Dunedin railway station up there with the Taj Mahal as a 'must see'

Dunedin is celebrating the centenary of the station this year

Dunedin's ornate railway station has been ranked among the world's "200 must-see places" by a leading travel guide.

According to DK Eyewitness Travel, the Dunedin Railway Station is up there with the Colosseum in Rome and India's Taj Mahal as one of the wonders of the world.

The station is the guide's only New Zealand listing and is lauded as one of the best examples of railway architecture in the Southern Hemisphere.

Dunedin City Council will celebrate the centennial of the station's opening in 1906 over Labour Weekend from October 21-23. Created as the jewel in the New Zealand Railways crown, the station is regarded as one of the most photographed buildings in the country.

Its sheer size, grandiose style and rich embellishments earned architect George Troup the moniker "Gingerbread George".

Dunedin City Council and the Historic Places Trust have devised an extensive programme to celebrate the restored building as an architectural masterpiece.

Highlights include steam-hauled rail excursions, a cavalcade of locomotives, a special-guest dinner and memorabilia exhibition.

- NZPA