Ōtepoti Dunedin is one of Aotearoa’s best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian cities, but you don’t have to be a heritage buff to enjoy its food, architecture and fashion, as Penny Lewis discovers.
From Gothic-style architecture to the jangly guitars of the Dunedin sound and the subversive aesthetic of Nom*d, Ōtepoti has
Just as the city’s built heritage is celebrated, so too are many of its creative industries and its long-established independent businesses. Here are some places to check out the next time you’re in town.
Where to shop
Established by Margarita Robertson and her husband Chris in 1979, Plume is housed in a beautiful space at 310 George St that was once an Ernest Adams cake shop. The store’s labels include Anna Rodewijk, Comme des Garçons, Dries Van Noten, Rick Owens, Rory William Docherty and Zambesi, as well as the Robertsons’ own Nom*d, founded in 1986.
Nom*d’s dark, intelligent designs are so entrenched in the Dunedin aesthetic that Nom*d’s Dunedin Tee inspired the city’s logo – Dunedin spelt with a lower-case d in gothic style.
Former Nom*d design assistant Sara Munro went out on her own with her label Company of Strangers in 2008 and opened her retail space Company Store five years later. You’ll find it upstairs at 309 George St.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.Other independent boutiques to browse through include Slick Willy’s, upstairs at 323A George St, and Belle Bird Boutique at 327 George St.
Where to stay
Ōtepoti has fantastic places to stay. Beautiful heritage accommodation includes five-star Fable Dunedin at 310 Princes St, which has 50 rooms and two suites in the former Wains Hotel building dating back to 1862. Fable Dunedin’s restaurant and bar The Press Club pays homage to the building’s role as an 1870s haunt for editors and publishers.
The Chamberson hotel is in a heritage industrial building on the corner of Stuart and Cumberland Sts. There are six warehouse-apartment-style rooms to stay in, including the loft penthouse apartment, which has an impressive rooftop terrace. At 469 Moray Place, The Burlington is a large and luxurious two-bedroom apartment with ensuites and a huge kitchen and dining space.
Ceramicist Amanda Shanley hosts guests in her two-bedroom accommodation, The Princes Apartment, in a heritage building at 136a Princes St, right next door to her studio and gallery space.
For a contemporary place to stay, Ebb Dunedin at 82 Filleul St is a clean-lined disruptor in the heritage-filled city centre. Designed by Gary Todd Architecture with interiors by Sydney-based Indyk Architects, the four-storey hotel has 27 guestrooms and one suite, which overlook a central atrium. Ebb Dunedin’s design accolades include The Sir Miles Warren Award for Commercial Architecture from the New Zealand Institute of Architects.
Where to eat
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.Their food is fine-dining standard, but owner-operators Sam Gasson and Kim Underwood of Moiety at 42 Queens Gardens stress their 26-seater restaurant is not a fine-dining establishment. “Our menu constantly evolves as we are guided by local produce where possible. Rather than simply feeding you, our aim is to give you a full dining experience with awesome food and epic service that’s not pretentious.” Moiety offers snacks and small plates, which can be enjoyed on their own or with a five-course tasting menu.
As its name suggests, Pizza Bar at 117 Stuart St is a casual place to pop into for tasty slices, cocktails and natural wine and beer. The restaurant’s been open for three years and is under new ownership. The menu changes so frequently you need to check Pizza Bar’s Instagram to see what’s on offer.
Mark Fraser and his brother Nick are the “fourth caretakers” of Japanese restaurant Jizo at 56 Princes St. Jizo opened in 1997 and Mark and Nick have owned it for six years. “We’ve made a few changes in that time – introduced table service and freshened up the menu,” Mark says. It pays to make a reservation at Jizo, which also offers keto and vegan menus. The Frasers also own pub Brew Bar at 12 The Octagon.
Very popular with students, Beam Me Up Bagels’ freshly baked hand-rolled bagels are sold at two Dunedin outlets. The North East Valley store at 9 North Rd is just across the road from “the Bo-tan” – the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. Beam Me Up’s city location at 102 Great King St is a larger space with more cafe seating. You can choose your bagel type – parmesan, rosemary, jala and cheddar, cheese and onion, sesame or poppy seed, as well as sweet options and bagels to take home. Salmon lovers will love the District 9 filled bagel sandwich option with cold-smoked salmon slices, pickled red onion, baby capers and organic cream cheese.
For a bite to eat away from the Dunedin city centre, head to St Clair. Esplanade at 2 Esplanade is a long-term favourite. It’s a fine spot to watch the surf roll in while dining on pasta and pizza. If you get a spot near the kitchen, you can hear the pizzaioli chat in their native Italian as they prep ingredients and manoeuvre pizza paddles into the woodfired oven. Also in St Clair is tītī, at 24 Esplanade. Try its Feed Me surprise menu.
Where to visit
Of course, St Clair is not just about eating. The St Clair Hot Salt Water Pool at the southern end of the beach has a slight Bondi vibe and the beach itself is beautiful. The beach’s swells are not for the fainthearted, but local surfers love them.
A little further south along the coast, Tunnel Beach is a special place to visit at low tide only. Currently closed due to slips after a weather event, Tunnel Beach is reached by a steep walk down the hill, with the sand itself accessed through a manmade tunnel in the rocks. Keep an eye on the Department of Conservation website to see when the track reopens.
If you’re keen on a road trip, head north from Dunedin to Waitati in Blueskin Bay. You’ll find Harvey Street Merchant at 2 Harvey St. The boutique grocer sells homewares and a range of food from local growers and producers, including vegan and plant-based options.
Back in town, you’ll also find local meats, produce, artisanal goods and snacks at the Otago Farmers’ Market. The market is open from 8am until 12.30pm on Saturdays in the carpark of the Dunedin Railway Station.
The Dunedin Railway Station itself is an important part of one of Dunedin’s most well-known events, iD Dunedin Fashion Week. Next year’s fashion week takes place April 1-6. On April 5 and 6 the railway station platform will become a 120-metre catwalk for the iD Dunedin Fashion Show and the finalists in the iD International Emerging Designer Awards competition.
For more on Dunedin, visit Dunedinnz.com.
More from around Aotearoa
There’s no place like home.
Photo Essay: The Dreams & Aspirations Of Northland’s Next Generation. New York-based New Zealand creative Thistle Brown returns to his childhood home in Te Tai Tokerau to reconnect with friends and family. Childhood friend and writer Sam Tekani joins him on the journey to document the dreams and aspirations of our next generation of creatives.
Wellington: Free Radicals: Who’s Shaping Wellington Now? Meet The Creative Vanguard Taking Over Our Capital. They are purveyors of sustainable, local fare and they are literary luminaries. They are leaders of style and designers who dress diplomats and divas. For these six creatives who call Wellington home, their passion is shaped by a city synonymous with celebrating culture, creativity and community. We invite them to take over Parliament under one provision: come as you are.
Hawke’s Bay: Jesse Mulligan: Where To Eat, Drink & Stay In Hawke’s Bay For A Weekend. Jesse Mulligan spends a weekend living his best life in Hawke’s Bay, where locals are keen to spread the word they’re open for business.
Christchurch: First Look: Lillies Is Christchurch’s First And Only Truly Urban Winery, Cidery & Restaurant. At newly opened cidery, winery and restaurant Lillies, on the fringe of Christchurch’s CBD, wine and cidermakers Liam Kelleher and Will Lyons-Bowman are making sure visitors are drinking and eating good things.
