Dunedin, Walks & Parks

A visit to the beach is a must in Dunedin, and the most popular beaches are just a few minutes drive from the city centre! Head out to St Clair – it’s a great surf beach and also lots of fun for a splash around – there are surf life savers on guard in the main area. At one end of St Clair are the newly renovated hot salt water pools (open October to March). They are a great location, perched on the rocks, overlooking the surf and allow the kids to swim and play away from the surf, but still on the beach. There’s a new paddling pool at one end, for the littlies. St Clair is also the stop for beach dining, snacks or icecreams. Walk along the beach and past the hot pools to follow a cliffside track. You can take a 20 minute stroll around the cliffs to Second Beach and follow the same path back again. Toilets at St Clair playground. Otherwise the beach stretches as far as the distant Lawyers Head, so grab the kids and take a stroll either along the water’s edge or following the beach side track in the sand dunes, towards St Kilda’s beach and Marlow Park. Seals can sometimes be spotted basking on the sand. They can get agitated and should not be approached.

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About 40 minutes drive north of Dunedin, this tiny coastal township offers stunning, deserted beaches, surf, playground and river to explore. The river is ideal for beginner kayakers – watch out for the friendly resident sea lion! Kayaks can be hired from Kayak Karitane, near the river (03 465 7695).

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Starts at Jubilee Park, just a few blocks South West of the city centre. This easy, casual track follows the bush on the flanks of the sports ground. Suitable for buggies. Toilets on-site. Parking off Maori Road.

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If you’re feeling fit, the views from Mount Cargill (676m) are definitely worth the steep climb. The track starts at the Bethunes Gully carpark and playground. Follow an easy walk alongside Lindsay Creek, cross the bridge and start climbing! The track is okay for buggies if you have energy, but there are steep steps near the summit that would require a bit more negotiating!

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A popular recreation reserve for mountain bikers and walkers. Drive past the Botanic Gardens and then on up Signal Hill road. There are well developed mountain bike and walking tracks. The mountain bike tracks range from easy to very technical. These are defined by coloured markers - yellow is easiest, blue is intermediate and red is expert only.

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Follow the beach region out towards the Dunedin golf course. From here you can walk a gravel track through the golf course and on towards Lawyers Head with its spectacular sea views, or Tomahawk beach – a beautiful, secluded spot. Suitable for buggies, but there are sheer cliffs near Lawyers Head.

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The Otago Dam walk is a medium grade walk over 2.7km which will take you around 1hr to get to. Total round trip walk is about 2 hours. Otago Dam is in the heart of Gabriel's Gully, one of the richest and longest lasting gold fields in central Otago. 4,000 gold miners worked the Gabriel's Gully gold fields in 1860. A water race ran from Otago Dam down to Gabriel's Gully for hydraulic elevating.

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You can’t visit Dunedin without tackling the world’s steepest street! The gradient is 1:2.86 – that means for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally you climb (or descend) by 1 metre. There is a shop with memorabilia and information at the bottom and a bench and drinking fountain at the top! If you’re around in February, look out for the annual event “the Gutbuster’. Around 1000 competitors run up the street and down again. Meanwhile in July the annual, zany street entertainment on offer involves the rolling of around 10,000 jaffas (kiwi spherical red sweets – chocolate centre with a hard red coating) down the street. Each jaffa is sponsored by one person, with prizes to the owner of the winning sweets and proceeds to charity.

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There are lots of tracks around this region just north of the city centre and near Woodhaugh Gardens. The Upper Reservoir circuit is more suitable for buggies and involves a peaceful walk on a gravel path, following the reservoir. There are steep banks beside some of the tracks, so if you explore this area, please keep small children close to you.

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Established in 1863, these are New Zealand’s oldest botanic gardens, located at the corner of Great King Street and Opoho Road. Extensive grounds for exploring, right in the heart of the city. Kids will love the aviaries and duck feeding, and there’s a café and playground on-site. Toilets in both Upper and Lower Garden – those in the Upper Garden have baby changing tables. If you really want to keep the kids occupied, there are a variety of Botanic Gardens Education Kits you can download from www.cityofdunedin.com/city or purchase from the information centre at the gardens. Activity kits take around one hour each. The botanic garden tracks and paths are suitable for buggies.

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Follow the Port Chalmers road alongside the harbour to this tiny seaside township. There are a number of pathways around the cemetery, providing good views of Careys Bay. For a great beach/picnic spot, follow the Blueskin Road by car, to the beach and river at Purakaunui. Fantastic swimming hole, and fun for kayaks.

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Situated in peaceful, relaxing surroundings you can enjoy panoramic harbour views. Stroll among the gorgeous flowers which integrate with native ferns, exotic imports and indigenous NZ trees thato showcase 120 years of conservation and expansion of our botanical heritage. A great place to visit with the family and there is a restaurant onsite open for lunch Thursday-Sunday from 11am-3.30pm.

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A perfect miniature of a traditional Chinese landscape painting, it's origins come from a desire to celebrate the city’s Chinese heritage and its valuable sister city relationship with Shanghai.

The Garden changes with the seasons and vistas and hidden corners appear unexpectedly so you see something different every time you visit.

Bring a picnic, try some puzzles and games or simply wander and soak up the tranquility of the only authentic Chinese Scholar’s Garden in the Southern Hemisphere.

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Baldwin Street, in Dunedin, is reputed to be the world's steepest street, with an average slope ratio of 1:5. It's steepest section has a gradient of 1:2.86 so for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally, the elevation rises by one metre. The street is the venue for an annual event in Dunedin, the "Baldwin Street Gutbuster", every summer since 1988 (usually in February). This exercise in fitness and balance involves athletes running from the base of the street to the top and back down again. Since 2002, a further charity event has been held annually in July, which involves the rolling of over 30,000 Jaffas (spherical candy-coated chocolate sweets). Each jaffa is sponsored by one person, with prizes to the winner and funds raised going to charity.

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