Love trains? Make tracks for Dunedin.

Dunedin Railway Station

Opened in 1906 and clad in a bold combo of black basalt and creamy Oamaru stone, Dunedin Railway Station is part Flemish Renaissance fantasy, part civic flex. Its grand atrium is paved with 750,000 Royal Doulton tiles, while stained glass windows are a sight to behold with the morning sun beaming through them. Supposedly the second most photographed building in the Southern Hemisphere - and definitely the most photogenic - it’s also the departure point for some of New Zealand’s greatest rail journey and the perfect place to begin your excursion of Dunedin's rail wonders.

Dunedin Railways

Dunedin Railways is the living, breathing centrepiece of local rail love. From the engineering marvel of the Taieri Gorge, to the breezy Seasider route along Otago Harbour and the rugged northern coastline. These trains don’t just take you through Dunedin’s wild, natural hinterland - they take you back in time. Storytelling, scenery, snacks and special themed journeys make this one of the most immersive heritage rail experiences in the country.

KiwiRail – Hillside Workshops

Hillside has been the heartbeat of New Zealand rail since 1875. Once responsible for crafting and maintaining the country’s locomotives and wagons, it’s now back on track after a major rebuild, restoring its place in the country’s rail revival. While you can’t peek behind the scenes, the entrance alone is worth a visit. There, you’ll find Te Ara Tīira – The Steel Pathway - a stunning 2.5-metre sculpture of totara, paua, bone, pounamu, and salvaged rail steel that honours the whakapapa of our southern rail network. A series of well-crafted interpretation panels outside dive into the site’s long, proud, and sometimes smoky past.

Wal’s Plant Land / Otago Miniature Road & Rail Society

Every second Sunday from September to May, a corner of Mosgiel quietly transforms into paradise for pint-sized passengers. The Otago Miniature Road & Rail Society operates over 1.2km of delightfully detailed track through landscaped gardens, bridges, and tunnels, while the Topiary Café provides the perfect vantage point to sip, snack, and contemplate how much garden you’d have to sacrifice to build a loop like this at home. It’s wholesome, it’s nostalgic - and it’s alarmingly addictive.

Wingatui Viaduct

Built with Kiwi grit in the late 1800s, the Wingatui Viaduct is a towering monument to our early engineering prowess. At 47 metres high and nearly 200 metres long, it still holds the title of the largest wrought iron structure in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s the jewel in the Taieri Gorge Railway crown, giving passengers a dramatic view as the train glides across this elegant iron spine. Prefer a ground-level view? Take a short drive from Mosgiel and watch from below as the train rumbles overhead.

Passenger Rail Returns

Revisit a time when slow travel wasn’t a trend - it was just called travel. From 1970 to 2002, The Southerner was a mainstay of South Island rail travel - until it was deemed unviable and quietly sidelined. Now, it’s back on track – occasionally, with a bespoke service between Christchurch and Dunedin. The schedule might be elusive, but the views and nostalgia remain. Want to go a little but further? The Mainlander is another limited edition journey between Christchurch and Invercargill via Dunedin, highlighting the growing appeal of heritage and scenic rail experiences.

The Crazy Garden Railway

While most people spent lockdown baking sourdough, Jarrod Hodson built a railway. Tucked into his Ravensbourne backyard, the Crazy Garden Railway features two working tracks, a jigger, bridge, and a growing collection of rescued and donated gear from across the region. And he’s not done yet - plans are already underway to make it bigger, better, and possibly crazier. This is what happens when a foamer has a big backyard and a bit too much spare time. DM to arrange a visit.

Emerson’s Brewery

Richard Emerson didn’t just inherit a love of beer - he inherited a love of trains. With a father who worked the rails, it’s no surprise the taproom is full of locomotive nods. There’s Taieri George (released every even year), Chasing Trains (a limited brew named after rail-chasing trips with his dad), tracks inlaid in the floor leading to the bar, and booth seating perched on railway sleepers. Even the toilets toot. Every Thursday at 4pm, an old steam whistle sounds outside to signal a new experimental brew - complete with free tastings and food pairings. Emerson's is a thirsty train lover’s taproom.

Middlemarch & Hyde Station

Once the endpoint of the Otago Central Line, this rural hub boasted more rail infrastructure than some cities: engine sheds, loading banks, stockyards full of old carriages. The Middlemarch Station was the heart of the community, its daily train bringing mail, goods and gossip. Today, you’ll find rail relics lovingly preserved by locals, a fascinating museum and a revived tourism industry serving cyclists, heritage buffs, and train romantics alike. Hyde Station, further up the line, has had its own facelift and stands as a sobering tribute to rail’s triumphs and tragedies.

Ride the rails

Once a lifeline for trains, now a dream run for bikes. The 150km Otago Central Rail Trail follows the old line from Middlemarch to Clyde, winding through big-sky country, hand-carved tunnels, over towering viaducts and past charming old stations. The tracks may be gone, but the sense of journey remains - just with a little more legwork and a lot more coffee stops. Closer to home, the newly opened Dunedin Tunnels Trail takes you through the beautifully illuminated Chain Hills Tunnel -  with plans to link up more of Dunedin’s hidden tunnels in the future.

Dunedin Cable Car Trust

Alright, they’re not trains - but they’re definitely on rails. Dunedin’s Mornington line once boasted one of the steepest cable tram routes in the world, running from 1883 to 1957. Today, the Dunedin Heritage Light Rail Trust is working to bring that service back to life. In the meantime, you can visit the depot on Sundays to see lovingly restored cable cars and dream of the day you’ll glide uphill like it’s 1905.

Cableways

Ocean Beach Railway

Short, sweet, and utterly charming, the Ocean Beach Railway is New Zealand’s first heritage railway - and possibly the shortest ride you’ll ever pay for. Its beautifully restored carriages, some dating back to the 1880s, chug along a seaside stretch from John Wilson Ocean Drive to Kettle Park. Once used by Dunedin kids heading to school, they now carry joyriders of all ages every summer Sunday.

Otago Model Engineering Society

The OMES is where Dunedin’s finest model builders gather to tinker, toot, and talk track. Established in 1936, this society has crafted everything from scale steam engines to 500kg ride-on locos that barrel around their outdoor multi-gauge track. Indoors, two sprawling layouts display NZR trains in painstaking miniature. Open days are rare, but when the gates swing wide, expect queues, cameras, and more foamers than a beer festival.

Toitū Otago Settlers Museum 

Toitū is home to Josephine, the double Fairlie locomotive that first steamed from Port Chalmers in 1872 - with a load of beer, no less. After decades of service and a near-scrapping, she was saved by a local campaign and now gleams in a purpose-built gallery. The museum also celebrates Dunedin’s once-mighty tram and cable car network, which once boasted more tramlines per capita than anywhere else on Earth. With models, footage, and memorabilia galore, plus JA1274 - the last steam engine built at Hillside - parked out front, Toitū is where Dunedin’s transport past proudly refuses to stay in the past.