Dunedin has always been advertised as one of those “student towns.” Now, I’ve never been entirely sure what this term meant. Did it mean that students just ran the town ragged during the school year, or that the city and the university worked closely together? Something else entirely? After some thought, some more thought, and a bit of toast, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s a mixture of both.

Dunners, as the city is known to locals, boasts students as nearly 20% of the city’s population. This implies several things. First, during the summer break (November to February) and winter break (June to July), the town is desolate, and during the first weeks of this period, there is no nightlife to speak of, the city slumbering by 10 pm. Of course, as the break trudges on, the locals tend to take over some of the usual student spots.

During the year, though, life in Dunedin couldn’t be more different. Big nights to go out are often Thursday and Saturday. I have heard theories as to why Friday night isn’t as popular, the most plausible being the fact that many would-be partiers have rugby games early on Saturday morning, and thus have no desire to have their two loves interfere with one another. Other explanations are that many students spend Friday recovering from Thursday and preparing for Saturday, which is likely, given that the drinking age is 18 and not a few have yet to learn that elusive technique called moderation.

A few bars, clubs, and lounges in town have capitalized on other days of the week to draw a select crowd. Mondays are for the Arc Café, in which you can hear live music of the chill variety. Tuesdays, people go to Bath Street for reggae; Wednesdays, it’s to Refuel, the on-campus pub, for rock. Thursdays and Saturdays are a free-for-all, no-holds-barred, battle royale, though the Robert Burns Pub has a live jazz quartet every Thursday that you would swear contained Louis Armstrong.

The bastion for most students is The Captain Cook, an old, but well-maintained establishment steeped in tradition and history. From there, easily over a dozen hangouts can be found within a twenty-minute walk, and, given that there are nearly 20,000 students on the prowl, all are likely to be packed.

I have found bar-hopping to be a crucial pastime of New Zealand culture. Initially, I was turned-off to the idea, mainly because I don’t drink (no particular reason, I just don’t care for the taste of alcoholic beverages, to be honest), but after accompanying my flatmates, and later, my friends, out for nights on the town, I discovered anew my penchant for dancing, just how awesome it is not be charged cover at nearly every establishment, the “cool twentysomething” feeling of having an intellectual conversation with a stranger in a lounge, the solidarity of a bar’s attendants at a rugby game, suddenly recognizing a familiar face where before all was muddy unfamiliarity, and innumerable other insights and feelings too firmly rooted in emotion to give a name.

Truly, the Dunners nightlife leaves nothing to be desired. Though I usually go out once a week—occasionally twice—every night something unique can be found, all within a small town of a little over 100,000.

And the nights roll on...

One of my goals for this semester was to attend a party in which I was one of a few people who spoke English as a first language. Christa snapped this picture at a flat party (same thing as a house party) not too long ago, restoring my faith in my ability to accomplish what I set out to do.