Dunedin
The second week of Ireland’s tour sees the squad move to Dunedin in Otago where they will play the All Blacks on Saturday June 15th at the ‘House of Pain’, Carisbrook Stadium.
Dunedin (the gaelic name for Edinburgh), is 369 kilometres to the south west of Christchurch and about a three hour coach drive for our first home, Timaru.
Set at the head of Otago Harbour, Dunedin, with a population of 118,143, is Otago’s largest city with a vibrant Scottish heritage.
It was once the country’s main cente during the gold rush of the 1860s and is now a treasure trove of Victorian and Edwardian architecture with the city square, the Octagon,which is overlooked by a statue of Robbie Burns, just minutes from the team hotel, at it’s heart. It has 24 listed buildings including New Zealand’s only castle, Larnach. It’s built on a series of hills and claims the world’s steepest road, Baldwin Street. The University of Otago is the country’s oldest, and locals would claim the best. It has approximately 20,000 tertiary students.