Dunedin Botanic Gardens

Alongside Dunedin’s other claims to fame, the city can maintain that its enchanting Botanical Gardens were New Zealand’s first established, from a date of 1863, and are internationally so recognised.  

Initially occupying a site that the University of Otago now holds, the Gardens weren’t relocated to their current 28-hectare site until after the 1867 flooding of the inner city Leith River. 

Lying close to the city, the Botanic Gardens embody a microclimate for a huge array of flora and fauna. The walks around the gardens are simply resplendent and undulate over a hill section and down onto the lower flat. 6,800 plant species feature as well as a bird aviary including rare New Zealand native birds.  

A café (open 10am till 4pm) and winter garden glasshouse exist in harmony in the lower garden next to a babbling brook and several bridges. Access to the garden is free of charge and it is open dawn til dusk.