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Dunedin’s inclusion on the Otago Central Rail Trail map and website can be explained by the strong link between the trail and Taieri Gorge Railway. A trust set up in Dunedin worked with the City Council to secure the section of line from Middlemarch to Wingatui, where construction of the Otago Central Railway began on June 7, 1879. From fairly inauspicious beginnings in 1978 as an occasional excursion train from Dunedin to Middlemarch, the Taieri Gorge Railway, together with the Rail Trail, is now a major tourist attraction and contributor to the local economy. A nationwide internet-based public survey by AA Travel rated the Taieri Gorge Railway/Otago Central Rail Trail 16 of 101 Must- Do’s in New Zealand. (http://www.aatravel.co.nz/101-must-dos-for-kiwis/) Not many people realise nearly a third of the Otago Central Rail Trail lies within Dunedin City boundaries.

Increasingly, Railer Trailers are starting or finishing their cycling or walking experience with this memorable train ride and time spent in what is acknowledged as the best-preserved Victorian and Edwardian heritage city in the southern hemisphere. Even so, don’t for a moment picture Dunedin as some fuddy-duddy place. This city, with its population of 120,000, has produced many of New Zealand's greatest contemporary writers, poets, artists, musicians and fashion designers. Its modern public art gallery houses some of the country’s best international art collections and its museums and libraries rank among our finest.

With the campus buildings of University of Otago virtually at its heart, this truly is a university city. Not only was Otago New Zealand’s first university, it remains one of the country’s largest and foremost educational institutions. As you’d imagine in a city catering to a big student population there’s an almost endless choice of cafes, bars and places to eat. Just about every kind of ethnic cooking you can imagine is available, and what’s more if you’re on a tight budget, dining out in Dunedin is affordable.

Even the Lonely Planet has been moved to be kind to Dunedin…....Dunedin is becoming increasingly popular as a mellow city nurturing a strong artsy side. If you can unglue yourself from the city's cafe scene, the raggedly shaped Otago Peninsula lies practically in Dunedin's backyard and is teeming with wildlife and outdoor activities.
Lonely Planet 2006

Okay, Dunedin can get a tad chilly, but Dunedinites don’t let that take away from their love of this city by the sea. As if the white sand beaches of St Kilda and St Claire are not enough there’s the magnificent coastline of the Otago Peninsula enclosing a beautiful harbour.

When including the Taieri Gorge Railway in your Rail Trail experience, your arrival or departure point is the Dunedin Railway Station. Opened in 1906 it was a building befitting what was then New Zealand’s largest commercial centre and also acknowledgement of the importance of rail and its passengers. The station’s sheer size, grandiose style and rich embellishments, earned architect Mr. George Troup the nickname of "Gingerbread George". Over 100 years later, it stands beautifully restored as an architectural masterpiece and reputedly New Zealand’s most photographed building.

Dunedin Railway Station	It’s easy to see why Dunedinites are so proud of ‘their’ Otago Peninsula
Claremont Gate Dunedin looking towards the Otago Peninsula

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Dunedin has so much to offer by way of food & refreshments and things to do, there are simply too many to attempt listing here. Accommodation lists those most convenient to the Dunedin Railway Station.