
3. Dunedin Railway Station
Location:Dunedin, NZ
If there's a symbol of Dunedin that can make the best claim to being internationally known, then the city's famous railway station would likely be it.
Featured on postcards New Zealand-wide, it's a marvellous building constructed during the days of NZ's boom period following the Edwardian Baroque fashion which was popular in Europe at the time.
No expense was spared when building the terminal that was once the country's busiest, and to this day its intricate construction and decorative mosaic floors make for a great sight to behold.
Tiles and bricks spread out on the paths detail the history of the station, while the gardens that surround them are as typically beautiful as can be expected from a renaissance-style construction.
The station, which still functions for a limited number of tourist-oriented lines (such as the Taleri Gorge trip mentioned above), is something akin to an active rail museum – older models of trains are on display out the front, while various vintage ticket counters, arched stained-glass windows and finely-constructed wooden staircases round out the feeling of stepping back in time; all it's missing are the steam trains.
Featured on postcards New Zealand-wide, it's a marvellous building that was constructed during the days of NZ's boom period following the Edwardian Baroque fashion which was popular in Europe at the time.
Farmer's markets are also held outside the station on Saturdays from 8:00am which make for a bustling, outdoors-y shopping experience that the ambience of the station and gardens caps off nicely and are well worth a visit if you'll be in Dunedin over a weekend.
Dunedin Station also contains an art gallery slash gift shop in the upstairs area, which can make for the ideal spot for grabbing yourself a keepsake or other memento of your time in the city.
Lastly, sports junkies have an added bonus here as Dunedin Station is also home to a sports “Hall of Fame” museum detailing New Zealand's historic involvement and achievement in the likes of rugby, cricket and the Olympics that, while small, checks all the boxes if you're a sports fanatic.
There's a reason why Dunedin Railway Station is often claimed to be New Zealand's most photographed piece of architecture – and all it takes is a visit and a stroll in its presence to see why, and being just a short walk from the city centre, there's no reason to miss out.