About Lightweight Campers
Tourist places in Dunedin |
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| Tuesday, 06 May 2008 | |
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History
of Dunedin
Dunedin (pop. 110,000), the economic and cultural capital
of the south, lies in Otago Harbour, a natural harbor reaching far inland,
surrounded by hills and mountains. Dun Edin is the Gaelic name for Edinburgh:
the name is a reminder that the town was founded by Scottish immigrants, who
originally thought of calling it New Edinburgh.
In the prosperous Dunedin of the 19th C. imposing public
buildings were built in stone, at a time when the usual building material in
the rest of New Zealand was wood. Easily worked limestone was readily available
in the Oamaru quarries.
The town's well-to-do citizens built handsome terraced houses with columns, oriel windows and balconies. There are particularly fine examples in Stuart Street and the High Street.
Tourist
Attractions in Dunedin
Dunedin - Bracken's
Lookout
Dunedin - First
Church of Otago
Dunedin - Municipal
Chambers
Dunedin – Olveston
To the west of the Otago Museum, in the city's green belt, is the mansion of Olveston (1906), designed by the English architect Ernest George. Its first owner was David E Theomin, a businessman and art collector who came from Olveston, near Bristol, and settled in Dunedin in 1879. This sumptuous 35-room mansion in late Victorian style gives some impression of the way of life of the prosperous middle class in the early 20th C. The oak staircase and balustrade were made in England. There are numerous paintings illustrating many aspects of life in colonial New Zealand. Dunedin - Otago Museum 1km northeast of the Octagon, is the Otago Museum, in a large and handsome building (1876 by David Ross). The museum's rich collections bear witness to the prosperity of Victorian Dunedin and the interest in self-improvement of its citizens, who presented their art treasures to the museum. There are five main departments: the culture of the Maoris and the Pacific area; the natural history of New Zealand; archaeology and ancient and classical civilizations; oceanography; and science and technology (with a hands-on science center for children, Discovery World). Of particular interest is the large collection of objects made from greenstone, including axe-like weapons and amulets. Many of these items were made by the local Maoris on the Otago Peninsula. There is also a fine carved meeting house of 1872-5 from Whakatane on the Bay of Plenty (North Island).
Dunedin - Otago
Settlers' Museum
Dunedin - St Joseph's
Cathedral
St Joseph's Cathedral (1878-86 by FW Petre; RC). The architect seems to have taken as his models the Gothic cathedrals of Amiens and Reims. Petre, who also designed large churches in Oamaru, Timaru, Invercargill, Wellington and Christchurch, was, along with the Scottish-born RA Lawson, who came to New Zealand by way of Australia, the leading architect working in Dunedin. His plan for the cathedral, with a tower over the crossing, proved to be too expensive. There were delays and cutbacks, and the original design was much modified. Dunedin - University of Otago The University of Otago, New Zealand's first university, was founded in 1869. The imposing neo-Gothic buildings (1878 onwards) on the little River Leith, north of the city center, were designed by Maxwell Bury, who took the University of Glasgow as his model. Particularly impressive features are the handsome clock tower, the main entrance and the staircase. The building in Castle Street is now occupied by the university administration. The first chancellor of the university was Thomas Burns, one of the founding fathers of Dunedin. Round the old buildings are various later buildings occupied by university faculties, including the Dental School, the only one in New Zealand. Here too are the professors' houses (1879), also designed by Maxwell Bury, built of red brick with contrasting white gable arches. Photo Gallery | Hotels | View Map
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 07 May 2008 ) | |
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