The sun started to slowly appear through the autumnal air as we drove by car from Queenstown to Dunedin on the South Island of New Zealand. Dunedin is the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh. Between the 1850ies and 1870ies many Scottish immigrants settled down in New Zealand. In fact, the landscape on our car journeys on the South Island reminded us very much of Scotland. The only difference was that on most days the weather was much better than in Scotland.

As it was early in the day we had a clear run down to Dunedin. There were hardly any cars on the road. The car journey from Queenstown to Dunedin takes approximately 3 to 4 hours.

Larnach Castle

Prior to seeing the city of Dunedin, we stopped at Larnach Castle which is the only fully restored Castle in New Zealand. It is located outside of Dunedin and you can reach Dunedin city centre within a 20 minute car journey from there.

The Castle was built in 1871 by William Larnach who was a business man from Scottish descent and he bought it for his wife Eliza.

Larnach Castle Exterior

In 1967 the Barker family bought the Castle and rescued it from ruin. They spent decades restoring it.

You can really feel the love and passion they put into the building as you enter it.

Verandah Larnach Castle

The rooms are filled with original period furniture and antiques which really give you a detailed insight into how one lived during the era of William Larnach.

We especially admired the verandah on the first floor. Although there were other visitors around, it felt really peaceful and you can let your imagination run wild. Imagine wearing traditional robes, have afternoon tea and enjoy the view of the Estate.

Another good spot is the tower from where you can have a good view over the area on a clear day.

A spooky and somewhat intriguing part of the house was the room with the silk wedding dress. You had to go into the room via a black curtain. Inside were various antiques, a ghost statue hanging from the ceiling and an old wedding dress was laid out underneath a class container. It seemed like a spot for Sleeping Beauty to rest. Apparently the ghost of Mrs Larnach is still haunting the site.

There is also garden around the castle which grants you some good views of Dunedin and the surrounding area. The entrance fee to the castle isn’t cheap but well worth it if you would like to step back in time. You can purchase entry tickets for the garden separately from the interior of the castle although we found that the castle was much more spectacular and for us it would not really have been worth it just to see the garden alone.

Details of Larnach Castle

Ticket fees:

Combined ticket Castle, Gardens and Grounds (self-guided)

Adult: NZD 31.00 / Children 5-14: NZD 10.00 / Children 0-4: Free

Family pass (2 adults and up to 4 children): NZD 72.00

Sans Peur without fear is the motto of Mr Larnach’s Scottish Clan Sutherland

Garden & Grounds Only (self-guided)

Adult: NZD 15.00 / Children 5-14: NZD 4.00 / Children 0-4: Free

The printed guides were available in several languages.

Opening hours (open 365 days a year incl. public holidays)

Castle 9am and last admission is 5pm

Garden & Grounds

1 Oct to 31 Mar from 9am  and last admission is 7pm

1Apr to 30 Sep from 9am and last admission is 5pm

Address: Larnach Castle, 145 Camp Rd, Dunedin 9077, New Zealand

Click here to visit the website of Larnach Castle

Interior of Larnach Castle

Viewpoint Soldiers Monument

If you are simply looking for a good viewpoint of the area, then we have another tip for you.

Soldiers Monument Dunedin Walkway and Monument

When we drove from Larnach to Dunedin along the Highcliff Road we saw after about 10 minutes a layby on our right hand side and a sign directing uphill to Soldiers Monument.

As we didn’t see it mentioned anywhere, we decided to park the car at the layby and to explore the Monument.

The uphill walk didn’t take long and soon our curiosity was rewarded with 360 degree views of the area. It is a perfect viewpoint on a clear day.

Approximate GPS coordinates of the layby/sign: -45.885369, 170.565539

Viewpoint Soldiers Monument Dunedin

Dunedin Railway Station and City Centre

Dunedin Railway Station Tower

Within another 10 minute car journey, we reached Dunedin and parked near the railway station.

The Railway Station was built between 1873 and 1906 and designed by George Troupe. It is a large and long stretching building that features a distinctive clock tower. When you walk into the historic railway station the silence makes it hard to imagine that this station once used to be the busiest in New Zealand.

Dunedin Railway Station Mosaic Floor

No trains were in sight, just a handful of New Zealanders and tourists were around. The booking hall inside the station is an architectural gem. Its highlights are the floor which is covered with mosaic tiles and the windows. The station is free to enter and you can go to the upper level from where you can have the best angle to admire the mosaic floor and the windows. Aside from that, one can find up there a small art gallery which is also free to enter and the Sports Hall of Fame of New Zealand where one has to pay a small entrance fee.

After the train station we explored the city centre which is easily accessible by foot. When you head north along Stuart Street then you will soon reach the Octagon which is a prominent triangular square.

At the square one can see Dunedin Town Hall, St Paul’s Cathedral and the statue of Sir Robert Burns who was a Scottish Poet. If you are ever in Central Park in New York City, then you can see an exact replica of this statue there.

If you look closer around the statue you can find various plaques containing written words of local and international writers who have written about Dunedin. Indeed Dunedin is a UNESCO City of Literature.

Dunedin Octagon

Compared to Queenstown, Dunedin felt more of a working town. There were substantially less tourists around and more locals.

You can easily reach various other sights from the Octagon.

Additional points of interest are:

Cadbury World Dunedin

Cadbury World

We didn’t have enough time to do a tour but apparently this is more a museum than a chocolate factory tour. In any case, we can recommend you visit the separate chocolate shop which is adjacent to the factory, if chocolate is your thing!

Toitu Otago Settlers Museum

This popular museum showcases the history, culture and architecture of Otago Settlers in an interactive way.

Opening Hours

10am – 5pm

Daily (except Christmas Day)

ADMISSION FREE (Charges may apply to special exhibitions)

Dunedin Botanic Garden

Visitors can see more than 6,800 plant species in this beautiful and serene space. It is open all year around from dawn till dusk and the entrance is free.

As we visited in autumn, we didn’t have much daylight so we explored the city centre a bit more and then moved on to our final stop in Dunedin which was Tunnel Beach.

Cargill Castle

Tunnel Beach

The beach is located about 7.5km southwest of Dunedin city centre and on our drive to the parking lot near the walkway to the beach we passed by a residential neighborhood from where you can see the other castle of New Zealand. It is Cargill Castle which was completed in 1877 and built for Edward Cargill. Nowadays the castle is a ruin and you can only see it from the residential neighborhood.

From there it was only a short drive to the beginning of the walkway to Tunnel Beach. The walkway is laid out on private land and the round trip takes about an hour to complete.

Tunnel Beach Beginning of Walking Track

The downhill walk along the coastal cliff is beautiful although we would advise you to visit it for sunrise which seems to be even better.

At the end of the path you will reach a giant rock in which Edward Cargill back in the day cut a short tunnel to Tunnel Beach.

Tunnel Beach Rock

Tunnel to Tunnel Beach

You just have to walk along the rock and look to your left and you will soon see the small hole with steps leading down to the secluded gem. Back in the day, it must have been very special for the Cargill Family to have their own private beach.

Note: The walkway is quite steep so you just have to bear that in mind when you walk back up). It is closed for lambing from 1st of Aug until 31 Oct. You can also check latest alerts about the track on this website from the local department of conservation.

Tunnel Beach was the perfect final of our day out to Dunedin. We were back in Queenstown quite late but the roads were once again clear for us.

Ideally you could spent at least two to three days in the area of Dunedin.

GPS coordinates -45.918385, 170.452566 and address of the parking area near the walkway: 26 Tunnel Beach Rd, Blackhead, Dunedin 9076, New Zealand

Tunnel Beach Dunedin Sunset

The activity we most enjoyed in Queenstown was hiking and here are 3 hikes starting from the top of the Skyline Gondola.

When we visited New Zealand we met a few people who commented on travel destinations/activities “We did the Shotover” or “Oh yeah we did Hawaii” to which someone replied “We’re doing New York”.

Since when did people start referring to their travel experiences in terms of “did”?

I suppose it has something to do with the popularity of so-called bucket lists.

For us the most special experience in Queenstown wasn’t “doing” a pricey adrenaline rushed activity, of which there are many exhilarating ones to choose from, but rather it was something much simpler – a  hike starting from the top of the Skyline Gondola station.

Skyline Gondola Station Brecon Street Queenstown

From the top of the cable car station you can find 3 good hikes allowing visitors to enjoy an easy, moderate or hard hike up into nature.

We chose the moderate and easy options but you can also find some more details of the hard option further down.

Starting from Queenstown, we took the Skyline Gondola to the lookout on Bob’s Peak. The Gondola journey is quite steep as it rises 450 metres (about 1,500 ft) over a length of 730metres (approx. 2,400ft). For anyone who is scared of heights, don’t worry it is quickly over and it is well worth it, even if you were just going up there for the view. On a clear day, you can clearly see Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables and Cecil and Walter peaks.

View Overlook Skyline Gondola

Prior to our visit we considered paying a little bit extra to do the downhill ride with the Luge, which is a short raised toboggan. On arrival at the station, we were glad that we didn’t purchase the ticket combined with the Luge. It certainly looked great fun but there were several younger children on the toboggan which slowed it down to a much less than thrilling walking pace!

A friendly lady at the station provided us with some helpful information and a map for our hike and after we bought some sandwiches for the hike, we headed up to the Ben Lomond Saddle.

The Ben Lomond Saddle Trail (Moderate Hike Option)

Ben Lomond Saddle Trail Sign

Initially we took the wrong path and walked a little bit downhill. From the Skyline Gondola station you basically have to head towards the Ben Lomond lookout that is marked on the Skyline loop track and from there you have to follow the signpost “Ben Lomond Track” (see image).

At first you will walk through a forest like area. After around 20 minutes there is a junction called One Mile Creek and from there it is a steep hike for about 1.5 to 2 hours to the saddle.

Trail

The trail unravels bit by bit amazing views over the area. It was the 30^th of April and there were a few icy patches along the track so you have to make sure you wear good shoes.

After being surrounded by numerous tourists at the lookout at the Gondola station, it felt as so you were transported to a completely different place. Only a few people passed our way and you could really take in the beauty of it all. There was one Japanese couple that took a wonderful picture with their Winnie the Pooh soft toy.

Eventually we reached a track to the right that was the Ben Lomond Saddle. If you continue the normal path then you can do the entire hike to the peak of Ben Lomond. We walked along the saddle path for a while. We stopped when the track was still manageable but could see that further along the path narrows and overall it didn’t seem so safe.

It was very peaceful up there and the views over the Lake and the Mountains were magnificent.

The entire hike (return) up the Ben Lomond Saddle is 3 to 4 hours long for most people in good weather.

Ben Lomond Saddle Trail

Ben Lomond Track (Hard Hike Option)

The entire hike to the Ben Lomond Summit is 6-8 hours (return) over a distance of 9.5km (5.9miles).  This hike is more difficult and you really have to plan it well so you can finish it in daylight.

On our way back down we met an American soldier (on vacation!). He made a good chit-chat companion and his speed certainly shortened our journey time.

At the end, when we nearly reached the Skyline Gondola station, we decided to add on the Skyline Loop Track.

Ben Lomond Summit

The Skyline Loop Track (Easy Hike Option)

This trail is an easy hike and it takes about 30 minutes from the Gondola station. It is basically leading you past the luge track, the reservoir and then you walk back down to the station. You can also have some great views from there and see the ski lift and admire the paragliders flying down into Queenstown.

Ski Lift Skyline Gondola Station

All in all we had a great value for money day out. Not only were we able to ride the steepest cable car lift in the Southern Hemisphere, we also had nature, beauty and peace from the usual tourist masses.

How to get to the Gondola Station in Queenstown? The station is located at Brecon Street.

Opening hours of the Gondola: The Gondola is open year around from 9am and the last entry for uplift guests is 9pm.

The last departure from the top terminal is when the restaurant is closing.

Price of the Skyline Gondola (last checked January 2017)

Skyline Gondola entrance tickets

Gondola: NZD 33.00 (adult), 21.00 (child) and 90.00 (family)

Note: As you may be able to see on the ticket, it was NZD 27.00 in April 2014 for a normal adult return journey. However, this has since increased.

Mountain Biking

You can also take a mountain bike up the Gondola and then ride downhill on some very tough trails. We saw some near the end of the trail in Queenstown. The speed they had along the tough path was quite astonishing.

Additional prices like for mountain biking and other activities are mentioned on the Skyline Queenstown website here.

View from Ben Lomond Saddle