Dunedin Railway Station
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Possibly the best-known building in the southern half of New Zealand's South Island, Dunedin Railway Station is a jewel in the country's architectural crown.
Designed by George Troup, the station is the fourth building to have served as Dunedin's railway station. It earned its architect the nickname of "Gingerbread George".
In Flemish style, the station is constructed from local dark basalt rock capped with lighter Oamaru stone, giving it the distinctive light and dark pattern common in many of the more stately buildings of both Dunedin and Christchurch. The booking hall features a mosaic floor of almost 750,000 tiles of Royal Doulton porcelain. Its main platform is the country's longest, being one kilometre in length.
It was opened in 1906 by Prime Minister Joseph Ward. A thorough refurbishment of the exterior took place in the late 1990s, accompanied by the landscaping of the gardens outside the entrance, in Anzac Square.
With the decrease in rail traffic, the station now serves more functions that the one for which it was originally designed. It is still the city's railway station, catering for the Otago Excursion Train Trust's Taieri Gorge Railway tourist service. Much of its ground floor is now used as a restaurant, and the upper floor is used as an art gallery and as the home to the New Zealand Sports Hall of Fame.
Every year in October, it takes centre stage in the South Island's main fashion show, with the main platform becoming reputedly the world's longest catwalk.
In October 2006, the centenary is being celebrated with a festival of railway events (13th - 30th). The main body of the festival in Dunedin will be taking place over Labour Weekend, 21st - 23rd October, and involves eight steam railway locomotives from all over New Zealand.
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