Lawyers Head (often punctuated as the more grammatically correct Lawyer's Head) is a prominent landmark on the coast of

Otago Otago (, ; mi, Ōtākou ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government reg ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Located within the city of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

, this rocky headland juts into the

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...

at the eastern end of the city's main beach,

Saint Kilda Beach In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...

. It is named for the likeness of the cliff face to the profile of a lawyer in traditional legal wig. The promontory, which reaches a height of 34 m, is connected to the city by the road John Wilson Ocean Drive, which runs parallel to the beach. The head itself commands a view across the city's southern suburbs and along the Otago coast for over 80 kilometres to the southwest. On a clear day

Nugget Point Nugget Point ( mi, Tokatā) is one of the most iconic landforms on the Otago coast. Located at the northern end of the Catlins coast, along the road from Kaka Point, this steep headland has a lighthouse at its tip, surrounded by rocky islets (T ...

The Catlins The Catlins (sometimes referred to as The Catlins Coast) comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southlan ...

can be discerned, and the Nugget Point lighthouse's beam can be seen at night. To the east, the suburb of Ocean Grove and the nearby

Tomahawk Lagoon Tomahawk Lagoon is a twin-lobed lagoon, located at the western end of the Otago Peninsula within the city limits of Dunedin, New Zealand. It lies close to the southeastern edge of the city's main urban area, near the suburb of Ocean Grove, which ...

lie beneath the headland. John Wilson Ocean Drive was closed from August 2006, to allow construction of the Tahuna Wastewater Treatment Plant outfall. The road closure had an unexpected benefit of stopping suicides from the headland; there were 13 deaths in the 10 years prior. Access to the headland was restored briefly in October 2009, but closed when there was another death less than three days after full access was restored.

New Zealand Police The New Zealand Police ( mi, Ngā Pirihimana o Aotearoa) is the national police service and principal law enforcement agency of New Zealand, responsible for preventing crime, enhancing public safety, bringing offenders to justice, and maintai ...

Inspector Dave Campbell stated "Lawyer's Head now has the unenviable reputation of having the highest number of deaths by suicide in one location in New Zealand". One of a series of headlands which punctuate much of this section of the Otago coast, it is its proximity to the centre of the city and its distinctive shape which make it particularly well known. Other nearby headlands nearby include the higher 75 m Maori Head, one kilometre to the east, the cliffs along the coast of Forbury Hill three kilometres to the west, the natural arch of

Tunnel Beach Tunnel Beach is a locality southwest of the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand. Located just south of St Clair, Tunnel Beach has sea-carved sandstone cliffs, rock arches and caves. Beyond the beauty of the rugged sandstone cliffs, its claim t ...

three kilometres beyond

Forbury Hill Forbury Hill may refer to: * A hill in St Clair, New Zealand, a suburb of the city of New Zealand * A formerly fortified mound in Forbury Gardens Forbury Gardens is a public park in the town of Reading in the English county of Berkshire. The par ...

, and Blackhead, two kilometres to the southwest of Tunnel Beach. These basalt outcrops were all formed during the eruption of the

Dunedin Volcano The Dunedin Volcano is an extensively eroded multi-vent shield volcano that was active between 16 and 10 million years ago. It originally extended from the modern city of Dunedin, New Zealand to Aramoana about 25 km away. Extensive erosion has ...

some 12-15 million years ago. The crater of this long-extinct volcano now forms

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. I ...

, and its rim is the ring of hills which circle Dunedin and form the ridge of the

Otago Peninsula The Otago Peninsula ( mi, Muaūpoko) is a long, hilly indented finger of land that forms the easternmost part of Dunedin, New Zealand. Volcanic in origin, it forms one wall of the eroded valley that now forms Otago Harbour. The peninsula lies sou ...

. Lawyers Head is an integral part of Chisholm Park Golf Links, developed by the city of Dunedin in 1933. The Links has hosted the New Zealand amateur championship, the New Zealand Masters teams event, and many Australasian Tour events and Pro-ams. The course boasts several holes rated among Otago's best, including the ninth hole, also named "Lawyers Head", which is arguably the country's finest hole.Russell, P. G. (1985) ''Golf Courses of Otago''. Christchurch: Whitcoulls Publishers. . This hole follows the curve of the cliffs, such that a direct line between tee and cup passes over the waters below. The promontory is also located close to Andersons Bay Cemetery, which lies immediately inland from Lawyers Head.

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