Imagine a beach with towering mosaics showing streaks and patterns of all colors; or a city with fantasy paintings the size of buildings; or street art juxtaposed with Victorian and Gothic architecture; or looking out at the bluest of blue landscapes. Visual delight in Dunedin!


1. Tunnel Beach Track – West of Dunedin
A steep and narrow track winds down to the sea via a dimly-lit rock staircase, hand-carved in 1860, emerging on a secluded beach with massive wind-sculpted sandstone cliffs, boulders and caves. You see color everywhere!


2. Dunedin (Gaelic-Edinburgh) Scottish Settlement, 1848
Victorian and Edwardian architecture is mixed with funky street art for an interesting city vibe. Below – restored Victorian business and residences.
Gothic Otago Boys High School overlooking the city; St. Paul’s Anglican Cathedral in the heart of the city, Victorian/Gothic/Modern – stained glass window with NZ animals.
NZ’s most photographed building is Dunedin’s Railway Station made of NZ bluestone with mosaic floors.
Train Station
Street Art Revolution
Dunedin’s art trail has an increasing number of blank walls transformed into murals by local and international artists. I photographed some and captured others, crediting DunedinStreetArt.co.nz
Photo: M. Rupp Photo: M. Rupp Photo: M. Rupp
3. The Otago Peninsula-Stunning Wildlife Hotspot
A scenic coastal road curves and clings to the edge of the harbor…”be careful to avoid an impromptu marine adventure“. We did not drive into the sea, we tramped along paddocks (pastures), were followed by cows, saw a wildcat on a ridge, and found landscapes begging to be painted.
Taiaroa Head Albatross Colony
We joined birdwatchers (aka twitchers) at viewing platforms and watched “clumsy giants” soaring and landing at the world’s only mainland albatross colony. My photos were inadequate, so to show how big and beautiful the birds are, I credit the Royal Albatross Center and Dept. of Conservation.
bnsullivanphoto.blogspot.com Credit: Royal Albatross Center Credit: NZ DOC Credit: M. Rupp Credit: Royal Albatross Center
Penguin Place
Yellow-eyed penguins have a pale yellow band of feathers around yellow eyes and pink feet. Population decline indicates the possibility of local extinction in 20-40 years. Penguin Place is a sanctuary at which you can see them in rehab, on nests, or coming ashore.
A Penguin Hide
Penguins Beach – Waiting for them to come out
CLICK HERE For Next Post: Moving North: Mysterious Boulders and Quirky Oamaru
Great to read in addition to Carol & Bill’s blog!
Hope it’s okay if I follow? Although we never met 🙂
Stay safe, but I think NZ will be fine right now, at least not as bad as in Europe or the US
Greets, Marijke
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Thank you! Traveling with Bill and Carol for 2 months was so great…our blogs are side by side stories. We separated in March when returned home, but we had the good fortune to stay. Good fortune in every sense of the word. Such beauty and a safe haven
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You nailed it! So much fun to relive the NZ adventures through your photos and narrative.
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Writing about it is reliving it— your turn!
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I have seen some beautiful places in the world, especially in Europe, but none quite so beautiful as this.
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Agree! And no photoshop allowed. Straight Iphone! Thank you for reading.
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Wow! I don’t know how a heart can hold so much beauty! Stunning pictures!!! Thanks for sharing the amazingness of these special days. xo
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You are such a good friend! So encouraging!
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was waiting to see if you were going to make it to Dunedin….I was so happy to see these pictures….I’ll need to plan enough time for both islands (someday).
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Oh Dave. You need weeks and weeks! We left too many things undone in Dunedin – like museums, restaurants and bars. But what we did do, was worth every minute! Not gonna lie…I thought the city would be underwhelming. I was wicked wrong!
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