Planning a Trip

Getting There

By Plane -- Air New Zealand (www.airnewzealand.com), has flights between Dunedin and Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane. Air New Zealand, at the corner of The Octagon and Princes Street (tel. 0800/737-000 in NZ, or 03/479-6594; www.airnewzealand.co.nz), provides service between Dunedin and Auckland, Wellington, and Rotorua in the North Island, and Christchurch and Invercargill in the South Island. Pacific Blue (www.flypacificblue.com) flies between Dunedin and Christchurch daily. Stewart Island Flights (tel. 03/218-9129; www.stewartislandflights.com) has flights to and from Stewart Island on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday.

The Dunedin airport (www.dnairport.co.nz) is inconveniently placed 40 minutes out of the city, and taxis charge approximately NZ$60 for the trip into town. You'd be well advised to take one of the shuttles that run to the city at regular intervals. The Dunedin Taxis Airport Shuttle (tel. 0800/505-010 or 03/477-7777) charges around NZ$25 to NZ$30 to most parts of Central City. City Taxis (tel. 03/477-1771) offers a fixed-fare service from the airport.

By Coach (Bus) -- InterCity (tel. 09/623-1503) provides coach service between Dunedin and Christchurch, Invercargill, Picton, Queenstown, Te Anau, and Timaru. The bus terminal is at 205 St. Andrew St. (tel. 03/477-8860). Bottom Bus, The Octagon (tel. 0800/304-333 in NZ, or 03/477-9083; www.bottombus.co.nz), has a range of Southern tours including the 5-day In a Stew trip, which begins and ends anywhere you like in this region and costs NZ$675. It includes a Milford Sound cruise and travel to Stewart Island. It offers discounts to travelers with YHA, VIP, and BBH backpacker cards.

By Car -- Dunedin can be reached via state highways 1 and 87. It is 366km (227 miles) and approximately 5 hours' drive south of Christchurch; 220km (136 miles) and approximately 3 to 4 hours northeast of Invercargill; and 4 hours from Queenstown inland through Central Otago. The Southern Scenic Route from Invercargill is another alternative. It passes through the forested coastal Catlins area and is well worth the slight diversion from State Highway 1.

Visitor Information

The Dunedin i-SITE Visitor Centre, 48 The Octagon (tel. 03/474-3300; fax 03/474-3311; www.dunedinnz.com or www.dunedin.govt.nz), is set in the magnificently restored Municipal Chambers. It's open Monday through Friday from 8:30am to 5pm, and Saturday, Sunday, and holidays from 9am to 5:30pm. In summer, the office remains open until 6pm. You can also contact Tourism Dunedin, 193 Princes St. (tel. 03/471-8042; fax 03/471-8021; www.dunedinnz.com).