350px, Leith Saddle near Dunedin, New Zealand Leith Saddle is a

saddle The saddle is a supportive structure for a rider of an animal, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is equestrian. However, specialized saddles have been created for oxen, camels and other animals. It is not k ...

between the sources of the

Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing near central Edinburgh, Scotland, and flows into the port of Leith where it flows into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The name ''Leith'' may be of Britt ...

and the

Waitati River The Waitati River is a river in New Zealand, flowing into the Pacific Ocean at Blueskin Bay, north of Dunedin. The Dunedin Northern Motorway follows the valley of the Waitati between the Leith Saddle and Waitati. See also *List of rivers of New ...

, approximately halfway between

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 ...

's northern suburb of Pine Hill and the outlying settlement of

Waitati Waitati, from the Māori Waitete, is a small seaside settlement in Otago, New Zealand, within the city limits of Dunedin. It is located close to the tidal mudflats of Blueskin Bay, 19 kilometres north of the Dunedin city centre. The small Waitati ...

. The saddle is a strategic point where the

Dunedin Northern Motorway Dunedin–Waitati Highway ( SH 1), formerly (and currently in official land-use planning contexts) called Dunedin Northern Motorway, is a two-to-four-lane limited-access road which provides the main route north from the city of Dunedin, New ...

, part of

State Highway 1 The following highways are numbered 1. For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads. For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads. For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads. For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads. For roads numbere ...

traverses a fragile alpine forest. Proposed road works to straighten a dangerous corner here conflict with

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and managem ...

values.

Water supply Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organisations, community endeavors or by individuals, usually via a system of pumps and pipes. Public water supply systems are crucial to properly functioning societies. Thes ...

pipelines, and popular

tramping Tramping may refer to: Travel *Hiking *Trekking *Tramping in New Zealand, a style of backpacking or hiking * Czech tramping, a Czech outdoors pastime Places * Rural Municipality of Tramping Lake No. 380, Saskatchewan, Canada ** Tramping Lake, Sas ...

and

cycling Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...

routes also converge at the saddle. The

's source is 100 metres to the south of Leith Saddle, at a height of 380 metres above sea level.Hamel, A. (2008). ''Dunedin tracks and trails.'' Dunedin: Silver Peaks Press. The Leith Saddle Track is a 3.5 hour climb through native cloud forest to Swampy Spur and Swampy Summit with links to other walkways in the

Silverpeaks The Silverpeaks (sometimes spelt Silver Peaks) is an area of rough forest and tussock and scrub covered hill country inland and to the northwest of Dunedin, New Zealand. The area is largely uninhabited; the main indication of human activity is ...

and Dunedin's hills.Leith Saddle Track
on

New Zealand Department of Conservation The Department of Conservation (DOC; Māori: ''Te Papa Atawhai'') is the public service department of New Zealand charged with the conservation of New Zealand's natural and historical heritage. An advisory body, the New Zealand Conservation Au ...

website, retrieved 2009-05-25 The Dunedin Northern Motorway has an at-grade intersection at the Leith Saddle summit with Leith Valley Road and Waitati Valley Road. Both have low motor vehicle volumes and have

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

led surfaces, making them attractive to cyclists.

Transit New Zealand Transit New Zealand (Māori: Ararau Aotearoa), which existed from 1989 to 2008, was the New Zealand Crown entity responsible for operating and planning the New Zealand state highway network (10,894 km, about 12% of New Zealand's roads). It ...

signalled a long term intention in 2004 to realign SH1 in the vicinity of Leith Saddle; construction would require removal of some old-growth forest. Leith saddle cloudy

The forest here features a species of

Libocedrus ''Libocedrus'' is a genus of five species of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to New Zealand and New Caledonia. The genus is closely related to the South American genera ''Pilgerodendron'' and '' Austrocedrus'', and ...

, variously called Pahautea, Kaikawaka or New Zealand cedar, ''

Libocedrus bidwillii ''Libocedrus'' is a genus of five species of coniferous trees in the cypress family Cupressaceae, native to New Zealand and New Caledonia. The genus is closely related to the South American genera ''Pilgerodendron'' and ''Austrocedrus'', and the ...

'', which is unusual in this region of New Zealand.

stated in 2004 that Leith Saddle has 250% more accidents than average for the

New Zealand state highway network The New Zealand state highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Nearly 100 roads in the North and South Islands are state highways. All state highways are administered by the NZ Transport Agency. The highways were ...

and that the accident rate increased by 50% in the ten years to 2004.

leaflet ''Leith Saddle Realignment'', 2004 They said realignment here would reduce traffic delays, fuel use, crashes, and emissions of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide ( chemical formula ) is a chemical compound made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in the gas state at room temperature. In the air, carbon dioxide is trans ...

and

carbon monoxide Carbon monoxide (chemical formula CO) is a colorless, poisonous, odorless, tasteless, flammable gas that is slightly less dense than air. Carbon monoxide consists of one carbon atom and one oxygen atom connected by a triple bond. It is the simple ...

. A contour pipeline running southbound over the saddle from several tributaries of the

feeds two of Dunedin's water supply reservoirs in

Leith Valley Leith Valley is a suburb, valley, and general area of the New Zealand city of Dunedin, located to the northwest of the city centre. To differentiate the name of the valley from that of the suburb, the former is usually referred to as ''the'' Leit ...

Ross Creek Reservoir The Ross Creek Reservoir is an artificial lake in Dunedin, New Zealand. One of the oldest artificial lakes in the country, and the oldest water supply reservoir still in use in the country, it was created in the 1860s to provide water for the cit ...

and Sullivans Dam. Treated, fluoridated water is transmitted northwards from Dunedin's municipal water system via a new pipeline to the rural settlements of

Warrington Warrington () is a town and unparished area in the borough of the same name in the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England, on the banks of the River Mersey. It is east of Liverpool, and west of Manchester. The population in 2019 was estimat ...

and

Seacliff Seacliff comprises a beach, an estate and a harbour. It lies east of North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. History The beach and estate command a strategic position at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and control of the area has been con ...

.Water (and fluoride) flows through 'Big Pipe'
on blueskin.co.nz website, retrieved 2009-05-25

References

{{coord, -45.800094, 170.516081, region:NZ-OTA_type:pass, display=title Geography of Dunedin Mountain passes of New Zealand Landforms of Otago Leith Valley