11 Best Sights in Otago, Invercargill, and Stewart Island, New Zealand

Galleries in an 1877 building are a throwback to Victorian times. The museum's first curator was a zoologist, and many of the original animals collected from 1868 are still on display in Animal Attic, a restored, magnificent, skylighted gallery. Southern Land, Southern People explores the cultural heritage of this region, and other galleries focus on Māori and Pacific Island artifacts, animal and insect specimens, and nautical items, including ship models and a whale skeleton. The Tropical Forest re-creates a humid jungle, complete with live butterflies and other tropical creatures.

Relax and enjoy the birdsong of bellbirds, woodpigeon, and tūī amid 70 acres of international and native flora at New Zealand's first ever public garden. Some 6,800 plant species thrive on flatlands and hillsides ranging up from Central Dunedin, providing amazing seasonal displays of foliage. Attractions include an aviary, a winter garden hothouse, a comprehensive native plant collection, and the spectacular Rhododendron Dell. Parking at the lower part of the gardens, off Cumberland Street, affords easier access than the Opoho end, which is steeper, but both parts are worth visiting.

The shell of an original municipal building has been paired with a sweeping, modern, glass facade to house a collection that includes European masters Monet, Turner, and Gainsborough, as well as New Zealand and Otago artists. A special gallery highlights Dunedin native Frances Hodgkins, whose work won acclaim in the 1930s and '40s. Hodgkins's style changed throughout her career, but some of her most distinctive works are postimpressionist watercolors.

The 1906 Dunedin Railway Station, a cathedral to the power of steam, is a massive bluestone structure in Flemish Renaissance style, lavishly decorated with heraldic beasts, nymphs, scrolls, a mosaic floor, and even stained-glass windows of steaming locomotives. This extravagant building, considered one of the best examples of railway architecture in the southern hemisphere, earned its architect, George Troup, a knighthood from the king—and the nickname Gingerbread George from the people of Dunedin because of the detailing on the outside of the building. It was once the busiest station in the country, with up to 100 trains a day coming and going. The station is also home to the Sports Hall of Fame, the country's finest sports museum with displays celebrating rugby, cricket, and other athletic pursuits.

On the south side of Moray Place, the church is not vast, but it's still impressive, with a base of Oamaru stone topped by a delicate 200-foot spire. Check out the leaf patterns, dragon, and other carved details around the windows.

Milford Galleries, a major fine-art dealer, presents solo and group exhibitions of New Zealand paintings, drawings, sculpture, glasswork, ceramic art, and photography. Among the artists are Neil Frazer (who does large-scale abstract expressionist paintings) and Paul Dibble, one of New Zealand's most acclaimed sculptors.

For a tasty indulgence, head to the Speight's Brewery Heritage Centre for a 90-minute tour of the South's top brewery, which dates back to 1876 on this very same site. Here you can see the various stages of gravity-driven brewing, learn the trade's lingo such as wort and grist, and taste the results. Speight's makes several traditional beers, the most common being its Gold Medal Ale. The company claims that this is the drink of choice for every "Southern Man," which isn't far from the truth. Watch a video of various Speight's iconic television ads and learn to say the tough Southern way, Good on ya, mate.

The sea at Dunedin can be a little wild; in summer an area between flags is patrolled by lifeguards. St. Clair has some good surfing, and hosts some prestigious competitions. Don't be too spooked by the shark bell on the Esplanade: a fatal attack hasn't occurred for 50 years (although nonfatal attacks have occurred at least once a decade). Local residents show what they're made of at the annual "midwinter plunge" held on the beach at winter solstice. If the ocean is too cold for you, try the Hot Salt Water Pool at the southern end of the beach (NZ$7 admission). South of town is the Tunnel Beach Walkway, a sandstone tunnel cut in 1870 by Edward Cargill so that his family could get down to the pretty beach below (this walk is closed from August through October for lambing). Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards; parking (free); showers; toilets. Best for: surfing; walking.

A route along the now-closed Otago Central Railway (now christened The Inlander) runs from Dunedin to Pukerangi and Middlemarch, home of the annual Middlemarch Singles' Ball; each year this very train imports young city gals up to a dance with lonely Otago sheep shearers. The highlight of the trip is the run through the narrow and deep Taieri Gorge, with 10 tunnels and dozens of bridges and viaducts, all of which can be enjoyed from open-air viewing platforms. Also available is a seasonal Seasider route from Dunedin up the coast to Palmerston. The train runs every day; check the timetable for its destination. Reservations are essential. Cyclists can connect at Middlemarch to the wonderful Otago Central Rail Trail.

The city's hub is the eight-sided town center, lined with several imposing buildings, and a smattering of market stalls, cafés, and bars with tables spilling onto the pavement. In summer it's a meeting place, and it's also the site for the occasional student demonstration. Dunedin City Council provides free Wi-Fi in this grand arena. A statue of Robert Burns sits in front of St. Paul's Cathedral, a part-Victorian Gothic, part-modern building with an imposing marble staircase leading up to a towering facade of Oamaru stone. On Stuart Street at the corner of Dunbar, check out the late-Victorian Law Courts. Their figure of Justice stands with scales in hand but without her customary blindfold (she wears a low helmet instead).

Documents, works of art, technological items, and forms of transport tell the stories of all Otago settlers, from Māori and early European and Chinese to later Pacific Islanders and Asians. The museum hosts changing exhibits and events, with a charge for some events.