A cultural look at the early people, the Kiwi and extinct Moa. A 14-meter ceremonial canoe is on…read moredisplay, as well as carvings by the South Pacific Islanders, the first people. The museum is very nice. There is an elevator to get you to the second floor. A lovely cafe and gift shop are present.

This is a major attraction and has one of the largest museum collections in New Zealand. Natural…read morescience specimens, aboriginal artifacts, taxidermy, and humanities artifacts from Otago, New Zealand filled the permanent galleries. Recently, the museum was gifted the name Tūhura, meaning "to discover, investigate and explore" by local rūnanga, changing the official name to Tūhura Otago Museum. The music was playing at the time was limited. we enjoyed seeing The artifacts, history and culture of the Maori in Tangshan Whenua. In the southern land, southern people we saw archaeological, historic & geographical info. In nature we saw rare bids, reptiles, sea creatures, mammals ... and their skeletons. Besides this large museum, there was an annex, planetarium, theater, cafe, gift shop & gardens. An interactive science centre within the museum includes a large, immersive tropical butterfly rainforest environment

Quality/Quantity - Quite a few exhibits. See pictures…read more But not a very large gallery. Events - see their website. You can even rent for private events such as weddings. Very small gift shop. Atmosphere - Not easy to find, you have to know. Plus, there was much construction everywhere in this city. Very kid friendly. Free wifi, but it did not work well for me. So I gave up after a few tries. Open 7 days from 10am to 5pm; Yelp says you are closed Sunday? Service - Good. Price - Free. Owner Comment - Congrats on your success since 1884.

Very un-pretentious staff & museum. A mix of fun and seriousness. Several galleries of art work &…read moresculptures but also some interactive displays for both children and adults. It even has a spot for kids to play and learn in an interactive style children's room.

The history of the Dunedin Chinese Garden in itself is quite interesting !…read moreWith the support of the Dunedin City Council and the Shanghai Municipal Government , the Dunedin Chinese Garden was built in hommage for all the Chinese immigrants from China for their sacrifices and contributions to the City of Dunedin. The Dunedin Chinese Garden is only one of three traditional Yaunlin Style Chinese Garden outside of China. The other two being in Portland, USA, & Vancouver, Canada. The garden was designed and built in Shanghai . Then dismantled and shipped to Dunedin New Zealand. Once here the garden was reassembled with the supervision of the Shanghai Museum. The Dunedin Chinese Garden is a wonderful place to relax and to reflect on one's life. Appreciate the struggles our fore - fathers had to endure , coming to a foreign land. The City of Dunedin has a large Chinese community. Some being desendents of the original immigrants whom came to Dunedin during the Central Otago Gold Rush in the 1860's. The location is centrally located near the historic Dunedin Railroad Station. Even though there is a small entrance fee / visiting is highly recommended ! Thanks for reading ! Live/Love/Travel !

The place has been nicely made, bearing the usual Oriental look and integrating Chinese art and…read moreculture well into the city. It may not be as polished as most gardens, nor as big, but it houses a pond with lotuses growing, wooden partitions with carved features, a small pump driven waterfall, and several bridges over the pond. A nice and serene environment except for the New Year's programme as many flock in to participate in the festivities.

A beautiful home given to the city, as is, because the family had no heirs. The home is lovely and…read morewarm and used for entertaining. This wealthy businessman seems to have had a lovely family. There are stairs to the second floor, tho the first floor is large and there is lots to see. A video is available if you don't climb the stairs. We didn't get to see the servant quarters. The small garden was in full bloom, and the apple tree was covered with fruit. A car is on view in the garage. Interior photos are not allowed. Reservations are needed to tour. Groups are welcome, and a tea party is suggested.

The Olveston home is a feast for the eyes. It's location within the city makes it easy to get to,…read morethough difficult to find parking. The garden is manicured well, with a small glasshouse. From the moment you get in, you'd be pretty much astounded by the decor and items within, with everything being either original, or redone to look like the original, as some needed some love due to natural course of time. Definitely a must visit.

It was just a whim to go in here and we thought we would be five minutes. We were quite a bit…read morelonger. What a little treasure. This is a fantastic museum. Art gallery as you go in with lovely local art work and then the museum in the back. It has displays on all the different aspects of the area history - the gold mining, the building of the dam, NIWA.... Cost is by donation,. Definitely worth a visit. Highly recommend.

After sailing from Hobart, Tasmania, to New Zealand's South Island to enjoy the extraordinary…read morebeauty of Milford Sound and the island's majestic Fiordland National Park, we continued sailing for another day to beautiful Port Chalmers, located on this country's southeastern coast. Our cruise ship docked at 8 am, and by 9 am, we, along with most of our fellow passengers, excitedly boarded a train to spend our day exploring the scenic and historic Taieri Gorge, browsing, shopping, and having lunch in its delightful town of Dunedin. We understood that the round-trip (port to Pukerangi to train station) scenic train ride would take 5.5 hours, and the train timetable was accurate because we arrived at the train station exactly at 2:30 pm. On the way out to the Taieri Gorge, we passed the railway station, and our guide reminded us that we could be let off there or continue back to the port where our cruise ship was docked after the scenic tour ended. Some people stayed on the train while we decided to wander around the railway station and town. From the boarding platform, we started to admire the stunning architectural features and were almost overwhelmed by its ornate interior. Three female docents, dressed in early 20th-century attire, greeted everyone who entered from the boarding platform. They offered some historical information about the landmark's architect, George Troup, AKA "Gingerbread George"; the building's revived Flemish Renaissance "gingerbread house" architectural features; and its main mosaic flooring, which is made up of 750,000 pieces of Royal Doulton porcelain. In contrast, its striking black-and-white exterior is made from local black basalt rock blocks from Kokonga, lighter or white limestone facings from Oamaru, pink granite supporting pillars on its front side, and terracotta shingles from Marseille roof over the boarding platform. The docents also led us to their museum, museum shop, and art gallery on the second floor. Immediately outside the station is Anzac Square, where a formal "knot garden" was created. We admired the knot garden and sat for a few minutes to soak in the grandeur of this landmark before crossing the street to walk up Lower Stuart Street, where we scarfed down made-to-order, delicious, hot fish and chips and fresh and sweet Bluff oysters. We met with fellow passengers at the designated cruise ship bus stop and returned on board well before the ship's 5:30 pm departure.

We visited this iconic train station while in Dudedin for the day. It's beautiful both outside and…read moreinside. They're were plenty of people taking pictures everywhere so it's hard to get the perfect shot, but apparently this is one of the most famous buildings in all of NZ, so it's kind of a must for tourists. They have bathrooms inside and you can walk around inside for free. There is also a cafe that has pretty good reviews but we went elsewhere for lunch and didn't have time to stop. It's a quick stop, and within the asking distance from plenty of other things to see in dudedin. Don't miss it!