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Old photos of Dunedin

77 photographs of Dunedin, from 1863 to 2023 — each pinned to the exact place it was taken.

Have an old photo of Dunedin? A family album, a postcard, a print from the attic. Pin it to the map and it becomes part of the record.
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What the photos show

The 77 photographs of Dunedin on PlaceWas span 13 decades, from 1863 to 2023. 20 of them were taken before 1980; the other 57 are recent views of the same streets and landmarks.20 spots were photographed more than once, so you can compare the same street, square or building across the years.77 of the photos carry a written caption explaining what is in the frame. Every picture is pinned to the place it was taken, so the map below shows where the photographers stood.

Pick a decade to filter the photos below and the map above. Open full map ↗

Places in Dunedin through time

Spots photographed more than once — compare the same place across the years.

Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin — photos through time
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 7 photos · 1934–2017
The Octagon, Dunedin — photos through time
The Octagon 7 photos · 1863–2021
Chinese Gardens, Dunedin — photos through time
Chinese Gardens 5 photos · 2011–2016
First Church, Dunedin — photos through time
First Church 4 photos · 2007–2023
Moray Place in Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
Moray Place in Dunedin 4 photos · 2009–2022
Allied Press building at night, Dunedin — photos through time
Allied Press building at night 3 photos · 2012–2023
Bank of New Zealand building at night, Dunedin — photos through time
Bank of New Zealand building at night 3 photos · 1923–2023
Bank of New Zealand, Princes Street, Dunedin — photos through time
Bank of New Zealand, Princes Street 3 photos · 1906–2018
High Street in Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
High Street in Dunedin 3 photos · 2009–2018
Dowling Street in Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
Dowling Street in Dunedin 2 photos · 2017
Dunedin Courts, Dunedin — photos through time
Dunedin Courts 2 photos · 2009–2013
Dunbar House, Dunedin, New Zealand, Dunedin — photos through time
Dunbar House, Dunedin, New Zealand 2 photos · 2009–2010
Marko Dunedin Train Station Really In HR, Dunedin — photos through time
Marko Dunedin Train Station Really In HR 2 photos · 2007–2013
High Street, Dunedin — photos through time
High Street 2 photos · 1914–2009
Hope Street in Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
Hope Street in Dunedin 2 photos · 1919–2017
St Paul's Cathedral at night from Stuart Street, Dunedin — photos through time
St Paul's Cathedral at night from Stuart Street 2 photos · 2009–2023
Stafford Street in Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
Stafford Street in Dunedin 2 photos · 2017–2022
Stuart Street, Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
Stuart Street, Dunedin 2 photos · 2013
Sailing ship Alcestis run aground, probably in Otago Harbour, Dunedin — photos through time
Sailing ship Alcestis run aground, probably in Otago Harbour 2 photos · 1880–1898
Cumberland Street, Dunedin, Dunedin — photos through time
Cumberland Street, Dunedin 2 photos · 2015–2016

Stories from Dunedin

What contributors wrote about these photographs.

Sailing ship Alcestis run aground, probably in Otago Harbour, Dunedin, 1880
Sailing ship Alcestis run aground, probably in Otago Harbour 1880 The sailing ship Alcestis lies run aground, believed to be in Otago Harbour near Dunedin, New Zealand, sometime in the 1880s, a period when sailing vessels still carried much of the colony's overseas trade despite the…
Buildings on Maclaggan Street, Dunedin, 1937
Buildings on Maclaggan Street 1937 Buildings along Maclaggan Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, photographed in 1937. The street runs through the city's central business district, an area shaped by the building boom that followed Dunedin's nineteenth-century…
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1937
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1937 A 1937 photograph documenting construction progress at the Chief Post Office site in Dunedin, New Zealand. The building was among the significant public works erected in the South Island city during the 1930s, a period…
Heart of the Lake Pavilion in Dunedin Chinese Garden, Dunedin, 2013
Heart of the Lake Pavilion in Dunedin Chinese Garden 2013 The Heart of the Lake Pavilion in the Dunedin Chinese Garden, New Zealand, photographed in 2013. The garden, built to reflect a traditional Chinese scholar's garden, opened in 2008 to mark Dunedin's historic links with…
Dunedin Railway Station and Dunedin Law Courts, Dunedin, 2013
Dunedin Railway Station and Dunedin Law Courts 2013 Dunedin Railway Station alongside the Dunedin Law Courts, New Zealand, photographed in 2013. Both buildings sit near the centre of the city and reflect the elaborate civic architecture Dunedin is known for from its early…
Primera Iglesia de Otago, Dunedin, Nueva Zelanda, Dunedin, 2014
Primera Iglesia de Otago, Dunedin, Nueva Zelanda 2014 The First Church of Otago, known locally by its Spanish rendering as the Primera Iglesia de Otago, stands in Dunedin, New Zealand in this 2014 photograph. Completed in 1873, the Gothic Revival church remains one of…
Cumberland Street, Dunedin, Dunedin, 2016
Cumberland Street, Dunedin 2016 Cumberland Street in Dunedin, New Zealand, pictured in 2016. Dunedin was settled largely by 19th-century Scots and retains a substantial stock of Victorian and Edwardian architecture in its central streets, a legacy of…
Regent Theatre exterior 01, Dunedin, 2021
Regent Theatre exterior 01 2021 The exterior of the Regent Theatre in Dunedin, New Zealand, a performing arts venue in the city center that has hosted stage productions for decades. Dunedin's downtown retains a notable concentration of Victorian and…
1860s · 1 photo
Princes Street, Dunedin, Dunedin, 1863
Princes Street, Dunedin 1863
1870s · 2 photos
Dunedin's 1st station, Dunedin, 1874
Dunedin's 1st station 1874
First Church of Otago and Dunedin's 1st and 2nd stations, Dunedin, 1875
First Church of Otago and Dunedin's 1st and 2nd stations 1875
1880s · 1 photo
Sailing ship Alcestis run aground, probably in Otago Harbour, Dunedin, 1880
Sailing ship Alcestis run aground, probably in Otago Harbour 1880
1890s · 1 photo
The S.S. Wakatipu sinks the Laira at Dunedin wharf, 2 April, Dunedin, 1898
The S.S. Wakatipu sinks the Laira at Dunedin wharf, 2 April 1898
1900s · 1 photo
Bank of New Zealand, Princes Street, Dunedin, 1906
Bank of New Zealand, Princes Street 1906
1910s · 4 photos
Wharf Street, Dunedin, 1912
Wharf Street 1912
High Street, Dunedin, 1914
High Street 1914
Dunedin City Council Chambers 1871-1880, corner of High and Manse Street, Dunedin, 1918
Dunedin City Council Chambers 1871-1880, corner of High and Manse Street 1918
Manor Place Station by Market Reserve, Dunedin, 1919
Manor Place Station by Market Reserve 1919
1920s · 1 photo
Custom House Square, Dunedin, between, Dunedin, 1923
Custom House Square, Dunedin, between 1923
1930s · 7 photos
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1934
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1934
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1934
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1934
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1934
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1934
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1937
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1937
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1937
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1937
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction, Dunedin, 1937
Chief Post Office Dunedin construction 1937
Buildings on Maclaggan Street, Dunedin, 1937
Buildings on Maclaggan Street 1937
1950s · 1 photo
Dunedin Stock Exchange building, Bond Street, Dunedin, 1952
Dunedin Stock Exchange building, Bond Street 1952
1960s · 1 photo
Dunedin wharves, Dunedin, 1967
Dunedin wharves 1967
2000s · 14 photos · showing 12, all 14 on the map ↗
Marko Dunedin Train Station Really In HR, Dunedin, 2007
Marko Dunedin Train Station Really In HR 2007
First Church Dunedin, Dunedin, 2007
First Church Dunedin 2007
Robert Burns Statue in the Octagon, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand, Dunedin, 2008
Robert Burns Statue in the Octagon, Dunedin, Otago, New Zealand 2008
Bank of New Zealand Building, 205 Princes St, Dunedin, NZ, Dunedin, 2009
Bank of New Zealand Building, 205 Princes St, Dunedin, NZ 2009
First Church, Dunedin, 2009
First Church 2009
Dunedin Courts, Dunedin, 2009
Dunedin Courts 2009
00 1509 Dunedin, New Zealand - Law Courts, Dunedin, 2009
00 1509 Dunedin, New Zealand - Law Courts 2009
Dunedin railway station, Dunedin, 2009
Dunedin railway station 2009
St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin, NZ, exterior view2, Dunedin, 2009
St. Paul's Cathedral, Dunedin, NZ, exterior view2 2009
00 1511 Dunedin, New Zealand - Law Courts, Dunedin, 2009
00 1511 Dunedin, New Zealand - Law Courts 2009
The Octagon, Dunedin, Dunedin, 2009
The Octagon, Dunedin 2009
Dunedin War Memorial, Dunedin, 2009
Dunedin War Memorial 2009
2010s · 30 photos · showing 12, all 30 on the map ↗
Dunedin Prison (former), New Zealand1, Dunedin, 2010
Dunedin Prison (former), New Zealand1 2010
Chinese Garden Dunedin, Dunedin, 2011
Chinese Garden Dunedin 2011
St Paul's Cathedral and Town Hall, Dunedin NZ, Dunedin, 2011
St Paul's Cathedral and Town Hall, Dunedin NZ 2011
Looking Down Stuart St Dunedin, Dunedin, 2012
Looking Down Stuart St Dunedin 2012
Pai Lau Gateway in front of Dunedin Chinese Garden, Dunedin, 2013
Pai Lau Gateway in front of Dunedin Chinese Garden 2013
Stuart Street, Dunedin, Dunedin, 2013
Stuart Street, Dunedin 2013
Stuart Street, Dunedin, Dunedin, 2013
Stuart Street, Dunedin 2013
Looking down on the Queens Gardens and the Cenotaph, Dunedin, 2013
Looking down on the Queens Gardens and the Cenotaph 2013
Dunedin Railway Station (clock tower) at night, Dunedin, 2013
Dunedin Railway Station (clock tower) at night 2013
Dunedin Railway Station and Dunedin Law Courts, Dunedin, 2013
Dunedin Railway Station and Dunedin Law Courts 2013
Heart of the Lake Pavilion in Dunedin Chinese Garden, Dunedin, 2013
Heart of the Lake Pavilion in Dunedin Chinese Garden 2013
Primera Iglesia de Otago, Dunedin, Nueva Zelanda, Dunedin, 2014
Primera Iglesia de Otago, Dunedin, Nueva Zelanda 2014
2020s · 13 photos · showing 12, all 13 on the map ↗
The Octagon, Dunedin, 2021
The Octagon 2021
Otago Early Settlers Museum, Dunedin, 2021
Otago Early Settlers Museum 2021
Metropolis Empire Theatre, Dunedin, 2021
Metropolis Empire Theatre 2021
Regent Theatre exterior 01, Dunedin, 2021
Regent Theatre exterior 01 2021
Otago Girls High School Main Block, Dunedin, 2021
Otago Girls High School Main Block 2021
Speight's Brewery, Dunedin, 2022
Speight's Brewery 2022
The Octagon, Dunedin City, South Island, New Zealand, Dunedin, 2022
The Octagon, Dunedin City, South Island, New Zealand 2022
Princes Street, Dunedin City, early in the morning, New Zealand, Dunedin, 2022
Princes Street, Dunedin City, early in the morning, New Zealand 2022
Otago Daily Times Building, Dunedin, New Zealand, Dunedin, 2022
Otago Daily Times Building, Dunedin, New Zealand 2022
First Church of Otago in afternoon light, Dunedin, 2023
First Church of Otago in afternoon light 2023
Bank of New Zealand building at night, Dunedin, 2023
Bank of New Zealand building at night 2023
St Paul's Cathedral at night from Stuart Street, Dunedin, 2023
St Paul's Cathedral at night from Stuart Street 2023