Surroundings, Dunedin

12km north of Dunedin, on the north side of Otago Harbour, is the deep-water harbor of Port Chalmers (pop. 3,000). The town is named after Dr Thomas Chalmers, one of the founders of the Free Church of Scotland. From here the colonization of Otago began; the first steamer carrying frozen meat sailed for London; and also from here Scott, Shackleton and Byrd set out on their Antarctic expeditions. In the 1970s, when container shipping became established, Port Chalmers took on a new lease of life. The harbor of Dunedin, which had been developed at great expense, proved unsuitable for this traffic.The Scott Memorial commemorates Captain Scott, who sailed from here on his last tragic expedition in 1910. Nearby is a monument commemorating the first shipment of frozen meat to London in 1882. The Port Chalmers Flagstaff on the Aurora Terrace Lookout was once a signal station, keeping watch on shipping traffic in Otago Harbour.Notable churches in the city are the Iona Church (1883), with a 50m tower, the Anglican church of the Holy Trinity (1874) and the Roman Catholic church of St Mary's Star of the Sea (1874).

50km from Dunedin, on the Otago Peninsula, is Larnach Castle, also known as the Camp, which was built for a wealthy banker named William Larnach between 1871 and 1887. This extraordinary building is said to have been modeled on a Scottish castle; its construction was supervised by the well-known architect RA Lawson. The house, which has a ballroom, cost its owner a fortune. William Larnach (1833-98) came to Dunedin in 1867 as manager of the Bank of Otago and had a successful career as a politician. After a series of misfortunes, both financial and personal, he shot himself in the Parliament Building in Wellington. After his death the house suffered many vicissitudes. The surrounding land was broken up into small lots and sold, and the house was bought by the government, with 14ha of land, and converted into a psychiatric clinic. Later it became a hotel and nightclub. Then in 1940, badly run down, it was sold for a pittance. Only in recent years has its value as a relic of Dunedin's early days been recognized. It has been restored at great expense. From the tower there are fine views.

Taiaroa Head, the northern tip of the Otago Peninsula, is famed as the nesting-place of royal albatrosses. Nearby are colonies of yellow-eyed penguins, seals and sea lions. There are boat trips from Dunedin to the rugged cliffs of Taiaroa.

A half-hour drive northwest of Dunedin is the wild and romantic gorge of the Taieri River. Visitors can jet through the gorge on a jet boat or rattle through it on the Otago Excursion Train.

From Signal Hill (393m), reached from the Northern Cemetery on Opoho Road and Signal Hill Road, there are magnificent views to the south over Otago Harbour and the city. On the hill is a monument (1940) commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. It incorporates a piece of rock from Edinburgh Castle, an anniversary gift from Scotland. Bronze figures symbolize the past and the future.

8km north of Dunedin is Mount Cargill (676m), from which there are fine views of the city, Otago Harbour and the Otago Peninsula.

10km east of Dunedin are the Glenfalloch Woodland Gardens, laid out in 1873, with native and exotic trees. The mansion set in the gardens was built of kauri wood 2 years earlier. The gardens are at their most beautiful in spring, when the azaleas, rhododendrons and fuchsias are in bloom.

The Trust Bank Aquarium in Portobello (20km east of Dunedin) is run by the University of Otago. Here visitors can see examples of almost all New Zealand's marine fauna.

25km east of Dunedin, on the former site of a large ancient Maori settlement, a Maori church and meeting house were inaugurated in 1940 on the 100th anniversary of the Treaty of Waitangi. There is a small cemetery containing the graves of three important chiefs.

There are popular beaches in the suburbs of St Kilda and St Clair, to the south of Dunedin on the sandbank linking the Otago Peninsula with the mainland. From St Kilda, where there are many sports clubs, the John Wilson Ocean Drive runs along the edge of the beach.