We decided to take the low road out and return on the high road. Once the Taieri and Peninsula Milk Supply Company was established in 1884 most dairy farmers became members through for a brief period in the late 1880s milk was shipped across the harbour from Portobello for processing at Sawyers Bay at by Roseville Dairy Company.
Special mention is starting at Ocean Grove, walk up Karetai Road (closed to vehicles) to the top, 210m above sea level. Produced and designed by: Aspect Web Design. During the 1890s the Portobello Road became popular with cyclists who lobbied the Road Board to reduce the toll. The Otago Peninsula, Dunedin is situated on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand.The Otago Peninsula together with its 20 km long harbour, is the home of an abundance of magnificent world famous marine wildlife, namely The Royal Albatross, the endangered Yellow Eyed Penguin/Hoiho and the Blue Penguins at Pukekura. We returned this route in daylight however I wouldn't attempt it in the dark, for example if returning from observing the penguins coming ashore around sunset - the lower road would be okay for that in my view.

An Armstrong Disappearing gun was installed in 1886. Today, quantities of occurrence between these species have become reversed due to drastic difference in biomasses. Check out what other travelers say about New Zealand on TripAdvisor. Peace was re-established by 1823. The Otago Peninsula is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. It featured a bridge which could be opened to allow passage for boats. In addition there were a number of Chinese dominated market gardens at Andersons Bay and a smaller number at Portobello (from 1881 onwards) growing a wide range of produce. The southern side of Otago Peninsula is high and rugged. However the company's surveyor Frederick Tuckett [was reluctant to allow the Ngāi Tahu to retain military strategic land so close to the proposed site of the new settlement nor allow them to control land on which there were already European settlers in case they developed a settlement that would compete with that of the Otago Association's. They were the primary target species for shore-whaling and was the major cause for Port Otago to be opened. Visit Taiaroa Head Nature Reserve  – the only mainland colony of albatross in the Southern Hermisphere.

A particularly fine, talismanic, whale bone fishook of the 18th century was found there and is now in the Otago Museum. It was worth it in our view. The Otago Peninsula is one of the few places in New Zealand where there is everywhere visible evidence of the long human occupation of the land. [5] Little Papanui and Harwood are considered to have been permanent settlements, not temporary camps. Visit Sandfly Bay Recreation Reserve – remarkable for its native fauna and flora and its spectacular views of the Otago Peninsula coastline and cliff tops. Beginning at Vauxhall, you can follow the coastal road past small settlements and beaches to Taiaroa Head, where there's an albatross colony. Otago Peninsula as seen from Taiaroa Head. Otago Peninsula Museum & Historical Society Museum, Peninsula social and agricultural history. Admire the elegant decor, art, and furnishings of this early 20th-century mansion as you follow a guide through some of its 35 rooms. By that same year Andersons Bay was becoming a popular place to live, especially with businessman and professionals, a number of them constructing large homes. A single radiocarbon date for Harwood suggests it was also occupied in 1450. Driving on this road is really refreshing. [7][8] Te Rapuwai were next and seemed to be succeeded by two Waitaha tribes, but it has been suggested this was really one with 'Waitaha' also being used as a catchall name for all earlier peoples by some later arrivals. Some biodiversity sites such as Taiaroa Head are managed as sanctuaries for wildlife. It is thought that an increase of shipping lanes and accompanying underwater noises may help to keep them away. Hotels near Baldwin Street: The Steepest Street in the World, Points of Interest & Landmarks in Dunedin, Baldwin Street: The Steepest Street in the World Tickets, All ashore for easy trips straight from port, Your ship’s come in for waterside trips and more, Flexible itineraries and personal experiences, No stress transit for your arrival and departure, Sample the local scene with in-the-know guides, Baldwin Street: The Steepest Street in the World. Think you can handle it all? Taiaroa Head is at the end of the peninsula, only 32 kms from the city centre and within sight of the cityscape, is home to the only mainland breeding colony of albatross in the world. The deed of sale was signed on 31 July 1844 with the Ngāi Tahu retaining 6,665 acres (2,697 ha) of the northern part of the peninsula. [23] Future studies might be conducted to examine solutions to bring them back into the harbor. He gained possession of Pukekura, was in conflict with Kati Mamoe at Papanui Inlet and made a famous escape back into Pukekura by a cliff still known as Tarewai's Leap. Otago Peninsula accommodation, things to do and travel information.

The clusters contain a few larger sites. Various species of endemic, rare, and endangered wildlife have been confirmed in the vicinity of Otago Peninsula both on land and at sea. The viewing centre for the albatross colony is one of the peninsula's main ecotourism attractions, along with other wildlife such as seals and yellow-eyed penguins. Over the next decade millions of pounds worth of gold flowed from the diggings, the majority passing through Dunedin. Located in the Otago region This place is part of. Many traditions survive from this period concerning figures such as Waitai and Moki II who at different times both lived at Pukekura pa. One of the best known concerns Tarewai who is difficult to place chronologically but was of Kai Tahu descent. Lots of very scenic views including bays/beaches and also through the centre with rolling hills of various shades of green. The observatory at the Royal Albatross Centre provides the opportunity to view parents returning from sea to feed their chicks. Keep browsing if you're happy with this. There are views of the city and surrounding country from Highcliff Road, which runs along the spine of the peninsula. In 1841 Octavius Harwood and C.W. To view cookie details and how to opt-out, please see our Cookie Policy. We were admittedly very lucky with weather as. [9] The Maori population living on the peninsula however had decreased from a minimum of 500 to 600 in the early 1830s and to 22 in 1891. The Otago Peninsula is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. There is a long road along the coastline. Increasing reliance seems to have been placed on harvesting the root of the cabbage tree (cordylline australis) and 'umu ti', cabbage tree ovens, proliferate over some parts of the Peninsula showing intensive use of the land. [12] the toll gate was located near Macandrew Bay. We had seen some other sights in Dunedin previously. Avifauna observed include the endangered yellow-eyed penguin, Megadyptes antipodes,[16] little blue penguin, shags, and the northern royal albatross. The Otago Peninsula also has breeding colonies of New Zealand fur seals and Royal Albatross. In Archaic (or moa hunter) times the Otago Peninsula was a relatively densely occupied area at the centre of the country's most populous region. Trip.com provides tourists with Otago Peninsula attraction address, business hours, brief introduction, open hours, nearby recommendation, restaurant, reviews etc. Roads boards were responsible for the construction of new roads and their maintenance. If you’ve got a head for heights and love speed, this adventure is for you! After World War 2 the Taiaroa Head garrison was withdrawn and the lighthouse automated.
For albatross, Taiaroa Head has been colonised, this being the only location in the world close to large-scale human cultivation and habitation. Continue your visit to www.tripadvisor.co.nz, We did a bus tour visiting sights around Otago Peninsula - Larnach Castle, Sandfly bay, Royal Albatross colony and Penguin Place and Penguin cafe for lunch - we all had a lovely time and beautiful sun, One of the major highlights of being this far south in a wild and woolly part of the country is the wildlife. People here at this time practised what has been called a foraging economy. His chart showed a bay at what is Hooper's Inlet, which may have been explored and named by Charles Hooper chief officer on Daniel Cooper's English sealer, Unity, in the summer of 1808–1809. ". Victory Beach, named after the 19th century shipwreck of the Victory close to this coast, features a rock formation known locally as "The Pyramids" for its resemblance to the ancient Egyptian monuments. Well worth a drive around (and over) this picturesque peninsula, not least to visit penguins & albatrosses. [6] Three magnificent greenstone adzes, said by H.D. James Cook was off the coast in February 1770 and named Cape Saunders after the Secretary of the Admiralty. European women were present at the station from the beginning. Wildlife, Seaview, history of the castle, nice people. In addition to above, we use other cookies and analytics to provide a better site experience. As Dunedin developed the Peninsula's southern end became a city recreation ground and then a suburb. Who will be fastest? [23][24] On occasions, they can be seen off the coast close to shore in their winter-migration season, along with humpback whales,[25] which were also hunted in the area. The Treaty of Waitangi was signed on the Peninsula in June, although the South Island had already been annexed by 'right of discovery'. Two tidal inlets lie on the Pacific coast of the peninsula, Hoopers Inlet and Papanui Inlet. Volcanic in origin, the peninsula is part of the crater wall of a large, long-extinct volcano. At the entrance to the Otago Harbour the peninsula rises to Taiaroa Head, home to a breeding colony of northern royal albatross, the only colony of albatross to be found on an inhabited mainland. For much of its length, only the strip adjacent to the Otago Harbour is populated, with several small communities dotting its length. Other Baleen whales that have been confirmed in the area in recent times include blue whales[26] and minke whales. "If your beseeching eyes can't soften her heart, the mating rituals of South Island's unusual coastal wildlife may do it," says the CNN website of 10 best places for a fairytale proposal". We didn't manage to visit Lanarch Castle & Gardens due to time restraints however I think we made the best use of our limited time in the area. Taiaroa Head could be the spot with highest possibilities to catch glimpses of these giants. The suburbs of Dunedin encroach onto the western end of the peninsula, and seven townships and communities lie along the harbourside shore. Ōtākou Marae lies in a small settlement at the edge of the Otago Peninsula, approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 miles) from Dunedin. It has a significant colony of yellow-eyed penguins/hoiho and seabirds such as spotted shags, sooty shearwaters and variable oystercatchers. All Rights Reserved.