Immerse yourself in Dunedin’s outstanding Victorian and Edwardian architecture by following one of two inner city heritage walks.
Dunedin was once New Zealand’s largest and wealthiest city, an important hub of commerce and trade. During these prosperous times, a great metropolitan centre of grand Victorian and Edwardian buildings was constructed, taking inspiration from the style, street names and layout of Edinburgh, Scotland.
Most of these buildings remain today, and it is said that Dunedin has the finest collection of Victorian and Edwardian buildings in the southern hemisphere.
The best way to truly appreciate the beauty of the city, is on foot. There are two inner city heritage walks to choose from, marked by bronze plaques set into the footpath, marked as ‘Heritage Walk 1’ and ‘Heritage Walk 2’.
Each walk is just over two kilometres in length and take you past stunning churches, grand old hotels, a Victorian Gaol, the Dunedin Railway Station and many other fine examples of period architecture - all proudly retaining their strong sense of New Zealand history. Historical information is provided on oval plaques attached to many of the featured buildings.
Both walks are loop tracks and they cross paths on the north side of Dunedin's central Octagon. A map is available from the Dunedin iSITE which shows the route of the Heritage Walks, with a numbered key showing the location of each building with a heritage plaque.
