Childhood Home of Janet Frame

Dunedin & Otago


Nobel Prize–nominated writer Janet Frame (1924–2004) grew up in this simple suburban home and drew on her time here to write her three acclaimed autobiographies, To the Is-Land (1982), An Angel at My Table (1984), and The Envoy from Mirror City (1984). Frame's typewriter is here, as is her writing desk.

Curator Lynley Caldwell provides warm, thoughtful insight into the house and the writer, whose life was filled with at least as much tragedy as joy.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Dunedin & Otago attractions

1. St Patrick's Basilica

0.29 MILES

If you've ever fantasised about being transported back to Ancient Rome, stroll through the Corinthian columns and into this gorgeous Catholic church …

2. Oamaru Public Gardens

0.32 MILES

Opened in 1876, these beautiful gardens are among the oldest in New Zealand, and are a lovely place to stroll and relax, with expansive lawns, waterways,…

3. Thames Street

0.41 MILES

Oamaru’s main drag owes its expansive girth to the need to accommodate the minimum turning circle of a bullock cart. The town's grand pretensions reached…

4. North Otago Museum

0.42 MILES

This weighty museum plans to reopen after renovation in March 2020. The new space will house Waitaki Taonga (the Willetts Collection), one of the most…

5. Forrester Gallery

0.5 MILES

Housed in an elegant, temple-like former bank building, the Forrester Gallery was closed for renovations at the time of research, but should be open in…

6. Steampunk HQ

0.59 MILES

Discover an alternative past – or maybe a quirky version of the future – at this fascinating art project celebrating steampunk culture. Ancient machines…

7. Grainstore Gallery

0.64 MILES

Crammed with weird theatrical sculpture, papier-mâché masks and vintage curiosities, this former Victorian grain store houses an ever-changing cornucopia…

8. Victorian Precinct

0.66 MILES

Consisting of only a couple of blocks centred on Harbour and Tyne Sts, this atmospheric enclave has some of NZ’s best-preserved Victorian commercial…