Streak Down South

Dunedin is promoting itself as New Zealand’s quirkiest city in a bid to encourage more visitors to the southern centre. The wackier tourist activities include the June staging of the nude rugby international tournament that marks the beginning of the Test season. “It’s a mixed event with an international team taking on the unbeatable ‘Nude Blacks’,” says Tourism Dunedin’s Heather Mollins. “The obligatory (nude) haka starts proceedings. And during the match a fully clothed ‘streaker’ runs on to the field. It’s not too exciting, though, to play with nothing on during the middle of winter.” Or: “A week-long celebration of chocolate takes place from July 10–16 next year, including a race involving 30,000 Jaffas marked with numbers down the ‘world’s steepest street'”. And over the Easter weekend is the running of the “love train” that takes single ladies from Dunedin to the country town of Middlemarch where eligible farmers await.