Dunedin and Ōamaru have made Lonely Planet's list of the best places to travel in 2027, with the guidebook publisher urging tourists to stop skipping the southern city on the way to Queenstown.
The pairing features in the publisher's Best in Travel 2027 list, which describes the Otago region as "one of New Zealand's most idiosyncratic destinations" and one of the "coolest and quirkiest corners".
Lonely Planet said international visitors short on holiday time typically travelled from Christchurch to Queenstown via Tekapo, and Dunedin was "one of the first stops cut from their itinerary".
"Before you bypass Dunedin, consider this - it might just be the travel gift you didn't even know you needed," the guide said.
It credited the city's relative isolation and large student population with producing a scene where indie bands, chefs and artists had set up shop.
Among the guide's picks was the Museum of Natural Mystery, curated by artist Bruce Mahalski, where visitors knock on the door with a metal crab knocker to get in.
Its displays include moa bones, mummified cats, fossilised dinosaur dung and artefacts from the Gloriavale Christian community on the West Coast.
On the Otago Peninsula, the guide recommended Larnach Castle, built in 1871, and warned visitors "keenly in tune with the afterlife" to steer clear of Constance's boudoir, which is reputed to be the most haunted room in the house.
Other picks included the world's steepest street Baldwin St, Tunnel Beach and the royal albatross colony at Pukekura/Taiaroa Head, the only mainland nesting site for the birds.
Ōamaru, about 90 minutes' drive north, earned its place for its Victorian precinct and its steampunk scene, which Lonely Planet said had taken off about 15 years ago when local artists began building kinetic sculptures from farm scraps.
The town is now considered the steampunk capital of the world, the guide said, with an annual festival and Steampunk HQ, where a steam-billowing zeppelin sits out front.
The guide also recommended stops at the Moeraki Boulders and Orokonui Ecosanctuary, a predator-free reserve home to kākā, tokoeka (brown kiwi) and takahē.
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