During Covid the value of Dunedin became obvious; the space, the beauty, the isolated nature. As a local it is easy for me to take these things for granted. It wasn’t until I left Dunedin, and Aotearoa New Zealand and lived overseas that I realised how amazingly fortunate I was. I love Dunedin and below (in no particular order) are MY top 44 reasons. They are bias towards the things I love - i.e. surfing. I hope you enjoy them also.

1. Brighton - a nice little beach town with a fun point break and proximity to some absolute amazing surf spots

2. Friendly people - Dunedin people are generous and helpful

3. St Clair esplanade - the heart of Dunedin surf community with regular good waves and good people. It also has amazing cafes, restaurants, parks, and primary school . As such, it’s the most sought after property location in Dunedin.

4. 4 hours to the top of Coronet peak - I love snowboarding and Coronet is a perfect destination

5. Whareakeake (Murderers) - Dunedin’s most well known right hand point break and for good reason - 500m+ rides is standard on the good days.

6. The small town feel - everywhere is on 15 minutes away.

7. Kai Tahu Iwi - the most powerful tribe in Aotearoa calls Te Waipounamu home and everyone benefits from their wealth.

8. The Dunedin Study - the world famous longitudinal health and development study

9. Second hand stores - lots of bargains to be had

10. Fleurs at Moeraki - world renowned restauranteur and her amazing seafood restaurant is only 90 minutes away.

11. Only 4 hours to Cardrona - a super fun (although crazy busy) mountain perfect for the family

12. St Clair golf course - a world class course that anyone can afford

13. Aramoana - even though I broke my back here I still love the barrels, and the beach. It’s also a great day trip for the family with sand dunes, places to explore and tiny learner waves most of the time.

14. Central Otago - in a couple of hours you can be in Middle Earth

15. Otago University - the best university in the country

16. 4 hours to Wanaka - An amazing holiday spot with so much to do for the family

17. The small Māori community - everyone knows everyone

18. Karitane - only 40 minutes drive north this sleepy little fishing village will give amazing scenery, pumping surf, and great diving and fishing (when the rahui isn’t in place). This is an wickedly good holiday destination in the summer.

19. 4 hours drive to Queenstown - wanting a luxurious weekend away is easy with Queenstown just on the door step.

20. Signal hill lookout - a great spot to view the city

21. Allans beach - possibly the best beach break in the country

22. No traffic jams

23. Flagstaff - a great place to walk or mountain bike

24. Timely Salon software - an amazing software company made right here in Dunedin

25. the Albatross Colony - big birds

26. 3 hours to Kingston - a secret spot at the bottom of lake Wakatipu

27. The Dunedin Chinese Garden - the only one of it’s kind in the southern hemisphere

28. 4 hours to the Remarkables - another great ski-field

29. The drive from Brighton to Taieri mouth - 30 minutes of reefs with nobody about

30. 60 minutes to PK Bay - definitely the best beach break in the country

31. The University clock tower - the history and architecture is phenominal

32. Olveston - a very old house

33. Forsyth Bar Stadium - I love a good concert and the odd game of footy.

34. Otago Boys High School - the school my grandfather, myself, and my sons have gone to

35. Treble Cone - vertical snowboarding at it’s finest

36. Dunedin hospital - we’re lucky to have such high quality medical care in such a small town

37. Street art - the council revitalised the urban environment with some amazing graffiti art

38. Saddle Hill - the view I have from my backyard

39. St Clair Primary School - a great wee school that my kids went to

40. Student parties - every day of the week and twice on Sunday

41. Taieri mouth - another beautiful fishing town

42. Heritage buildings - Dunedin was the financial capital of Aotearoa at one point and the building reflect that history

43. The dental school - discounted teeth care

44. Tunnel beach - a great story and great walk

45. The Dunedin Sound - the 70s and 80s produced some amazing bands in Dunedin

46. North East Valley Primary School - where my great-grandfather went to school

47. Cheap Asian restaurants - a student town results in cheap and yummy restaurants everywhere