Dunedin boasts the country’s
first university and was, at a time, the largest city in the nation
during the Gold Rush of the nineteenth century. Its magnificent churches
champion its Presbyterian Scots heritage—something I eased in
to, having attended a high school founded by a similar group. Next
to the Municipal Centre—city hall to we foreigners—is Dunedin’s
famous Cathedral; across from that, his back facing the church, is
a statue of Robbie Burns. This area, known as the Octagon, is the
official city centre, at which concerts take place, not to mention
the millennium party three years ago. A few blocks down George Street,
at the Pitt Street intersection, is another magnificent church, Knox
Church. In fact, the churches in this city are endless—St Joseph’s
Catholic Cathedral on Tennyson Street is similarly grand in a Gothic
Revival style.
Architectural buffs will admire the glory of
the Dunedin Railway Station, where the ID
Dunedin Fashion Show inventively took place. Opened in 1906, the
Station bears one claim of being the country’s most photographed
building, and it is not hard to see why. Grandiose, it is a reminder
of Dunedin’s glory days as the country’s first city, and
many years later, its architect, George Troup, was knighted. Its
stained glass windows in which we had the show reception gave it
a regal feel; the ceramic tiles and tasteful music added to the
ambience. A fashionable bar had opened there and it was easy to
see its raison d'être.
Closing off several platforms and turning it all
into a catwalk was a stroke of genius; hosting private parties in
carriages adjacent to this was another, for those who were less interested
in fashion.
I did happen to drive past two other city locations
worthy of mention: the Speight’s Brewery, makers of the local
beer; and the historical house, Olveston (42 Royal Terrace, 64 3
477-3320, olveston @xtra.co.nz).
Olveston had not, refreshingly, been given too
much to the tourists, though there had been some concessions such
| Dunedin is so safe that
news of a rape in the newspapers was greeted with shock and
disdain—just as it once was in the rest of New Zealand |
as its signs announcing tour times. The same vintage as the Railway
Station, the 35-room house designed by Sir Ernest George belongs
to the grand Edwardian age of the city.
Domestically, its claim to fame is probably Otago
University. This is the university of universities, the one that you
are expected to attend if you want a taste of the proper student life
and by that, I mean the freedom of what it means to be young. Interpret
that how you will: if you want to work hard, you can. If you want
to party, then this university town is known for it.
There was even a movie about it, called Scarfies.
Dunedin and Otago U. are so intertwined that when summer break takes
place, the city empties and the students’absence is noticeable.
Even local kids go to other cities to earn a buck before the new
semester begins. I was fortunate to have arrived the week of orientation,
with freshmen sampling the pubs for the first time and settling
in to their flats for another year.
The relationship between Dunedin and the students
is so close that there is a free taxi service for them at nights
organized by the Student Union. Some night taxis, a driver told
me, are equipped with buckets for the mishap that may take place
en route. Dunedin is, in fact, so safe that news of a rape in the
newspapers was greeted with shock and disdain—just as it once
was in the rest of New Zealand.
And there is no reason the rest of the country should
not ape Dunedin, but it just doesn’t. This is a city with true
New Zealand values that too many have forgotten, largely due to that
refusal to contribute to the societal good. Selfish monetarists need
not apply.
 FTER
THE SHOW was a party that went on all night, but I was more
concerned about grabbing a bite to eat. Accompanied by two female
journalists, for one of whom Dunedin was her old stomping-ground,
we went toward the Octagon, assured of a bite at 2 A.M.
Di Lusso (12 The Octagon, 64 3 477-3776) had tables outside and
was still serving as though it were daytime and we decided to get
a dinner that had been delayed by eight hours. For all the glamour,
fashion journalists and editors do not eat properly when it is showtime.
We just drink, which probably made us fit in far more to student
orientation week than we thought.
It was orientation week and someone had put soap
suds in the city’s central fountain. Cabs were running as though
it were daytime. And a local—clearly not a student—walked
out of the bar, planted one on my colleague’s lips, thanked
her and walked off. ‘What a passionate city,’ I thought.
This was the first of several visits I made to
this part of the Octagon. The adjoining Brioso Café (12 The
Octagon, 64 3 477-3776), which while not the best in town, is at
least above average and certainly convenient. A similar judgement
could be levelled at Nova (29 The Octagon, 64 3 479-0808), another
central location on another Octagon block and licensed to boot.
I stayed there pretty much all of Friday to conduct the majority
of interviews, having been taken there by the ever-charming French
expat jewellery designer Geneviève Acquier. Carolyn Enting,
a contributor to Lucire and fashion editor of The Dominion
Post, also conducted several while there and I spied Jan McCarthy
of The Press—in fact, Nova became a de facto ID
Dunedin Fashion Show press room.
The food was not bad—the breakfast was delightful—but
lunch was inconsistent. While on the Friday the rice dish was delightful,
it was less so come Sunday. However, the atmosphere was excellent,
the staff friendly and caring: they allowed me to leave my laptop
and belongings there, knowing I had to make a few nearby errands.
And Nova has the additional convenience of being located in the
same complex as the Dunedin City Art Gallery.
CONTINUED
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TOP OF PAGE:
The Y-shaped formation is where the cover image for this story was
shot—this image, taken from the track to Tunnel Beach, gives
an idea of the scale and the natural erosion. TOP:
Knox Church on George Street. CENTRE:
The Dunedin Railway Station, in Edwardian grandeur celebrating the
glory days of the city—and arguably the most photographed building
in the city. ABOVE:
Close-up of the 35-room historical home, Olveston, contemporary
to the Railway Station.
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