Port Chalmers

Port Chalmers is the deepwater port for Dunedin, sitting on a hillside above the container terminal, and it carries two separate stories. The historical one is trade: in February 1882 the Dunedin sailed from here for London carrying frozen mutton and lamb in a coal-powered refrigeration plant, and the cargo arrived in good condition after ninety-eight days - the voyage that created New Zealand's meat export industry and shaped the country's economy for a century. A monument records it. The other story is more recent: cheap housing and old buildings drew artists, musicians and writers from the 1970s, and the town developed a reputation in New Zealand music out of proportion to its size. The main street has galleries, second-hand shops, a good bookshop and cafes among the Victorian stone. Cruise ships berth here for Dunedin, which fills the town on those days.

What you actually see

• The 1882 monument - marking the first refrigerated meat voyage.
• The working port - container cranes directly below the town.
• The arts scene - galleries, bookshops and the music association.
• The Victorian stone - the main street above the harbour.

When to go

Any season. Avoid cruise ship days if you want it quiet - the schedule is published. Weekends are liveliest for the shops.

Honest expectations

It is a working industrial port and looks like one from many angles. Cruise days transform it. Shops keep short and irregular hours, particularly midweek.

Nearby

Dunedin is up the harbour; Aramoana and the mole are further out on the same side.