Tunnel Beach. They drew us some kind of a treasure map in the sand to show us the right direction.

Fifteen minutes later, we reach the beginning of the hike. Tunnel Beach Walkway is just 7 km south of the city. We must first park the car and continue on foot. Our route passes through a field before descending the hills toward the coast. One must wear good shoes to avoid slipping on the rocks.

We are approaching the cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

A passage was dug with explosives in the rock to allow to reach a nice beach.

The view of the rocky spurs and the sandstone cliffs is breathtaking.

We arrived early but we are far from alone on this beach.

Some majestic albatrosses are watching us from the skies. Sometimes the place is also visited by fur seals.

Traces in the sand prove that these animals came before us. You may be lucky enough to observe them. A little further on, near the rocks, you will discover the bones of whales and marine fossils.

To admire fur seals and penguins, you can book a guided tours in the region. If you have enough time, this is probably the best place in the country for this kind of activity.

The descent toward the beach took a quarter of an hour. It will take twice as long to return. We had enough climbing for today! The afternoon is coming to an end and it is time to return to the city for the evening. Dunedin has a reputation for being especially lively on Friday nights.

The campus of the Otago University is just few minutes from here, in George Street. The campus has expanded to accommodate an ever-growing student population. The reputation of University is well established, especially in the medical field.

You might hear the bells of the tower of the Registry Building. They punctuate the start of each new semester since 1878. All other buildings with slate roofs are built in the Victorian style using gray basalt.

The small houses once occupied by the first professors of the University are lined up at the edge of Leith Stream, in a green surroundings.

Since 1977, many students meet up at the Governors' cafe which is also famous for its delicious omelettes.

Feel free to engage in conversation with some Scarfies.

This is the nickname that is given to students of Dunedin. The term refers to the old blue and gold scarves worn by the students in the past.

To dive into the spirit of the campus, it is recommended watching a movie named “Scarfies”.

This comedy from 1999 relates the cohabitation of four students from Dunedin. They divide their time between rugby, university lessons ... and cultivation of marijuana plants discovered in their cellar.

The tension rises when the real owner of the marijuana returns…

You are never too old to join students at The Robbie which is the oldest pub in Dunedin. Another Scottish tradition that continues since the gold rush. It's a good excuse (if you need one?) to taste the local beers near a chimney fire. And what a friendly welcome!

We stay in the move and are going to have dinner at the Pequeño. Its cozy atmosphere and its leather sofas are a real blessing after a walking day. After countless beer and tapas, it will take a crowbar to extricate you from your armchair. The evening continues with a tour of the downtown bars. A great opportunity to discover very original local bands.

The Dunedin Sound is a musical movement that mixes the influences from pop, rock and punk music.

A very creative sound that had its moment of glory in the 80s with the Chills or the Verlaines.

If you still have some energy, you can experiment the electro scene of Dunedin. There are countless student parties to join if you are not shy. But you can also admire the photogenic railway station with its night lighting.

The dream of the first settlers was partially accomplished. By choosing to bid on youth, Dunedin proved that decline was not a fatality, and the city regained prosperity.

The Scottish soul of the city is the main reason why Dunedin is so different from Wellington or Auckland.

The parallel with Edinburgh or Glasgow seems obvious. Some common street names (Princes Street for example), and a similar architectural style. But it is especially the warm and friendly character of the people, that has been perpetuated to the other side of the Earth.

Alas, we did not have enough time to visit Larnach Castle, which is the only one of its kind in New Zealand.

And the blue sky kept us away from the Otago Museum and the Public Art Gallery. So many good reasons to return another time to explore all these wonders.

There is a market each Saturday nearby the beautiful railway station. The Otago Farmer's Market offers regional products, with a great deal of them produced in biological farms.

Musicians are playing everywhere. One could believe that someone wants to prevent us from getting on the train!

Taieri Gorge Railway follows a railway regarded as one of the most beautiful in the world.

The train runs along many steep gorges and crosses tunnels and spectacular viaducts. The journey of 4 hours takes place aboard the old wagons built in 1920 but very comfortable. The terminal leaves you close to the cities of Queenstown and Wanaka.

But you can also take the train as part of a round trip that will take you back to Dunedin.

You surely know Ben the Kiwi. He is the mascot of Kiwipal and an expert guide from New Zealand. Our brave companion was born in the wild nature, but he is not afraid to go downtown.

You will be able to ask him any questions. He loves above all the pictures from New Zealand. Remember to send your best shots when you'll come back from Dunedin.

If you are leaving Dunedin by car, do not miss the famous Moeraki Boulders located 75 kilometers north. These strange round stones look like dinosaur eggs, and are just amazing!