Port Chalmers Attractions

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.