St Leonards, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
St Leonards is a suburb of the New Zealand
city of Dunedin
. It is located close to the northern shore of the Otago Harbour
and on the hilly slopes above the harbour. St Leonards is 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi) northeast of Dunedin's city centre, between the small settlement of Burkes and Sawyers Bay
. St Leonards was named by early settler David Carey for the birthplace of his wife, the English town of St Leonards-on-Sea
, on the Sussex coast
Rail and road links between central Dunedin and Port Chalmers
run alongside St Leonards on the narrow strip of land between the hill slopes and harbour. The suburb is separate from the contiguous urban area of Dunedin.
The suburb is residential, and contains a significant number of smaller homes. The area is a popular residence for students from the University of Otago
, and is also popular with alernative lifestylers. The suburb consists mainly of two roughly parallel roads, the Dunedin-Port Chalmers highway (State Highway 88
), which runs close to the harbour, and St Leonards Drive, the former main route to Port Chalmers, which winds around the lower slopes of the hills on which St Leonards sits. The Port Chalmers Branch
railway line runs parallel with the highway next to the harbour's edge.
The suburbs of St Leonards, Maia, Burkes, and Ravensbourne
, are often collectively referred to as West Harbour
. Under this name, the area was a separate borough for many years from 1877 until amalgamation with the city of Dunedin in 1963.
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
city of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
. It is located close to the northern shore of the Otago Harbour
Otago Harbour
Otago Harbour is the natural harbour of Dunedin, New Zealand, consisting of a long, much-indented stretch of generally navigable water separating the Otago Peninsula from the mainland. They join at its southwest end, from the harbour mouth...
and on the hilly slopes above the harbour. St Leonards is 8.5 kilometres (5.3 mi) northeast of Dunedin's city centre, between the small settlement of Burkes and Sawyers Bay
Sawyers Bay
Sawyers Bay is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located to the southwest of Port Chalmers in a wide valley on the shore of Mussel Bay, to the northeast of Dunedin city centre....
. St Leonards was named by early settler David Carey for the birthplace of his wife, the English town of St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea
St Leonards-on-Sea is part of Hastings, East Sussex, England, lying immediately to the west of the centre. The original part of the settlement was laid out in the early 19th century as a new town: a place of elegant houses designed for the well-off; it also included a central public garden, a...
, on the Sussex coast
Rail and road links between central Dunedin and Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre....
run alongside St Leonards on the narrow strip of land between the hill slopes and harbour. The suburb is separate from the contiguous urban area of Dunedin.
The suburb is residential, and contains a significant number of smaller homes. The area is a popular residence for students from the University of Otago
University of Otago
The University of Otago in Dunedin is New Zealand's oldest university with over 22,000 students enrolled during 2010.The university has New Zealand's highest average research quality and in New Zealand is second only to the University of Auckland in the number of A rated academic researchers it...
, and is also popular with alernative lifestylers. The suburb consists mainly of two roughly parallel roads, the Dunedin-Port Chalmers highway (State Highway 88
New Zealand State Highway 88
State Highway 88 is a New Zealand State Highway connecting the city centre of Dunedin with Port Chalmers, which is the location of Dunedin's main port facilities and home of one of New Zealand's major container terminals. It is roughly 18 km long....
), which runs close to the harbour, and St Leonards Drive, the former main route to Port Chalmers, which winds around the lower slopes of the hills on which St Leonards sits. The Port Chalmers Branch
Port Chalmers Branch
The Port Chalmers Branch was the first railway line built in Otago, New Zealand, and linked the region's major city of Dunedin with the port in Port Chalmers...
railway line runs parallel with the highway next to the harbour's edge.
The suburbs of St Leonards, Maia, Burkes, and Ravensbourne
Ravensbourne, New Zealand
Ravensbourne is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin. It is located on the steep southeastern slopes of Signal Hill above the Otago Harbour. It lies on the harbour's northern shore, east-northeast of the city centre...
, are often collectively referred to as West Harbour
West Harbour
West Harbour may refer to:* West Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand* West Harbour, Otago, a former borough centred on the Dunedin, New Zealand suburb of Ravensbourne* West Harbour RFC, an Australian rugby union team-See also:* North Harbour...
. Under this name, the area was a separate borough for many years from 1877 until amalgamation with the city of Dunedin in 1963.