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The railway station in New Zealand's fifth largest city, Dunedin, is ranked by DK Eyewitness Travel guide as one of the "wonders of the world" — alongside Colosseum in Rome and Taj Mahal in India. The influential publication listed this unique building as one of "The World's 200 Must-See Places" in 2006.

The size, grandiose style and rich embellishments of this building have made it one of the most recognised in Australasia. It is also the most photographed building in New Zealand.

Master work

The Flemish-style structure was designed by George Troup, which earned him the nickname "Gingerbread George". The structure seems more like one taken from a children's fairy tale than a public building. Troup was born in London and studied architecture in Edinburgh.

He immigrated to New Zealand in 1884 and joined the railway department two years later as an engineering draughtsman. He was appointed New Zealand Railway's first official architect and for 39 years, designed a number of railway stations, bridges and viaducts. His design for the Dunedin station was his masterpiece and won him a British Architects' award.

The construction of the building, from 1904 to 1907, went through many difficulties. The location was on reclaimed land and ironbark piles had to be driven deep into the ground and even today, they stand below sea level.

This is the fourth Dunedin railway station and is seven times larger than its predecessor. At one kilometre, it boasts the longest platform in New Zealand. It also boasts the most luxurious interior of any railway station built in the southern hemisphere. Seven dormer windows line the street frontage above a covered carriageway. They give the frontage its attractive look.

The solidly built carriageway used to allow passengers arriving by horse-drawn carriages to remain under cover, helped keep the ground dry and protected the ladies from the elements as they disembarked in floor-length dresses.

When the station first opened in 1906, The Evening Star newspaper described the building, saying "the ornamentation of the ceiling is delicate and the whole atmosphere of the place is one of costliness — the lavatory and sanitary arrangements are luxurious." The station served around 4,000 travellers each weekday until 1982, when suburban rail services were axed.

Rising afresh

Demolition was considered for the now-redundant station and it slowly began to decay. At the same time, a trickle of tourists commented on the building's eye catching architecture. The trickle turned into a flow.

The people of Dunedin realised they had a major attraction and, so, the building was saved. New Zealand Railways sold the station to the Dunedin City Council for a token price of one dollar.

Today, there are no main trunk passenger trains and only the Taieri Gorge and Seasider tourist trains operate from the station.

The building was brought back to its original splendour in the late 1990s at a cost of $NZ7 million (Dh61 million) and now houses an art gallery, a sports museum and a restaurant.

Tourists arrive in ever-increasing numbers to soak up the atmosphere of this wonderful building and to marvel at the richness of the interiors.

This magnificent piece of architecture is a spectacular reminder of a time when Dunedin was the richest and most influential city in New Zealand.

— Ceidrik Heward is a New Zealand-based freelance writer

The place

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