Calton Hill, New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Calton Hill
Calton Hill, as seen from above the Dunedin Southern Motorway.
Basic information
Local authority	Dunedin
Date established	1900s
Land area	66 ha (0.25 sq mi)*
Coordinates	45°54′0″S 170°28′15″E / 45.90000°S 170.47083°E / -45.90000; 170.47083
Population	1,580 (June 2023)

	Calton Hill, New Zealand

Calton Hill is a high-up neighborhood in the city of Dunedin, New Zealand. It's located on the South Island. This suburb is named after a place called Calton Hill in Edinburgh, Scotland. You might even find some street names here that sound like they're from Scotland!

This neighborhood started to grow in the 1900s. It was part of Dunedin's second big wave of building new suburbs. Calton Hill grew out of Caversham, which is one of Dunedin's oldest neighborhoods. Caversham was settled much earlier, as part of the first wave of people moving to the area. Before Calton Hill was officially named, people might have called this area "Caversham Hills" or even "John Sidey's farm."

Calton Hill has clear boundaries. To the north, it's bordered by the Dunedin Southern Motorway and the Caversham Valley Forest Reserve]. Farmland to the south and west separates it from the areas of Concord and Burnside. On the east, its border is made up of roads like Corstorphine Road and Sidey Street. The South Island Main Trunk railway and the motorway (which is part of State Highway 1) also mark its northern edge.

From many homes on Calton Hill, you can see amazing views. To the north, you might spot Mt Cargill and Flagstaff. To the southeast, you can see the huge Pacific Ocean. Looking east, Calton Hill overlooks the center of Dunedin city. In the distance, you can see Signal Hill, the Otago Harbour, and the Otago Peninsula. If you're on the western side, you'll see the Kaikorai Valley and Green Island, with Saddle Hill and the Taieri Plains beyond.

Exploring Calton Hill's Location

Dunedin city is built on a flat area surrounded by hills. These hills are actually what's left of an old volcano! Calton Hill is about 6 kilometers (or 3.7 miles) southwest of the city center, known as The Octagon. From the Octagon, you can't see Calton Hill directly because another big hill is in the way. But if you look west from the southern part of Dunedin's flat area, Calton Hill is the highest point to the north.

Calton Hill has a ridge at the top that runs north. It has two high points. This ridge is bordered by the upper part of Corstorphine Valley to the south and the Lookout Point saddle to the north. Two smaller ridges branch off from this main one, sloping down into the Caversham Valley. Between these two smaller ridges is a bowl-shaped area that faces north. To the southwest, the hill's slopes meet farmland near Burnside and Concord. Most of Calton Hill is between 60 and 130 meters (about 200 to 425 feet) above sea level.

What's Around Calton Hill?

Calton Hill shares its borders with several other neighborhoods. These include Corstorphine, Concord, and Burnside (separated by farmland). It also borders Caversham and Maryhill, which are separated by hillsides with some trees and houses. The small neighborhood of Lookout Point is to the north.

Part of this area is the Caversham Forest Reserve, which is about 3.4 hectares (8.4 acres) big. The Dunedin City Council bought this reserve in 1994 with help from the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society. It's a home for many native birds and small creatures like invertebrates. It even has a special type of velvet worm that is only found in the Dunedin area!

Sometimes, it's hard to tell exactly where one neighborhood ends and another begins in New Zealand. It's not always clear if people living in Calton Hill feel like they belong to Calton Hill, or if they feel more connected to Lookout Point, Caversham, or Corstorphine.

Calton Hill's Past

Before people arrived in New Zealand, the Calton Hill area was probably covered in a thick, diverse forest. This forest would have had many different types of trees, like podocarps and broadleaf trees. The soil was mostly made of windblown dust over sandstone rock.

Early History

About 800 years ago, Māori arrived in New Zealand. In the time before Europeans came, three main Māori tribes, called iwi, had rights to the Calton Hill area. However, we don't have any old evidence that shows people lived right on Calton Hill itself. By the 1800s, two of these tribes, Kāti Māmoe and Waitaha, had mostly joined with the largest tribe, Kāi Tahu.

The Calton Hill and Caversham Valley area was likely used as a pathway to travel south. People also used waka hourua (double-hulled sailing canoes) to travel along the coast. Some spots might have been used for nohoanga (temporary camps to gather food). People would collect drinking water, find mahinga kai (food gathering areas) for things like fern roots and cabbage trees, and gather other useful materials.

Only two old Māori place names in the area still exist today. The saddle at Lookout Point was called Koranga-a-runga-te-raki. This name was for a Kāti Māmoe chief from the late 1700s, Te Raki Ihia. He helped bring the Kāi Tahu and Kãti Māmoe tribes together. He was buried there so his spirit could "see his old haunts to the southward." The ridge that goes from St Clair Beach to Lookout Point is called Whakaherekau. This name might mean "to make a conciliatory present." This name might have been used by the tangata whenua (local people) for the whole area.

European Settlement

When the Treaty of Waitangi was signed in 1840, Calton Hill was probably a mix of tussock grassland and fern bushes. There were still pockets of forest in the steep valleys. Old plant records show that the dense forest on Calton Hill had been cleared by fires started by people. Before this time, it's unlikely that the small number of Europeans in the country would have used this area much.

From 1844 to 1863, the Ngāi Tahu tribe sold their lands to the Crown (the government). Calton Hill was part of a huge area of land, about 400,000 acres, that was bought in the Otago Purchase on July 31, 1844. The Crown paid the local chiefs only £2,400 for all that land. In 1848, the first ships carrying colonists arrived in the Dunedin area.

In 1855, a man named John Sidey bought a large piece of land. It stretched from the Caversham Hills (which is now Corstophine and Calton Hill) all the way to Mount Grand, about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) away. Most of the land, except for very steep areas, would have been cleared. It was then planted with new types of grass and fenced for cattle farming. Some trees might have been cut down for building materials and firewood. During this time, there was a dirt road that went along the northern edge of Calton Hill. It went up the Caversham Valley and over the Lookout Point saddle.

In 1861, gold was found in Central Otago. Even though it was hundreds of kilometers away, the northern edge of Calton Hill became a short part of the main highway for the gold rush. Thousands of people walked past with their bags, following the Caversham Valley. This was the only road south to the gold diggings of the Central Otago Gold Rush. John Sidey would sell meat from his farm and other supplies to the miners.

Today, two railway lines have been built through the sandstone underground. One of these tunnels is no longer used for trains. The other is still part of the main south railway line. The first tunnel was finished in December 1873. The second one was completed in 1910. These tunnels helped people travel to and from the city until the 1960s. The Caversham railway station, which was only a 10 to 15-minute walk from Calton Hill, was the closest station. Besides the railway, from 1880 to 1940, people could also use the Dunedin cable tramway system. The closest tram stop was also in Caversham.

The 1900s and Beyond

The first time Calton Hill was mentioned in public was in 1907. The farmland was surveyed to create roads, other important structures, and sections for houses. The "Township of Calton Hill" was officially recognized by the City of Dunedin on November 19, 1907. Advertisements in newspapers offered "choice sections, view and sun, low prices." For a while, the land remained empty. The first houses were built just before World War I. Any remaining farmland was used for grazing animals.

A lot of building happened in the 1950s and 1960s. This was thanks to the government's state housing program, which had started 15-20 years earlier. Public transport like trams was being replaced by private cars. Garages were added to older houses to store cars, and the number of people living in the suburb grew. Riselaw Road School opened in 1953. A community hall, a play center, and other facilities for kids and families were also built nearby on Riselaw Road.

Who Lives in Calton Hill?

Calton Hill covers about 0.66 square kilometers (0.25 square miles). As of 2023, it has an estimated population of 1,580. This means there are about 2394 people living in each square kilometer.

In the 2018 New Zealand census, Calton Hill had 1,482 people. This was an increase of 48 people since the 2013 census. There were 582 households. There were 726 males and 753 females. The average age was 32.2 years old. About 23.1% of the people were under 15 years old. About 23.7% were between 15 and 29. And 7.3% were 65 or older.

Most people in Calton Hill (84.0%) were European/Pākehā. About 13.6% were Māori, and 7.5% were Pasifika. About 4.3% were Asian, and 5.7% were from other backgrounds. Some people identify with more than one group.

About 14.4% of the people in Calton Hill were born overseas. This is lower than the national average of 27.1%.

When asked about their religious beliefs, 59.1% said they had no religion. About 25.1% were Christian. A smaller number followed Māori religious beliefs, Hindu, Muslim, or Buddhist.

Of those aged 15 or older, about 16.6% had a university degree or higher. About 19.2% had no formal qualifications. The average income was $28,000. About 51.1% of people aged 15 or older worked full-time. About 15.3% worked part-time, and 5.5% were looking for work.

Compared to other Dunedin neighborhoods, many Calton Hill residents have a lower socio-economic status. A lot of homes here are part of the state-owned housing areas built in the 1950s and 1960s.

Schools and Community Life

Riselaw Road School used to be a very important place for the community. Now, the local primary school has joined with another school and is called Carisbrook School Heights Site. It has two classes. In 2020, it became Southern Health School. Next to the school is the Riselaw Road Playcentre, a place for young children to play and learn.

Other community facilities include two public bus services. The Dunedin Public Library Book bus visits the neighborhood once a week. There are also two children's playground areas and sports fields next to the school. Like most neighborhoods in New Zealand, Calton Hill has street lights and proper drainage.

For outdoor fun, there's a forest reserve to the north. To the south, there are sports grounds and farmland that could be used for recreation. The closest high schools are Queen's High School and King's High School. They are located in Forbury, about 2-3 kilometers (1.2-1.9 miles) south. The nearest shops and businesses are in South Road, Caversham. Calton Hill residents can also find two food shops on Riselaw Road. While there are a few businesses run from homes, Calton Hill is mostly a place where people live.

How Calton Hill is Governed

Calton Hill is part of Dunedin City. This means it is managed by the Dunedin City Council and the Otago Regional Council. Calton Hill doesn't have its own community board. Instead, it's part of the larger Dunedin City area. Health matters are handled by the Southern District Health Board.

For Māori governance, Calton Hill is within the takiwa (area) of the Otakou Runaka. This is one of the 18 hapu (sub-tribes) of the Kai Tahu iwi. Since 2009, Tahu Potiki has been the chosen representative for the Otakou Runaka.

When it comes to national politics, Calton Hill is part of the Taieri electorate. As of 2022, the MP (Member of Parliament) for Taieri is Ingrid Leary from the Labour Party. Calton Hill is also part of the Te Tai Tonga electorate. This is one of the country's seven Māori seats, which are special electorates for Māori voters. As of 2022, the MP for Te Tai Tonga is Rino Tirikatene.