Dunedin get its own Monopoly board game

Dunedin has entered the official world of Monopoly with its own board game, just in time for Christmas and the summer tourism season.

Following the limited release last year of a custom Monopoly game that covered the entire Otago region, a special edition, focusing entirely on the area’s principal city, was launched today - fittingly at Dunedin Railway Station, one of the game’s Dark Blue squares (or Park Lane in the UK version).

“We’ve loved celebrating these incredible New Zealand cities over the years and Dunedin felt like the natural next location to get its own Monopoly board,” Dale Hackett from Winning Moves, the makers of custom Monopoly boards and the official Dunedin Monopoly says.

“We’ve put so much work into getting to know the town, the people and their favourite spots to make it a board that really honours Dunedin and shines a light on what makes it iconic.”

Dunedin Mayor Jules Radich said the game, which features many of the city’s main attractions would be a boost for tourism.

“It's a great thing to have our version of the Monopoly game launched. There's some very iconic Dunedin features on the board. So, obviously, we have so many iconic features, they couldn't all be on the board, but we've certainly got some key ones.

“I think certainly for residents of Dunedin, they'll be very keen to use this version of the game rather than learning about London, which they'll probably never ever visit, you know, Bow Lane or know some of those obscure streets, vine street and so forth. Whereas, you know, the Dunedin venues and places are iconic for Dunedin and it's really good for everyone to be familiar with it.”

Mr Monopoly arrives at Dunedin Railway station for today's official game launch

The launch also marked a milestone for the Forsyth Barr Stadium, which first opened in the city in 2014 and is now immortalised as as a Pink Square in Dunedin Monopoly.

“It's really good, there’s no way Forsyth Barr Stadium couldn't be part of it,” the stadium’s commercial manager Rachael Jenkins says.

“We stand out on the Dunedin horizon as a pretty big feature, so we had to be part of it. We're really thrilled to be on the board.

“Especially if people take it home internationally and overseas and have been to an event at the stadium. Then this is a nice memento and nice to be part of.”

Squares:

Brown - Dunedin Botanic Garden, Wild Dunedin Festival of Nature
Light Blue - Brighton Beach, Aramoana Beach, Tunnel Beach
Pink – St Clair Saltwater Pool, Te Aka Otakou (The Otago Vine), Forsyth Barr Stadium
Orange – Monarch Wildlife Cruises, The OPERA – Otago Peninsula Eco Restoration Alliance, Royal Albatross Centre
Red – Middlemarch, Port Chalmers, Mosgiel
Yellow – Patti’s & Cream, Otago Farmers Market, Emerson’s Brewery
Green – Kings High School, Tuhura Otago Museum, University of Otago
Dark Blue – Dunedin Railway Station, Larnach Castle
Travel – Castle Street, Baldwin Street, George Street, The Octagon

Main image: Mayor Jules Radich roles the dice with Mr Monopoly at the launch of Dunedin Monopoly.