Otago Region
The
Otago region houses some of the South Island’s most unusual natural curiosities and some of the country’s most thrilling adventures. There’s the astonishingly spherical Moeraki boulders by the beach, the blue and yellow-eyed penguins in Oamuru, semi-submerged caves and the overflowing number of outdoor activities in
Queenstown. Nestled beside Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by snow-capped peaks,
Queenstown is an amphitheatre of beauty filled with activities to set your heart racing. Discover the region’s more relaxed character by bicycle along a former railway line while sampling pinot noirs, or visit some of the country’s top museums in the increasingly cosmopolitan city of
Dunedin. Locals here live by the “work hard, play hard” philosophy, but when you visit
Otago, the only hard work will be deciding where and how to play.
Climate
One of the country’s driest regions.
Summer average: 11 - 18°C
Winter average: 4 - 10°C
Average rainfall: 750mm/year
Cool Facts
• Commercial bungee jumping was invented in
Queenstown.
• Fossils up to 25 million-years-old are located just outside of Duntroon.
• Many
Dunedin residents are descended from adventurous Scots who set out on the high seas to find their new home in what was then a rugged wilderness.
• The Speights Brewery in
Dunedin is one of the last remaining “gravity-fed breweries” in the world.
• The steepest street in the world is
Dunedin’s Baldwin Street. At a 35 % grade, it serves as the venue for the aptly-named annual “Gut Buster” race in February.
Do More! Search towns and read more related articles below.
