Calton Hill, New Zealand
| Calton Hill | |
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Calton Hill, as seen from above the Dunedin Southern Motorway.
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Location of Calton Hill (shown by red dot) within Dunedin
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| Basic information | |
| Local authority | Dunedin |
| Date established | 1910 |
| Facilities | |
| Surrounds | |
| North | Balaclava |
| Northeast | Maryhill |
| East | Caversham, Forbury |
| Southeast | Kew |
| South | Corstorphine |
| West | Concord |
| Northwest | Lookout Point |
Calton Hill is an elevated residential suburb on the south-western edge of the main urban area of Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand.[1] The suburb is named after Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland, and some of its street names carry similar etymological roots. It covers an area of approximately 80 hectares (200 acres).
Geography
From the northern edge of Forbury Hill a wide spur runs in a northerly direction which can be seen in the south-west from much of South Dunedin. Calton Hill is the most northern prominence of this hillside, before it terminates at the Caversham Valley. The majority of the suburb is between 60 and 100 m above sea level. It is approximately 6 km by road from the city centre (The Octagon). There is farmland on the hill's south-western border, whilst the other directions are all residential suburbs, including Caversham, Corstorphine, Concord and Lookout Point.
Suburbs in New Zealand are often not clearly defined, and their boundaries can overlap. In some cases residents may identify with more than one suburb. The general area of Calton Hill is bounded by Caversham Valley Road (part of the Dunedin Southern Motorway) to the north; Riselaw Road in the south-west; Corstophine Road in the south-east (as far as the Sidey Street intersection); and Sidey Street, Cole Street and the western terminus of South Road in the north-east. This area covers approximately 200 acres (80 hectares).
Māori history
Prior to European contact three indigenous iwi (tribes) held mana whenua (territorial rights) over the Calton Hill area, though there is no known archaeological evidence that shows direct residential occupation of Calton Hill itself. By the 19th century, two of these three iwi (Kāti Mamoe and Waitaha) had largely been subsumed by the largest, Kāi Tahu.
Surviving nearby place names suggest the area was important area to Kāi Tahu for cultural and economic reasons. The nearby prominence of Lookout Point was named Koranga-a-runga-te-raki after Kāti Mamoe chief Te Raki Ihia, who was buried on its peak. The hills which run from St Clair Beach to the Caversham Valley (which can be seen in the southwest from much of South Dunedin) were known as Whakaherekau (possibly meaning "to make a conciliatory present").[2] The area was likely used as a thoroughfare, a site to gather potable water, a mahinga kai (food gathering area), and for collecting other useful materials and resources.
Post-contact history
In February 1840, the Treaty of Waitangi was signed between the indigenous chiefs of New Zealand and the British Crown, which Kāi Tahu signed through a variety of chiefs in a variety of places in the South Island. Through the right of preemption, the Crown had a monopoly over purchasing Māori land, to sell to settlers, commercial interests or to be used for Crown projects. From 1844 to 1863 Ngāi Tahu sold their lands to the Crown in a series of nine purchases. The area around Calton Hill was a small part of one of the two principal transactions, the Otago Purchase, which covered 400,000 acres (160,000 ha) sold for £2,400 by Kāi Tahu on the 31 July 1844. The first immigrant ships arrived in the Dunedin area in 1848.
It is likely the area around Calton Hill was covered in podocarp forest prior to the arrival of European settlers. Soon after the first arrivals, the trees were harvested for building products and firewood. The area, with the exception of some unsuitable steep gullies, was mostly laid bare to be sown with important grass species for animal grazing. During the early 1900s, this farmland was surveyed for the establishment of roads and residential sections and related infrastructure.
After being a planned residential suburb for some years, the Township of Calton Hill was gazetted on the 19 November 1910. Habitation remained sparse until rapid growth occurred immediately prior World War I, though much remained farmland until the 1930s and 1940s and the inauguration of the Government state housing scheme.
Current demography
There is currently no official census information for population of the suburb, but aerial maps suggest approximately 500-600 households. The suburb contains two or three retail businesses and a dozen or so businesses run from houses, but it is primarily residential.
References
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