Soldiers Memorial + Peg 41 Track, Dunedin

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Last Updated on September 12, 2023 by Jon Algie

For amazing views of Otago Harbour you’ll want to experience the drive along the narrow hilltop roads of the Otago peninsula. Highcliff Road has to be one of New Zealand’s most scenic city roads — from there you can see right down the peninsula, harbour and various small suburbs (as well as parts of central Dunedin). There are a few places to pull over and enjoy the views, with the Soldiers Memorial one of the best. It’s also one end of the Peg 41 Track, which connects Tomahawk Lagoon / Beach and Highcliff Road.

Soldiers Memorial Track

It’s a 5 – 10 minute uphill walk to the Soldiers Memorial, built in 1923 to commemorate fallen WW1 soldiers. The views from the track are awesome, especially if you go in spring / summer and the yellow gorse (actually a weed) is out.

Once at the monument, which sits atop a massive rock, you’ll be able to look out over the Otago Harbour and the green hills surrounding it.  It’s definitely one of Dunedin’s nicest viewpoints — there are so many though! We’ve visited the Soldiers Memorial a few times over the years and it always looks a little different.

Walking to the Otago Peninsula Soldiers Memorial, Dunedin, New Zealand

Peg 41 Track

Close to the top of the hill is a turnoff for the Peg 41 Track which takes you down to Ocean Grove, a seaside Dunedin suburb. You’ll come out at Tomahawk Lagoon and from there it’s a short walk to the beach. We did it recently but started at Tomahawk Lagoon and walked up from there. It’s an awesome walk and very quiet — there are a lot of walks to choose from in Dunedin!

It took us around an hour to walk up to the Soldiers Memorial — quite a bit of uphill walking involved and it goes through farmland — not the easiest of tracks but the views are great.

 

Getting There

From the city, head towards the peninsula and up to Highcliff Road. Keep going until you see an area to park on the side of the road. There aren’t many places to park so it should be easy to spot. Rotary Park is another place to stop on the way for awesome harbour / city views. After the Soldiers Memorial Track you can continue on to Sandfly Bay, the Sandymount Track and various other peninsula sights.

Check out our post about the best things to do in Dunedin!

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Jon Algie

I'm a South Island local -- born in Timaru and raised in Dunedin. I left the island in 2006 and returned 10 years later. Having seen a good chunk of the world I realised how special this place is -- the most beautiful island in the world! Seven years (and almost 400 posts) later I'm still helping locals and tourists alike plan their trips around the South Island.