Skip to main content

Story: Street life

Princes Street, 1861

Image
Princes Street, 1861

The primitive condition of early city streets is evident in this 1861 image of Dunedin’s Princes Street. A dirt carriageway, lined by rudimentary ditches, runs along its centre. On either side are dirt and grass footpaths. While a girl and dog walk along the footpath, other pedestrians stick to the carriageway. There is no street lighting, making night-time travel a hazard.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/4-002689; F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page

Ben Schrader, Street life – Colonial street life, 1840–1914, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/20666/princes-street-1861 (accessed 11 June 2026).

Story by Ben Schrader, published 4 March 2010.