Dunedin is a city of 122,000 people in the South Island of New Zealand The principal suburbs of Dunedin are as follows. Inner and outer suburbs are ordered by location, clockwise from the city centre, starting due north:

City Centre

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The centre of the city is focussed on The Octagon, an eight-sided 'plaza' with a central carriageway This is surrounded by another, larger octagonal street called Moray Place. The main retail area stretches north up George Street toward Dunedin North, and to a lesser extent south along Princes Street and east along Lower Stuart Street. At the end of Lower Stuart Street, 400 metres from the Octagon, lies Anzac Square (actually a triangular area of public gardens) and Dunedin Railway Station, with an industrial area and the harbour beyond.

Half a kilometre south of the Octagon along Princes Street is The Exchange, originally the site of the Otago Stock Exchange. The University of Otago was based in this area for its first few years before moving to Dunedin North.

The city's main retail and business area was originally focussed on Princes Street and Rattray Street (which crosses it at The Exchange) but has slowly moved north to George Street, although there has been much recent retail development in Crawford Street, south of the Exchange. Immediately above and to the west of the central city is the hilly area known as City Rise, which contains many of the city's more impressive older houses and is bounded from above by the town belt. To the southeast lie the park known as Queen's Gardens and the docks at the head of the Otago Harbour.

Inner suburbs

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The city centre of Dunedin lies within a circle of hills broken only by the Otago Harbour and the Pacific coast. Suburbs within these hills and along their crest are usually regarded as the inner suburbs, those beyond this crest are outer suburbs. Since this distinction is largely by topography rather than true distance, several "outer suburbs" (such as Wakari and Halfway Bush) lie as close to the city centre as some inner suburbs (such as those in the North East and Leith Valleys) and share many of their features.

The main inner suburbs, clockwise from due north of the city centre, include the following:

Pine Hill, Dalmore, and Liberton

Pine Hill is a southern spur of Mount Cargill, the 660-metre volcanic outcrop that dominates the northern end of Dunedin's urban area and is topped by the city's main television transmitter tower. The hill lies between the valleys of the Leith River (usually called the Water of Leith) to the west and its tributary Lindsay Creek to the east, and looks down across North East Valley. The Northern Motorway, part of State Highway 1 winds north around the hill's western flank. The suburb, which sits atop the spur, is four kilometres north of the city centre. Pine Hill's 2001 population was 2259, including the older suburb of Dalmore to the south and the post-war State housing development of Liberton.

Dunedin North

The northern end of the city centre is designated Dunedin North. Its main features are the main campuses of Dunedin's three public tertiary institutions, the University of Otago, Otago Polytechnic and Dunedin Teachers' College, which are situated along the lower reaches of the Water of Leith. This river disgorges into the Otago Harbour in Dunedin North, close to one of the city's main parks, Logan Park (a reclaimed lake), which contains the Logan Park High School and the sporting facilities of the Caledonian Ground and University Oval. Dunedin North's 2001 population, including the University area, was 7047.

One of the city's oldest cemeteries, the Northern Cemetery, is located in Dunedin North, as are the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. State Highway 1 joins the Dunedin road network at a busy intersection at the foot of Pine Hill and North East Valley at the "Gardens Corner", close to the Botanical Gardens' northwestern edge.

North East Valley and The Gardens

Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the Water of Leith, flows southwest down the long North East Valley at the northern end of Dunedin's urban area. This valley, lying between Pine Hill and Signal Hill, houses a residential suburb consisting of one main road with streets heading off it up the steep hills on either side. One of these streets, Baldwin Street is listed as the world's steepest street. The original North East Valley post-office was located near the foot of Baldwin Street, but was relocated to the Gardens to be nearer the retail area. North East Valley's 2001 population was 4266.

The southern end of the valley is usually referred to as The Gardens or The Gardens Corner (The Dunedin Botanical Gardens are located nearby). The Gardens Corner contains one of Dunedin's main retail areas, and also one of its busiest road intersections - here the Northern Motorway (State Highway 1) joins Dunedin's one-way street system. This area includes Dunedin North Intermediate School and several University halls, notably Knox College and Salmond Hall.

Normanby and Mount Mera

Normanby is the name of the northern end of North East Valley, at which point Dunedin's urban area peters out into open countryside. The land here is steeply sloping, as it is the foothills of Mount Cargill. The slopes of Mount Cargill itself are densely wooded, and are crisscrossed with walking tracks, some of which start at the Bethune's Gully reserve, at the northern end of Normanby. Chingford Park, at the Normanby end of the valley is now a sports field and recreational reserve, but was original the residence of one of Sam Neill's forebears, who was founder of Dunedin Company Wilson Neill. The large house is now gone, but the stone stables still on the site are impressive.

Mount Mera is an area of State housing sitting on the north facing side of the valley, just above Normanby.

Opoho

Opoho suburb sits on the western flank of Signal Hill overlooking North East Valley and the Dunedin Botanical Gardens. It is a residential suburb with very mixed demographics, containing student flats, significant numbers of elderly citizens, and the houses of many in the academic community. Above the suburb sits the Centennial Lookout, a memorial built on the top of Signal Hill to mark the centenary of New Zealand in 1940. Impressive views over the city can be gained from here.

Ravensbourne

The suburb of Ravensbourne sits on the southern slopes of Signal Hill, close to the edge of the Otago Harbour. It is one of the older hill suburbs in the west harbour area of Dunedin. Separated from the rest of Dunedin's urban area by a quarry at the eastern end of Logan Park, it has a distinct identity from the rest of the city's inner suburbs. It is dominated by the Ravensdown fertiliser factory at the southern end of the suburb at the harbour's edge. Ravensbourne's 2001 population was 1269.

Shiel Hill, Waverley, and Vauxhall

Across the Harbour from Ravensbourne are (from north to south) Shiel Hill, Waverley, and Vauxhall. They form a continuous residential suburb at the western end of Otago Peninsula on the flank of Shiel Hill, overlooking Andersons Bay and the upper reaches of Otago Harbour.

Andersons Bay

Andersons Bay is a residential and light industrial zone to the south of the central city and east of South Dunedin. It extends along the former shoreline and across reclaimed land close to the head of the Otago Harbour, with its southernmost point being at the Andersons Inlet at the foot of part of the Otago Peninsula. Andersons Bay's 2001 population was 2532. Dunedin's main cemetery, Andersons Bay Cemetery, is located to the south of the suburb (and should, perhaps, rather have been named Tainui Cemetery), and overlooks the Pacific Ocean. A major sports facility, The Edgar Centre, is located close to the harbour foreshore just to the north of Andersons Inlet.

Musselburgh and Tainui

Musselburgh (named after the Scottish town) is located at the foot of the Otago Peninsula. It is at the narrowest point of the isthmus (at this point some 1500 metres wide) connecting the Peninsula to the mainland. Musselburgh is dominated by a series of large rocky outcrops known as the Musselburgh Rise which stand above the eastern edge of the flat area of Saint Kilda. At its southern edge, Musselburgh and the neighbouring small suburb of Tainui reach the waters of the Pacific Ocean, rising to the promontory of Lawyer's Head. To the immediate west of this lie Andersons Bay Cemetery and the golf links of Chisholm Park. Musselburgh's 2001 population was 2835.

South Dunedin and Kensington

South Dunedin is the city's second most important retail district, and lies immediately below the major road junction of Cargill's Corner some 2500 metres south of the city centre. The main features of South Dunedin are the railway workshops which cover some 100,000 square metres (25 acres) at the northern edge of the suburb, and Carisbrook (the city's main sports stadium), which is located at the border of South Dunedin and Caversham. At the northeastern edge of the suburb, closest to the city centre, is the small residential area of Kensington. South Dunedin's 2001 population was 2538.

St Kilda

Dunedin is blessed to have a long stretch of fine beach close to the city centre. The beaches of St Kilda and its neighbour St Clair stretch along the city's south coast for some 3500 metres between the headland of Lawyer's Head and Forbury Hill. The suburb of St Kilda, which until 1989 was a separate borough, is a densely populated residential area stretching across the flat land between the beach and the light industrial areas to the south of the central city. St Kilda's 2001 population was 5904. At the southern end of the suburb lies Forbury Park, the city's main horse racing (trotting and pacing) venue.

St Kilda has 3 pubs, a bowling green, a badminton hall as well as an Olympic-sized ice-skating rink. It is also the home of Pirates Rugby Club, Otago Model Engineering Society, the St Kilda Surf Lifesaving Club, and a Hot Rod club.

St Clair

Five kilometres southwest of the city centre, St Clair lies on the lower slopes and at the foot of Forbury Hill. One of the city's wealthier suburbs, many fine houses are situated in the tree-clad slopes. Close to the summit of the hill is one of the city's top golf courses (St Clair Golf Course) and the ruins of Cargill's Castle. At the foot of the hill are St Clair Beach and an open-air heated salt-water swimming pool; the beach's sea wall and esplanade were rebuilt and renovated in 2004. The beach is one of the South Island's more popular surfing venues. The small promontory of White Island lies three kilometres off the beach. St Clair's 2001 population was 4179.

Corstorphine, Kew, and Calton Hill

At the northern end of Forbury Hill is the spur known as Calton Hill, which forms the southern edge of the Caversham Valley. To the south of this, close to the summit of Forbury Hill, and stretching out towards Saint Clair to the south and the outer suburb of Concord to the west is the large suburb of Corstorphine. This suburb, which contains a large proportion of state houses, was built during the 1930s-1950s. Lower down the hill to the east, close to Caversham and Forbury, lies the smaller but more prosperous suburb of Kew.

Caversham and Forbury

One of Dunedin's older suburban areas is Caversham, lying in a valley close to the Southern Motorway (part of State Highway 1), the main transport access to Dunedin from the south. The suburb contains a small retail area, but is mainly residential. Carisbrook, the city's main rugby and cricket venue, is situated at the eastern end of the suburb. The smaller suburb of Forbury is located to the south of Caversham. Caversham's 2001 population was 5019.

Mornington, Maryhill, and Kenmure

Due west of the city centre, with primary access up High Street, sits the hill suburb of Mornington. Southwest of it is Maryhill, while Kenmure is a small locality to the northwest. Mornington was originally served by a cable car from The Exchange, with a connecting line running from Mornington to Maryhill.

Roslyn and Belleknowes

The suburb of Roslyn lies atop a crest which forms part of the inner ring of hills around Dunedin. Excellent views of the inner city can be gained from the Roslyn overbridge, which is 2500 metres northwest of the city centre, and 150 metres above sea level. Several of the city's most prestigious schools are located close to this suburb and its northern neighbour, Maori Hill. Its southwestern end merges imperceptibly into Belleknowes. Roslyn's 2001 population was 3957.

Cable cars

Roslyn was in earlier times served by two separate cable car lines (see Dunedin cable tramway system).

One came up Stuart Street from The Octagon, turned half right at York Place into what was then called Albert Street, continued on past the end of that street through a short section of Town Belt, past Otago Boys' High School, across the bottom of Littlebourne Crescent, and up to Highgate at School Street, then dropped down to Kaikorai just before Nairn Street, where a turntable in the road turned cars through ninety degrees and sent them south-west into their shed if it was time to go there. The route was eventually turned into a four-lane highway, cutting Littlebourne Crescent off from Littlebourne Road, going under the new bridge and undergoing considerable widening on the Kaikorai side, restricting access to Ann Street and Oates Street.

The other line went up Rattray Street then cut through the Town Belt (where the cutting is still generally visible) past the Beverly-Begg Observatory to climb the full length of Ross Street and part of Belgrave Crescent, then descend through a cutting to the valley near Frasers Road. The western section beyond the cutting was too steep for a road link, so, when the cable cars ceased, the portion near Belgrave Crescent was redeveloped as a short street serving several houses while retaining the pedestrian walkway through to Delta Street. Trolleybuses replaced the service as far as Belgrave Crescent, using the existing City Road instead of the straight steep cutting through the Town Belt.

Maori Hill

Along with St Clair, Maori Hill is regarded as one of Dunedin's more exclusive suburbs. Many fine houses are located among the trees of the city's green belt, which snakes around the slopes of the crest which surrounds much of the inner city. Unlike neighbouring hill suburbs like Roslyn, Maori Hill was not served by a cable car, possibly underlying its greater degree of exclusivity. Maori Hill's 2001 population was 1956.

Woodhaugh, Glenleith, and Leith Valley

At the northeastern end of the coastal plain that makes up the central city area, the Water of Leith forms a valley leading between Maori Hill and Pine Hill. In its lower reaches, this valley is broad, and is dominated by Woodhaugh Gardens. Once a quarry, this is one of the city's oldest parks, dating from 1895. The area around the park is known as Woodhaugh and is a popular area for student accommodation, close to the university but away from the centre of the city. Beyond Woodhaugh, the valley narrows to become Glenleith, a residential suburb which follows the ribbon of the river. Past Glenleith is rough, undeveloped hill country, dotted by small farms. This area and the two suburbs of Glenleith and Woodhaugh is often collectively known simply as Leith Valley.

Much of Dunedin's water supply comes from reservoirs in the upper reaches of the Leith Valley. These include Ross Creek Reservoir, the oldest reservoir still in active use in New Zealand. Numerous popular walking tracks traverse the bush-clad reserve land surrounding this reservoir.

Outer suburbs

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Many of the outer suburbs of Dunedin were separate towns until local government reorganisation in the late 1980s, and are usually still regarded as towns by Dunedinites. The main outer suburbs, clockwise from the city centre (starting due north), include the following.

Port Chalmers

see Port Chalmers

Maia and Burkes

Beyond Ravensbourne on the main road to the mouth of the Otago Harbour and the town of Port Chalmers lie the two small settlements of Maia and Burkes (or Burkes Bay). Maia, whose name thought by casual observers to be of Māori origin, was actually named by a former mayor for a character from Greek mythology, Maia, one of the daughters of the Titan Atlas.

Saint Leonards

On the west bank of the Otago Harbour beyond Burkes, equidistant between Ravensbourne and Port Chalmers, lies the sleepy residential settlement of St Leonards. Named after St Leonards-on-Sea in England, St Leonards' 2001 population was 729.

Roseneath and Sawyers Bay

Between Saint Leonards and Port Chalmers is the headland of Roseneath, on top of which sits the small suburb of the same name. The harbour's coast beyond this sweeps into a wide bay, Sawyers Bay, inland from which lies the same-named suburb. As the name suggests, this suburb was initially the location of the sawmills which turned the coastal forests of the area into the building materials for the early city.

Portobello

see Portobello, New Zealand

Broad Bay

Situated on an aptly named wide bay on the harbour coast of the Otago Peninsula is Broad Bay. This settlement, located between Macandrew Bay and Portobello is 13 kilometres east of the city centre, but has the feel of a small fishing village. The main reason for this is that it is located around a large bluff from the city's main urban area, and is thus out of sight of it. The suburb, like several on the peninsula (including Macandrew Bay, below) is a commuter settlement. Broad Bay and its neighbouring settlements have a strong arts community, and are also a haven for alternative lifestylers.

Macandrew Bay

see Macandrew Bay, New Zealand

Ocean Grove (Tomahawk)

This is one suburb, which tends to go under either of two names. The official designation is Ocean Grove, yet the older name of Tomahawk still persists. This name is derived from Māori (Tomo-haka), not from the native American weapon.The suburb lies on the south (Pacific Ocean) coast of the Otago Peninsula close to the isthmus which connects it to the heart of the city. The suburb, which more resembes a sleepy seaside settlement that a city suburb, is separated from the centre of Dunedin by the rocky outcrop of Lawyers Head, a cliff promontory at the eastern end of St Kilda Beach. The suburb lies in a small lowland area between two coastal headlands which also contains a lagoon (Tomahawk Lagoon). One main road runs throught he suburb, winding around Andersons Bay Cemetery at the Lawyer's Head end of the suburb, and connecting with the road which runs along the spine of Otago Peninsula at the other end. Two abandoned coastal gun emplacements stand on the cliffs at the eastern end of the suburb.

Waldronville

Waldronville is a commuter suburb on the Otago coast. It is located 13 kilometres southwest of the city centre, close to the Kaikorai Lagoon, which is at the estuary of the Kaikorai Stream, which flows through several of Dunedin's western suburbs. beyong Waldronville, the coast road stretches out to Brighton and Taieri Mouth.

Concord and Burnside

The tiny suburbs of Concord and Burnside at the southern end of the Kaikorai Valley, between the heart of the city and Green Island. To the east, a large roughly-sloped hill separates the suburbs from the city's inner suburbs. Whereas Concord is residential, Burnside is a semi-rural/semi-industrial suburb, home to the city's main freezing works.

Green Island

see Green Island, New Zealand

Abbotsford

see Green Island, New Zealand

Fairfield

The quiet township of Fairfield lies 10 kilometres to the west of Dunedin CBD. Until 2000, Fairfield was situated on State Highway 1, but the construction of a ten kilometre stretch of motorway (the southernmost motorway in the world) between Caversham and Mosgiel at that time created the Fairfield bypass. Fairfield has a (2001) population of 2010.

Mosgiel

see Mosgiel, New Zealand

Kaikorai Valley, Bradford, and Brockville

The Kaikorai stream forms a broad straight valley which runs southwest to northeast, five kilometres west of the heart of the city. Along this valley lies the residential/light-industrial suburb of Kaikorai Valley. The northern end of the valley finishes to the immediate west of (and topographically below) Roslyn.

At the northern end of the valley is the small suburb known as Bradford. The suburb of Brockville winds down the hill immediately to the northwest of Bradford.

Halfway Bush and Wakari

From the point where Roslyn and the Kaikorai Valley meet, the Taieri Road forms a secondary exit from Dunedin, heading first northwest and then west, winding through the rough country known as the Three Mile Hill before emerging on the Taieri Plains near Mosgiel. Flanking this road are Dunedin's northwesternmost suburbs, Halfway Bush and Wakari. Wakari is best known for being the site of the Wakari Hospital, one of Dunedin's main hospitals, and one which specialises largely in mental health services.

Dunedin | Cities and towns in New Zealand