The Octagon, Dunedin

The Octagon is the city centre of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is an eight-sided plaza bisected by the city's main street, and is also the central terminus of two other main thoroughfares. The Octagon is predominantly a pedestrian reserve, with grass and paved features, and is surmounted by a statue of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Several of Dunedin's significant buildings and institutions adjoin the plaza, which is also a major hub for public transport in Dunedin.

First laid out in 1846, the site was largely derelict for many years until the two major early parts of the city's settlement (to the north and south of the Octagon) were linked by the excavation of Bell Hill. From the 1890s on it rose to prominence as the city's central area. The Octagon was substantially renovated during the 1980s, and is now a centre of the city's cafe culture, with many al fresco dining areas.

New Year's Eve celebrations are held annually in The Octagon.

The Octagon is an eight-sided plaza bisected by the city's main street, which is called George Street to the northeast and Princes Street to the southwest. These form the axis of Dunedin's central business district.

Two other main thoroughfares terminate at the Octagon: Upper and Lower Stuart Streets. Lower Stuart Street is the shorter of the two, leading 600 metres southeast to Dunedin Railway Station and to State Highway 1, which passes through central Dunedin as two parallel one-way streets. Upper Stuart Street climbs steeply to the northwest as a major arterial route to the city's inner hill suburbs and beyond towards Three Mile Hill, one of the routes to the Taieri Plains and South Otago. Surrounding the Octagon is a larger octagonal street, Moray Place.

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