Feature

The suburbs of Dunedin are seldom visited by the student population, who generally prefer to remain within the more familiar confines of campus than to traverse the wider city as suburban tourists. However, with this helpful guide in hand, the young academics of North Dunedin can boldly venture forth to sample the food, enjoy the sights, and explore the culture of five nearby suburbs, from 'the Village' to 'the Valley.'


MAORI HILL: THE MONEY
ENVIRONMENT:
The well-pruned rose gardens and grassy street fronts of Maori Hill provide a lush habitat for Dunedin's 'old money.' On the quiet, winding streets, beautiful homes blush behind imposing walls or well-kept hedges, hiding large gardens and the occasional tennis court. The views of the Valley from some streets heighten the feeling of power and prestige. Those within a one-kilometre radius of the supercilious John McGlashan College are also soothed by the soft melody of bagpipes drifting through the air on quiet weekends.
 
WILDLIFE:
Don't be deceived by the name – Maori Hill's inhabitants are almost all white, upper-middle class citizens, with the more recent addition of the 'rich Asian family' providing the only deviance from the suburb’s uniformity. Some common sub-species of the Maori Hill conservatives that you may see during your visit are doctors, lawyers, and soccer-mums. If you are lucky, you may also spot the elusive 'golf-wife,' usually hovering devotedly near the more common 'business-golfer' on the Balmacewen course.
 
LOCAL CULTURE:
Maori-Hill-ians exist within a traditional culture which strongly discourages divergence from the past, such as more daring architecture or fashion. Their prime cultural activities include 'dog-jogging' in Ross Creek, driving gas-guzzling SUVs that have never seen mud, pruning anything green to within an inch of its life, and attending school plays at the nearby Maori Hill Primary, where genteel local families send their children to learn to say 'privilege' in five languages.
 
LEARN THE LINGO: 
Greeting: “How DO you DOoO??”
Acceptable conversation: complaints over the state of the neighbour’s hedge; prestigious past residents of your street; gardening methods passed down through the generations.
Don’t be confused – Maori Hill is not Remuera. They’re a conservative lot down here, so gossip about the latest in affairs and divorces is strictly frowned upon.
 
PLACES TO EAT: 
Fancy: No7 Balmac. 
Friendly: Maori Hill takeaways. 
Coffee: Delicacy.
 
MUST-SEE (FREE) ATTRACTION:
Walk one of the many enjoyable tracks through the native bush area of Ross Creek Reservoir (entrance at the end of Cannington Rd).
 
MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO: 
• Rest awhile on a bench dedicated to poet Charles Brasch at Prospect Park, one of his favourite haunts. Enjoy the view while reading the nearby plaque featuring his poem about the spot, known locally as ‘The Clear.’
• Throw a rugby ball around on the John McGlashan school field.
• Play a round of golf on the Balmacewen golf course.
 
BEST-KEPT SECRET:
The Bullock Track, once actually used by farmers moving cattle, provides a steep but scenic shortcut into the suburb in the form of a cliffside track directly from Prospect Park to the Woodhaugh Gardens, right near George St.
 
GETTING THERE:  Walk time: 25 minutes, uphill. Bus: #67, departs campus every 30 minutes, takes eight minutes.
 
ROSLYN: THE VILLAGE
ENVIRONMENT:
Beautifully-restored villas and large, modern houses line Highgate, the suburban highway to the bustling mini-metropolis at the heart of Roslyn. This, Roslyn village, is a more vibrant, contemporary version of Maori Hill, and it knows it! ‘The Village’ (as the locals casually call it), sports a number of stylish eateries and boutique stores, as well a day spa, all to be enjoyed alongside a spectacular view of the city.
 
WILDLIFE:
The middle-aged fashionistas of Roslyn are its most visible occupants, tending to congregate in 'The Village' to enjoy lengthy chains of cappuccinos (soon becoming Pinot Noirs) in the street-side window of a cafe, ensuring maximum exposure. Ballet-mums and their precious pink-clad children also come and go most afternoons, and the well-bred, perfectly groomed Columba College girls can also be spotted outside their exalted school and boarding house during the afternoon (but may be more recognisable as the troupe of skanks roaming the streets towards the boys’ hostel during the evening).
 
LOCAL CULTURE:
Although purporting lives busy with the stress of juggling families, careers and affairs, Roslyn-ites always find time to coffee, wine, and dine leisurely outside their homes. Food and drink feature significantly in local life, providing important social bonding mechanisms as well as a measure of success and prominence, and the exchange of vital gossip.
 
LEARN THE LINGO:
Greeting: “Well hellooOOoo DARLing!”
Acceptable Conversation: Great places to eat; imminent plans for redecorating or landscaping; fitness and fashion trends; who is divorcing who at the moment.
 
PLACES TO EAT: 
Fancy: Luna. 
Friendly: Indian Spice.
Coffee: Rhubarb.
 
MUST-SEE (FREE) ATTRACTION: Enjoy the view over the city and harbour from the Roslyn Bridge.
 
MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO: 
• Have a coffee in the very chic Roslyn Village. 
• Take a tour around the enormous historic mansion , Olveston ($16 adult, $15 students)
• Go swimming, gym-ing, aqua-jogging, or life-guard-ogling at Moana Pool (Swim: $5.50 adult, $3 Concession, +gym $10.50 adult, $8 Concession)
 
BEST-KEPT SECRET: The elite Friday Shop (officially Highgate Bridge) produces sumptuous gourmet food, fresh or frozen, and is only open on Fridays, usually selling out early to the Roslyn-ites eager to reheat and pass off these delicacies as their own.
 
GETTING THERE: Walk time: 30 minutes, uphill. Bus: #68, departs campus every hour, takes 16 minutes. 
 
NORTH EAST VALLEY: THE VALLEY
ENVIRONMENT:
In this suburb, street upon street of forlorn flats squat on the narrow flat strip between the hills. Towards its edges, the weatherboard bungalows which never see sun slowly decay in the shadows, and the hillside sports scrubby vegetation which overwhelms the possibility of civilisation further up the valley. The central North Road acts as the great divide between the frigid western side and the nearly inhabitable eastern blocks.
 
WILDLIFE:
The majority of North East Valley is populated by students of the 'laid-back' (probably stoned) variety, dwelling in various levels of poverty and destitution. Most of these have no real intention of graduating, and rarely make it to campus after O-Week, seeming content to live out their days eating baked beans and bludging off the government. Valley-dwellers are often identifiable by their traditional garb of shorts and jandals (despite the often sub-zero temperatures of their region), the perpetual beer-can-in-hands, and by their near-vampiric pallor.
 
CULTURE:
Valley-dwellers frequently use fragrant outdoor meat-cooking methods to attract neighbours and initiate social activity. However, the drudgery of valley life has spawned a culture of substance use and abuse, which most commonly dominates social occasions, and newcomers must heavily involve themselves in this before they are accepted. On rare sunny days North East Valley inhabitants may, in desperation, crawl out of their dank dwellings to make use of one of the suburb’s lovely picnic spots, such as Bethune’s Gully, Chingford Park, or the Botanic Gardens
 
LEARN THE LINGO: 
Greeting: “’Sup, bro?”
Acceptable conversation: how little money you have; how much you drank last night; how much weed you smoked last night; and the varying symptoms of scurvy and Vitamin D deficiency.
 
PLACES TO EAT: 
Fancy: Mannequin.
Friendly: Filadelphio's.
Coffee: Croque-o-Dile (Botanic Gardens).
 
MUST-SEE (FREE) ATTRACTION:
Go up the world's steepest street, Baldwin Street - walk it, jog it, drive it ... but don't attempt to go down it in a wheely bin. Seriously. 
 
MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO: 
• Picnic at Bethune’s Gully (the far end of the valley) – throw a frisbee, paddle in the river, or take the walking track right up Mt. Cargill.
• BMX biking at Forrester Park.
• Head up Signal Hill Road to the monument and lookout with a fantastic view over the city and harbour. Also stunning at night time. 
 
GETTING THERE: 
Walk time: 15+ minutes, all flat. Bus: #23, #4 departs University (Clyde St) to Gardens Village every half hour, or #28, #9 depart Octagon every 15 minutes, to go the whole way along North East Valley takes 15 minutes.
 
SOUTH DUNEDIN: THE GHETTO
ENVIRONMENT:
The low-lying, tightly-packed suburbs of South Dunedin were once the most densely populated part of the whole country, and remain a claustrophobic rabbit warren of nondescript one-story homes. Over 100 hectares of this area used to be underwater, but were reclaimed in the 1940s, leaving the area at the mercy of rising sea levels and rogue tsunamis. On the eastern edge, the industrial area and docklands make way for the mega-stores and fancy car dealers. A few blocks west, King Edward Street provides Dunedin's secondary urban centre, with Chinese restaurants and two-dollar stores aplenty. 
 
WILDLIFE:
The proletariat masses that dwell in this suburb proudly personify the stereotypes of the southern ghetto. In this suburb, boy racers blast out the beats, teenagers push prams, and tattooed youngsters wander the streets in search of trouble or an ice-cream. Old women peer fearfully from behind slatted blinds, small children play ball on the street, and young families look strained as they count coins, kids, and coupons.
 
LOCAL CULTURE: The finance-conscious South Dunedin culture is nevertheless in love with the shopping experience, enjoying the nearby megastores and second-hand stores. Cars and sport are also integral to social life, despite none of these being practical in such cramped confines.
 
PLACES TO EAT: 
Fancy(ish): China Palace.
Friendly: The Pineapple Bakery (almost everything they make includes pineapple). 
Coffee: Forget Me Nots Coffee Bar.
 
MUST-SEE (FREE) ATTRACTION: 
Get down and dirty rummaging for rarities in one of the suburb’s many second-hand stores.
 
MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO: 
• Head to the Oval and see what's on. Depending on the time of year, you might be met with a circus, a gypsy fair, or a sports match.
• Check out a show at the lovely Mayfair Theatre (1914).
• Sign up for some sporting fun at the Edgar Sports Centre. 
 
LEARN THE LINGO: 
Greeting: “Chur cuz!”
Acceptable Conversation: awesome bargains you got recently; the rugby results; what the extended family is up to.
 
GETTING THERE:
Walk time: 40 minutes+, all flat. Bus: #3 #24, departs University (Clyde St) every half hour, takes 20 minutes.
 
ST CLAIR/ST KILDA: THE SEASIDE
ENVIRONMENT:
These, the closest of Dunedin's beaches, are by no means the least. The tussocked dunes of the wilder St Kilda quickly dissolve into the wide beach-front of St Clair, which is also the more developed seaside spot. St Clair's waterfront now sports some flashy buildings for the sun to glint majestically off, but it remains a pleasant promenade. The large recreational parks along the coast between the two main beaches ensure the area does not feel too overdeveloped.
 
WILDLIFE: 
From one end to the other, these beaches support a healthy population of surfies and grommets, braving the southern seas in wetsuits all year round. The sea also draws a number of snap-happy tourists, a strong crowd of children enthusiastic about being wet and sandy no matter what the weather, and a 'trendy' crowd who prefer watching the water from a cafe whilst sipping a diet lemonade.
 
CULTURE:
This region has a typically relaxed seaside atmosphere, and emanates a holiday feel all year around. Fish ‘n’ chips remain an integral part of the lifestyle here, although the new restaurants at St Clair now tempt some people indoors.
 
LEARN THE LINGO: 
Greeting: “Lovely Day!” (weather dependent)
Acceptable Conversation: The weather; the tide; the continually-eroding cliff-side; and any impending tsunamis.
 
PLACES TO EAT: 
Fancy: Pier 24.
Friendly(ish): Esplanade Restaurant.
Coffee: Saltwater Pool Cafe.
 
MUST-SEE (FREE) ATTRACTION:
The iconic 'Dinosaur Park' (really Marlow Park) – let out your inner child and climb on the spurting whale, swing on a sea serpent, or slide down the truly awesome dinosaur slide. 
 
MORE THINGS TO SEE AND DO: 
• Take a walk along either St Clair or St Kilda beach (tide permitting), or the whole way between them.
• Swim at the St Clair Hot Saltwater Pool, open Oct – March (Adults $5.50, Concession $3).
• Fly a kite at Kettle Park.
• Get even colder by going for a skate at Dunedin's Ice Stadium (Adults $11, Students $5).
• Walk just 5-10 minutes around from the saltwater pool to Second Beach, and you may spot fur seals, sea-lions, and even penguins (best time is late afternoon).
 
GETTING THERE: walk time: one hour, all flat. Bus: St Clair, # 8, # 29, departs Octagon every 15 minutes, takes 15 minutes. St Kilda: # 53, #57, #26, departs Octagon every 20 minutes, takes 20 minutes.