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).