Car Hire Dunedin - Mini guide to Dunedin

Dunedin is the second largest city on New Zealand’s South Island. Locals like to boast a few claims- where else can you ascend the world's steepest street, view a Monet, take lunch in a 19th Century castle, and see the world's rarest penguins waddling along white sand beaches.

Situated at the end of the earth, This student town, spreads around a sheltered habour, adorned with Victorian and Edwardian spires and towers of notable, neo-Gothic buildings and stately homes that regularly punctuate Dunedin's cityscape.

Dunedin’s city center is compact, with a surprising array of curbside cafes, high quality local craft, art, jewelry and fashion design outlets. There is a strong Scottish flavor to Dunedin, a name which when translated into Gaelic means Edinburgh.

Dunedin is also home to the world's steepest street. Acknowledged in the Guinness Book of Records, the world steepest street is located just 1.3 km from the Botanic Gardens. Whether you walk, run, drive or just visit you can purchase a certificate at one of the local shops at the top of the street to prove this wasn’t just a crazy notion.

The Otago Peninsula, a brief drive from the city center, is home to a colony of the world's rarest penguins, the only mainland breeding colony of the royal albatross, rare New Zealand sea lions and the magnificent Larnach Castle. A world of recreational opportunities awaits the more adventurous traveler. Leaving Dunedin, the first wildlife-rich area is Nugget Point, sign posted just south of Balclutha. Gloriously undisturbed coastline awaits, and from here all the way to Waikawa, you'll find a rich vein of scenic opportunity.

Further south, at Curio Bay, you can see the world's finest fossil forests, which can be viewed at low tide. This sea-washed rock terrace dates back 160 million years and is the original floor of a Jurassic subtropical forest of kauri trees, conifers, and other trees growing at a time when grasses had not evolved.

Also nearby is the wonderful wilderness of the Caitlins, noted for its pertrified forests. Hiking and camping here is popular with the locals.

Domestic flights operate into Dunedin Airport, with most international visitors entering the country at Christchurch or the busier North Island Airport at Auckland. The airport is located an easy half hour drive from the city center.

The major suburbs in Dunedin are: Belleknowes, Kensington, Glenross, Kaikorai, Littlebourne, Mornington, Maori Hill, Opoho, Wakari and Woodhaugh.