Otago Peninsula is home to New Zealand Fur Seals, rare Hooker’s Sea Lions, Yellow-Eyed Penguins, and the only mainland Royal Albatross colony anywhere. It is also home to the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre and award-winning tour operators such as Monarch Wildlife Cruises and Tours, Elm Wildlife Tours, Penguin Place, and Nature Guides Otago.

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Dunedin lives with and values its heritage.

We have fine examples of working heritage like Speight’s Brewery, the Gasworks Museum and the Taieri Gorge Railway.

We welcome visitors to the stately homes Larnach Castle and Olveston, and showcase standout Victorian and Edwardian buildings like First Church and Dunedin Railway Station.

Dunedin’s Scottish roots are celebrated. Piping and marching are strong in the city, while The Caledonian Society of Otago’s annual Highland Games will next be held in November, 2010.

Heritage lovers get another chance to dust off their finery at Dunedin’s Heritage Festival – a biennial event next held in March 2011 and to be themed around gold.

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Dunedin has a wonderful setting. Green space abounds, while protected woodland - the Town Belt –demarks the inner city.

Gardens, public and private, adorn Dunedin and provide year-round interest. Two of them - Dunedin Botanic Garden and Larnach Castle Garden - are Gardens of International Significance. Another two - Glenfalloch Woodland Garden and Wylde Willow Garden - are Gardens of National Significance.

October means Spring Festival, a time when Dunedin residents open their hearts and gardens to celebrate the rhododendron. The recently expanded festival now includes food, wine and art in its programme, in addition to lectures, workshops and displays.

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Dunedin has a spectacular and varied coastline. There’s good surfing north and south and a host of safe swimming beaches.

St. Clair with its vibrant and cosmopolitan Esplanade is just ten minutes from the city; other gems include Tunnel Beach (private, moody and dramatic – the most romantic spot in Dunedin), Long Beach (a Mecca for rock climbers and cave dwellers, reached via Port Chalmers) and Brighton (a family-friendly South Coast beach, popular with swimmers and surfers and destination of the Dunedin to Brighton Veteran Car Rally).

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There are numerous scenic walks around Dunedin. Short tracks criss-cross Otago Peninsula, the Town Belt and Ross Creek; and there’s the attraction – or otherwise – of tackling Baldwin Street, the world’s steepest street.

Further afield,  there are tracks near the Taieri River and Silverstream, half-day hikes along Dunedin’s dramatic skyline (the Pineapple, Leith Saddle and Mt Cargill Tracks), walks to mysterious places like Tunnel Beach, and serious hikes in the Silverpeaks.

Many of Dunedin’s iconic buildings  - think First Church, The Municipal Chambers, Dunedin Railway Station - are found within cooee of The Octagon. This area is flat and best viewed on foot. Follow the heritage trails or get real value by joining a guided walk.

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Everyone loves the lifestyle here.

Surveys remind that Dunedin is a safe and friendly city, and we all know of couples who have returned to raise their kids here. So what makes Dunedin so special?

The pace of life is slower here and stress levels are low. Museums and galleries offer active holiday programmes, and beaches, parks and playgrounds are never far from home.

Short of cash?

Relax at the gardens, visit the galleries and museums, catch some waves, drive or cycle the Otago Peninsula, or take some spring water at the Speight’s tap - it’s free and there are no chemicals added to it.

Locals are known to be frugal, so do what they do.

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