{"id":123,"date":"2018-11-13T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2018-11-12T20:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/?p=123"},"modified":"2018-11-16T12:09:23","modified_gmt":"2018-11-16T00:09:23","slug":"5-reasons-dunedin-is-an-awesome-place-to-be","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/5-reasons-dunedin-is-an-awesome-place-to-be\/","title":{"rendered":"5 reasons Dunedin is an awesome place to be"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dunedin\u2019s population has surged past 130,000 people for the first time according to Stats NZ.\u00a0 So why are people choosing to come and live in this city on the east coast of New Zealand\u2019s South Island?\u00a0 Dunedin has in the past, and still does have according to some media outlets the reputation of being cold, wet and miserable.\u00a0 But if you look at the statistics from NIWA Dunedin\u2019s mean annual rainfall is 812 millimetres, compared to Auckland\u2019s 1240 millimetres so that reputation isn\u2019t really warranted is it?\u00a0 So what makes Dunedin such a great place to live, study and work in?\u00a0 Here are our top 5 USP\u2019s (unique selling points) for our little city!<\/em><\/p>\n

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1.\u00a0 It\u2019s so pretty.<\/strong> Yes, it really is as pretty as the pictures!\u00a0 And as recent as last month Dunedin was named the most beautiful city in NZ<\/a> in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards. The early Scottish settlers that mapped out the city’s footprint made sure that Dunedin had an array of beautiful parks, and areas of greenery throughout.\u00a0 An area known as the \u2018Town Belt\u2019 is literally a green belt of native and exotic trees that runs through the city, and even when you\u2019re in the city just look above the buildings and Dunedin is surrounded by green hills.\u00a0 Plus, if you want to go a little off road, a 10-minute drive from the city centre and you will find yourself literally feeling like you are completely away from all forms of urban life.\u00a0 Mountain biking and trail walking and running tracks<\/a> are all right on your doorstep.<\/p>\n

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2.\u00a0 Dunedin is a quirky, artistic and entrepreneurial city.\u00a0<\/strong> We have a street art trail<\/a>, where 30+ walls have been adorned with art from visiting artists from around the world and New Zealand. Dunedin is home to artists, musicians, internationally recognised fashion designers, an annual fashion festival week,\u00a0<\/a>and writers, in fact Dunedin was the first city in New Zealand to initiate a writer\u2019s fellowship, and is now a UNESCO designated City of Literature<\/a> where writers, books and literature thrive. Dunedin is also gaining a reputation as the perfect place for start-up businesses to thrive and collaborate.\u00a0\u00a0<\/a> And in the deep of winter Dunedin celebrates as only Dunedin can by lighting up the city with a mid-winter carnival<\/a> complete with fanciful, ethereal and elaborate costumes and lanterns.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>3.\u00a0 The University of Otago<\/a>.<\/strong> Dunedin is a University City which adds to its appeal in regards to the research, literature, culture and people that are attracted to come here to study<\/a>, research and teach.\u00a0 Otago University is New Zealand\u2019s first University and has a reputation for both academic excellence matched with an extraordinary lifestyle and balance.<\/p>\n

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4.\u00a0Weekend travelling.<\/strong>\u00a0 Getaway in the weekends to some of the most untouched, natural scenery in the world and a range of outdoor pursuits. Dunedin is the gateway to some of the most ridiculously beautiful scenery you are likely to encounter.\u00a0 Fiordland National Park<\/a>, Central Otago<\/a>, including Queenstown, Wanaka and Arrowtown, or travel a couple of hours south of Dunedin and you enter the dramatic and wild Catlin\u2019s area<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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5.\u00a0Dunedin is NZ\u2019s wildlife capital.<\/strong> Yes, I know, that is a very big call to make, but we aren\u2019t the only ones saying it.\u00a0 Sir David Attenborough from the BBC states:\u00a0\u201cOtago Peninsula and Taiaroa Head<\/a> is a unique and very special place. It is a place that every visitor to Dunedin should see.\u201d Dunedin is situated around a natural harbour and adjacent peninsula and it really is the jewel in our crown.\u00a0 We have the only mainland breeding grounds for Royal Albatross<\/a> in the world, NZ fur seals<\/a>, sea-lions<\/a>, rare and endangered Yellow Eyed Penguins<\/a> also choose to call the Otago Peninsula home.\u00a0 And because Dunedin people are the kind of people who care about the lives of our feathered and furry friends, we have a wildlife hospital<\/a>.\u00a0 On the other side of the Peninsula is Orokonui Ecosanctuary<\/a>\u00a0a local initiative that saw a dream of creating a predator free area of native forest become a reality.\u00a0 Orokonui now houses some of NZ’s most precious living taonga (treasures) and is contributing to the conservation and regeneration of our endemic birds and reptiles.<\/p>\n

Dunedin is an interesting little city with a warm heart and welcoming inhabitants. Almost anyone can find their little piece of happiness here. It it is also a place with mysterious secrets than only locals know…..but thats a story for another day.<\/p>\n

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Nicky Richardson is an International Marketing Coordinator at the University of Otago. With degrees in music and marketing, she is a recent graduate of Otago herself – she loves Otago so much she ended up getting a job here!<\/em><\/p>\n

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Dunedin\u2019s population has surged past 130,000 people for the first time according to Stats NZ.\u00a0 So why are people choosing to come and live in this city on the east coast of New Zealand\u2019s South Island?\u00a0 Dunedin has in the past, and still does have according to some media outlets the reputation of being cold, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36370,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[464,28111,8967,70377,70378,62,70388,383,66,184,50125],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-art","category-culture","category-dunedin","category-entrepreneurship","category-exploring","category-new-zealand","category-outdoor-pursuits","category-travel","category-university-of-otago","category-weather","category-wildlife"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36370"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.otago.ac.nz\/international\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}