"Penguin City and Otago Peninsula" Dunedin by Kimi_the_Bear

Dunedin is a city we visit rather often. But not just the city which is the Edinburgh of the South. We visit Otago Peninsula whenever there is time, as the white beaches and green hills are so wonderful. But the most wonderful thing is the wildlife, especially the penguins. You can see the love of the Dunedinites for those waddling cuties everywhere. On the photo above you see me on a wall at the Octagon which is the city's very centre.

Other wildlife you find are albatross, in fact the only mainland colony in the world, located at Taiaroa Head which is the peninsula's very tip. There are also quite a lot of New Zealand Fur Seals and more and more Sea Lions, the sea lions lying in the sand, the seals on the rocks. And there are sooo many birds, especially cormorants - here called shags - and oystercatchers, and lots of other shore and wading birds.

Dunedin also has a lot of students, restaurants, beautiful buildings and churches. Plus great museums, the world's steepest street and probably the most beautiful railway station. The latter does not help you a lot, as only two tourist trains - the Taieri Gorge Train and the Southerner - start there. If you are a bear and want to climb a bit, you best do it in the Botanic Garden.

You do not have to drive to Otago Peninsula to find beautiful beaches. The city beaches like St. Kilda and St. Clair are fabulous and only a ten minutes drive from the city centre. You just do not see penguins there - just people, some waddling like penguins ;-)

Some of the beaches south of Dunedin are orangey-golden. The drive town to the Taieri River Mouth is fantastic. The photo was taken in the area where this river flows into the sea.

• Pros:Veeery relaxed atmosphere, no big distances, easy to get around
• Cons:I am afraid the students could burn me and not only sofas
• In a nutshell:A great place to chat with penguins