‘Impossibly cool’ Dunedin makes list of world’s best places to visit

Dunedin and Waitaki have made an exclusive list of the world’s best places to visit. The southern spots are New Zealand’s only inclusion in Lonely Planet’s global ranking of the 50 top destinations for travellers in 2027. “Aotearoa has countless quirky corners – but Dunedin is one of the most idiosyncratic, especially when paired with nearby Oamaru,” Lonely Planet destination editor for Oceania Jessica Lockhart wrote. “There is nowhere else in the world that I could spend my morning dressed in Victorian garb in a steampunk museum, my afternoon on a graveyard tour, and my evening watching little penguins come ashore. “Dunedin's creativity is reflected in its restaurants, cocktail bars and arts scene – but its spirit is found in its coastal bays, dramatic green hills and incredible wildlife."