DUNEDIN CITY

In a setting of great natural beauty Dunedin is situated at the head of Otago Harbour, a narrow inlet extending south-westward for some 15 miles. Geologically, the harbour is a recent creation formed by the flooding of two river valleys. The entrance to the harbour is flanked on the west by Hayward Point and on the east by the massive Taiaroa Head. From the time of its foundation in 1848, the city has spread slowly over the low-lying flats and nearby hills and across the isthmus to the slopes of the Otago Peninsula. Dunedin, like Christchurch, is on the Picton-Bluff State Highway and on the South Island Main Trunk Railway. The Central Otago line, a branch of the Main Trunk Railway, runs inland as far as Cromwell. The city is also a junction for roads into Central Otago.

The business and industrial portion of the city is concentrated on flat land, most of which has been reclaimed over the years from the harbour. Beyond this are the suburbs, which extend from east-south to north-east, like a crescent, from the heights of Waverley and Andersons Bay, to St. Clair beach on the south, along the hills of Mornington, Roslyn, and Maori Hill, and on to the rising slopes of Ravensbourne. Beyond these again is a sweep of higher hills running from south to north-east, the major heights being Saddle Hill (1,151 ft), Flagstaff (2,186 ft), and Mount Cargill (2,216 ft). From the higher suburbs and surrounding hills there is a wonderful range of panoramic views.

Three valleys descend from the perimeter. On the westward is the Kaikorai Valley with the stream of that name flowing south-westward; from the northward the Water of Leith flows southward and south eastward down another valley between the slopes of Flagstaff and Mount Cargill to the upper harbour; the third, the tributary North-East Valley, descends south-westward to join the Leith Valley in the northern part of the city. Westward of Dunedin the hilly country descends to the alluvial Taieri Plain and the lower basin of the Taieri River.

New Edinburgh Settlement

The Otago settlement, of which Dunedin was the centre, had its genesis in the general framework of Edward Gibbon Wakefield's theory of systematic colonisation. In Scotland, in the early 1840s, a trade depression and widespread poverty among the working classes, followed by the disruption of the Established Church of Scotland, prompted leading members of the new Free Church of Scotland, notably the Rev. Thomas Burns and Captain William Cargill, to plan a Church settlement somewhere in the South Island of New Zealand. Frederick Tuckett chose Otago as the most suitable site and, in November 1847, the emigrant ships John Wickliffe and Philip Laing set sail for Otago Harbour, the former arriving there first on 23 March 1848. This date is now observed as the anniversary day of the province. The plan for Dunedin was drawn up by the surveyor, Charles Kettle, and the place names of the main streets and suburbs commemorate the close association between the “New” and the “Old” Edinburgh.

The New Edinburgh settlement, the name of which was changed to Dunedin (the Gaelic form of Edinburgh), was from the outset strongly Free Church in character. With the discovery of gold at Tuapeka by Gabriel Read in 1861, Dunedin rapidly grew into a flourishing commercial centre, and it seemed for a time as if the Scottish settlers (the “Old Identities”) would be submerged by the tide of gold seekers (the “New Iniquity”) which poured into the province. But the Scottish influence survived the challenge and Dunedin today has retained many characteristics associated with its origin.

Under the Otago Municipal Corporation Ordinance of 1865 the town of Dunedin was constituted a city on 18 May of that year. As has been the case in other centres, many adjoining boroughs and districts have amalgamated with the city. These include Caversham (1904), South Dunedin (1908), North-East Valley (1910), Roslyn (1912), Mornington, Maori Hill, and Andersons Bay (Bay Town) (1916), and Tainui and Sunshine districts (1916). At the present time the main components of the urban area are: Dunedin city proper and the boroughs of Port Chalmers, West Harbour, St. Kilda, Green Island, and Mosgiel. Components within the adjoining Taieri and Peninsula Counties are: Fairfield, Wingatui, and Brighton—all in Taieri county; and Broad Bay, Macandrew Bay, and Ocean Grove—in Peninsula County.

Climate

Dunedin has an equable climate. The average annual rainfall is 31 in. on the flat, with a slight increase in the hilly suburbs. There is an even spread through the year averaging 2½–3 in. per month. The most settled period is from February to April, but sudden weather changes are associated with the passage of cold fronts, which are usually followed by a spell of showery, south-westerly weather. Winds are mostly from between north-west and south-west; north-easterlies are also very frequent and at times are accompanied by mist or fog. Rain days (0.01 or more) average 162 per annum, and on 75 of these the rainfall reaches 0.1 in.

The warmest months are January and February, with mean temperature 59°F; July (44°F) is the coldest. In January the mean daily maximum and minimum temperatures are, respectively, 67°F and 52°F; in July the daily range is from 50°F to 37°F. Air temperature rises above 80°F on four days a year and falls below 32°F (screen frosts) on 12 days. Ground frosts are much more numerous—about 90 on the flat, but fewer on sunny slopes. A few inches of snow may cover the city briefly once or twice a year, but many winters are virtually snow free. The worst fall on record covered most of Dunedin to a depth of 12 in. on 26 July 1939. Hail falls on about 10 days per annum, but causes negligible damage; thunderstorms are about half as frequent. The average duration of sunshine is 1,730 hours per annum, and it is close to 39 per cent of the possible amount in each month, except in December, when it attains only 34 per cent of the possible.

Development of a Port

The motto of the Otago Harbour Board, “By ships we live”, typifies the reliance of Dunedin City and the Otago Province on the port. The port of Otago consists of an upper and lower harbour. Port Chalmers, which 100 years ago was the only deep-water port, is situated at the head of the lower harbour, and as well as being able to accommodate large overseas vessels, has two graving docks which provide repair facilities for shipping. Within a few years of the founding of the province, the settlers set about the problem of improving the harbour entrance, deepening the channel to Port Chalmers, and dredging a new channel (Victoria) to Dunedin itself. These efforts to create a first-class port have been highly successful, as the following table shows:

Today the upper harbour port at Dunedin captures some 78 per cent of the total cargo tonnage handled. The following figures are for the year ended 31 December 1964. Imports totalled 465,954 tons and exports 162,335 tons, carried by 615 ships, of which 47 per cent were overseas vessels. The three major overseas imports were petroleum products, 94,087 tons; manures, rock phosphate, etc., 86,003 tons; and iron and steel, 29,501 tons. The two chief exports were the primary products, wool, 31,008 tons, and frozen meat, 33,640 tons. Dunedin is the main wool centre of the South Island.

Industrial Growth

Dunedin was the first city in New Zealand to become highly industrialised and during the late nineteenth century was the chief commercial centre of the country. This was due in the main to the discovery of gold in the sixties followed by the dredging boom of the late nineties, which stimulated the growth of heavy engineering. During this 30-year period some of the city's largest manufacturing and mercantile firms were established, as well as such trading ventures as the Union Steam Ship Co. For its size, therefore, Dunedin today is well industrialised. Industry is concentrated in the urban area, South Dunedin, and Kaikorai Valley (Burnside and Green Island). A number of consumer-goods industries, such as home appliances, biscuits, confectionery, clothing, beer, furniture, etc., are located here, as well as such major industries as precision and heavy engineering, fertilisers, cement, potteries, freezing works, rope and twine, tanneries, and flourmills.

Dunedin has a valuable asset in its ownership of a hydro-electric station at Waipori. The genesis of the scheme goes back as far as 1900, when a miner secured water-power rights for hydroelectric development of the Waipori River, 28 miles distant by transmission line from Dunedin. He disposed of his rights to a miller, who successfully interested some prominent Dunedin men into forming the Waipori Electric-power Co. in 1902, work commencing in 1903. The Waipori Company's Bill was passed in 1904 and in November of that year the property and rights of the company were transferred to the Dunedin City Council. Power became available from two 1,000-kW generators at Waipori in 1907 to supplement the steam plant operated at Dunedin by the council since 1903. Waipori has since been developed to a capacity of 47,000 kW. As the city acquired the rights to use water power from the company and not, therefore, in terms of the regulations under the Public Works Act, it is not liable to pay the annual water-power rental of 2s. 6d. per kilowatt.

Waipori has been developed, extended, and modified in stages until it now has a capacity of 47,000 kW produced from four stations; No. 2 was commissioned first in 1907, No. 1 in 1930, No. 3 in 1954, and No. 4 in 1955. The No. 1 and 2 stations were linked with Waitaki and the national network in 1935. In 1962 the Dunedin Corporation could supply approximately half its peak load from its own stations and about 42 per cent of the units used. As the corporation purchases the balance of the requirements for Dunedin City from the State on a maximum-demand basis, the ownership of Waipori ensures a very economical electricity supply for the Dunedin consumers. The city has under consideration plans for the further development of Waipori which would more than double the present capacity of this hydro-electric scheme. The drive from Dunedin to Waipori is scenically one of the most beautiful in the country.

The city is well served by air. Since 23 May 1962 Dunedin Airport has been situated at Momona, on the Taieri Plains, a few miles south of the former airport at Taieri, near Mosgiel. All flights in and out of the airport are domestic services, except for the occasional “Operation Deep Freeze” aircraft and some aero-club charter work. Accordingly, the following statistics are for NAC and local services, scheduled passenger and charter, for the year ended 31 December 1964: inward passengers, 49,646, and outward, 50,623; freight, inward, 783,093 lb, and outward, 751,273 lb; mail, inward, 67,000 lb, and outward, 98,300 lb. By March 1965 the increase in air passenger traffic was 15 per cent on that of the previous year.

Educational Facilities

Dunedin is regarded as the “University City” of New Zealand, a title earned by the importance of the institution in the life of the city and by the large number of degree and diploma courses offered there, some 16 in all. The University of Otago—the first in the country—was founded in 1869, and as well as possessing the indispensable faculties of Arts, Science, Commerce, and Law, it has in addition the national Medical School, the national Dental School, a faculty of Technology incorporating the Otago School of Mines, a School of Home Science, a faculty of Divinity, and a School of Physical Education. Accommodation for some 800 students is available in halls of residence. There are several theological colleges in Dunedin, including Knox College (Presbyterian); Selwyn College (Anglican), and Holy Cross College (Roman Catholic) at Mosgiel.

Dunedin has many buildings of architectural interest, an outstanding example being First Church. There are also a number of monuments commemorating the pioneers, notably the Otago Provincial Centennial Memorial Look Out at Signal Hill, with its sculptures by F. A. Shurrock (q.v.). The city is well endowed with libraries, the most famous being the Hocken, which has a wide range of books, newspapers, maps, manuscripts, pictures, and portraits relating to New Zealand and the Pacific. The Early Settlers' Museum is concerned mainly with local history, the foundation and early growth of the province, and the pioneer families. The Otago Museum, which has a fine natural history section, is noted for its collection of Mediterranean and Middle East antiquities, and for that dealing with Maori and Polynesian cultures. Of especial interest is the collection of South Island Stone Age artefacts. The Dunedin Public Art Gallery has a very fine British and European collection, especially that dealing with the early English water-colour school. It has also some notable New Zealand paintings.

Dunedin has over 1,000 acres of public parks, domains, and gardens, a feature being the town belt, which was laid out in the original plan of the city. With its sections of indigenous and exotic trees and its recreational areas, it provides a wonderful background to the city proper. The public gardens, which are beautifully situated at the northern end of the belt, have outstanding displays of rhododendrons and azaleas. There are many fine scenic drives from the city to the outer suburbs, to beaches and holiday resorts both north and south, to the Taieri Plains, and around the Otago Peninsula.

POPULATION (urban area): 1951 census, 95,457; 1956 census, 99,370; 1961 census, 105,003.

by Richard Gregory Heerdegen, M.A., L.R.S.M., Junior Lecturer in Geography, Massey University of Manawatu and Alexander Hare McLintock, C.B.E., M.A., DIP.ED. (N.Z.), PH.D.(LOND.), Parliamentary Historian, Wellington.

• Port of Otago, McLintock, A. H. (1951)
• History of Otago, McLintock, A. H. (1949)
• The Story of Early Dunedin, Reed, A. H. (1956).