The Water of Leith (also known as Ōwheo, the River Leith or Leith Stream), is a small river in the
South Island
The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...
of New Zealand.
It rises to the north of 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 ...
, flowing for southeast through the
northern part of the city and the campus of the
University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
before reaching the
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. It ...
. The name of the city of Dunedin is the anglicised form of ''Dùn Èideann'' which is the
Scottish Gaelic
Scottish Gaelic ( gd, Gàidhlig ), also known as Scots Gaelic and Gaelic, is a Goidelic language (in the Celtic branch of the Indo-European language family) native to the Gaels of Scotland. As a Goidelic language, Scottish Gaelic, as well as ...
form of the name ''
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
'', and thus the river is also named for 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 Britto ...
which runs through the
Scottish capital. The original
Māori
Māori or Maori can refer to:
Relating to the Māori people
* Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group
* Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand
* Māori culture
* Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...
name for the stream was ''Ōwheo'' ("The place of Wheo"), Wheo being the name of a local chief whose village stood close to its mouth.
[Herd, J., and Griffiths, G.J. (1980). ''Discovering Dunedin.'' Dunedin: John McIndoe.] This name is now rarely used (but the university's computer science department building is named after it).
Course
The Leith's source is close to 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 ...
, south of
Leith Saddle 350px, Leith Saddle near Dunedin, New Zealand
Leith Saddle is a saddle between the sources of the Water of Leith and the Waitati River, approximately halfway between Dunedin's northern suburb of Pine Hill and the outlying settlement of Waitati. Th ...
, at an elevation of some above sea level.
[Hamel, A. (2008). ''Dunedin tracks and trails.'' Dunedin: Silver Peaks Press.] The motorway passes over the Leith Saddle, which lies between the sources of the Leith 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 the 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 ...
.
![Leith Sullivan's Dam](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4f/Leith_Sullivan%27s_Dam.JPG)
From here, the Leith flows south, skirting a
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 ...
reservoir
A reservoir (; from French ''réservoir'' ) is an enlarged lake behind a dam. Such a dam may be either artificial, built to store fresh water or it may be a natural formation.
Reservoirs can be created in a number of ways, including contro ...
formed behind
Sullivan's Dam, which was constructed in 1916.
[ This reservoir, along with the ]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 ...
on the Ross Creek, one of the Leith's tributaries, provides much of Dunedin's drinking water.
From the southern end of the Sullivan's Dam reservoir, the Leith flows southwest, passing under the motorway and through the wooded 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 ...
. A gravel road parallels the course of this stretch of the river, becoming asphalted close to the point where the Leith meets the urban parts of the city at Glenleith. Several small tributaries join the Leith on this stretch, notably Morrison's Burn.
As it reaches urban Dunedin, the river is often only a modest stream, partly because of the quantity of water abstracted upstream. Much of the northern part of Dunedin's inner city area is situated on the river's floodplain.
The first of the Leith's two main tributaries, Ross Creek, joins the Leith between the suburbs of Glenleith and Woodhaugh. The Ross Creek Reservoir, a historic engineering project, is surrounded by numerous popular bush walks. Much of the upper Leith Valley is also crossed by less well-known bush tracks, though part of the upper reaches are closed to the public due to their importance for water catchment purposes. Close to this confluence, the remains can be seen of watermills which were used at Woodhaugh, which—though now a sleepy suburb—was once the industrial heart of the city.[Dann, C., & Peat, N. (1989). ''Dunedin, North and South Otago.'' Wellington: GP Books.] From here, the Leith turns to the southeast, passing through a public park, Woodhaugh Gardens, as its floodplain begins to widen. At this point, the floodplain is less than a kilometre in width, and is bordered by steep cliffs to the southwest.
The lower reaches of the Leith are contained within concrete channels. These, and the various weirs located in the Leith's stream—notably just to the north of Woodhaugh Gardens, were built to prevent a repeat of the serious damage to Dunedin North
Dunedin North, also known as North Dunedin, is a major inner suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin, located northeast of the city centre. It contains many of the city's major institutions, including the city's university, polytechnic, ma ...
by the highest recorded flood in March 1929. An earlier devastating flood occurred on the river in 1868. The original course of the Leith was, in fact, a meandering track through what is now the central city, emptying into the upper harbour where Cumberland and Stuart Streets now meet.
The Leith enters the wider plain which is the location of Dunedin's most intensely urbanised area at the southeastern end of Woodhaugh Gardens, close to the northernmost point of the city's main street, George Street. From here, it winds around the northern edge of the floodplain, skirting the Dunedin Botanic Gardens
The Dunedin Botanic Garden (known in local slang as the "Botans", "Botang", Botanic or Botanical Gardens) is located at the northern end of central Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. The garden is close to the University of Otago and one ...
, where it is joined by its other main tributary, Lindsay Creek
The Lindsay Creek is a tributary of the Water of Leith which runs through the northern suburbs of Dunedin, New Zealand. The Māori name ''Puke-haukea'' has been attributed to the creek; however, as ''puke'' means a hill, not a watercourse, this ...
. This small stream flows from the southern slopes of Mount Cargill
Mount Cargill, known in Māori as Kapukataumahaka,Place names'' on Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki website, viewed 2012-01-04 is a volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northern Dunedin, New Zealand.
The peak is named for Captain ...
, through Bethune's Gully
Bethune's Gully is notable geological feature of northern Dunedin, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located close to the suburb of Normanby towards the northern end of North East Valley. It preserves a number of acres of very old-growt ...
and along North East Valley
North East Valley (sometimes spelt Northeast Valley, and often abbreviated to NEV) is a suburb of the New Zealand city of Dunedin.
Geography
North East Valley sits in the valley of the Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the Water of Leith and on t ...
before crossing the Botanic Gardens and connecting with the Leith. A bronze statue of a trout in the Botanic Gardens commemorates the first liberation into a New Zealand river of brown trout
The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...
, imported from Tasmania
)
, nickname =
, image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates:
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdi ...
in 1869.
The Leith then turns south, flowing through the heart of the University of Otago
, image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg
, image_size =
, caption = University clock tower
, motto = la, Sapere aude
, mottoeng = Dare to be wise
, established = 1869; 152 years ago
, type = Public research collegiate u ...
campus at which point it veers east, passing the campus of Otago Polytechnic
Otago Polytechnic was a public New Zealand tertiary education institute, centred in Dunedin with additional campuses in Cromwell and Auckland. Otago Polytechnic provided career-focused education and training, offering a range of New Zealand accr ...
and the Dunedin College of Education
The Dunedin College of Education (''Te Kura Akau Taitoka'', also known as ''Dunedin Teachers' College'') was a former teacher training college in Dunedin, New Zealand. Founded in 1876, the college was the oldest teacher training college in New Zeal ...
and then Forsyth Barr Stadium
The Forsyth Barr Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in Dunedin, New Zealand. At various stages of development it was also known as Dunedin Stadium or Awatea Street Stadium, or its non-commercial official name during the 2011 Rugby World Cup an ...
before reaching the 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. It ...
south of Logan Park.
In 2018 a new cable stay footbridge was erected over the mouth of the Water of Leith (between the state highway bridge and the harbour). The Water of Leith Footbridge was commissioned by Dunedin City Council with funding from NZ Transport Agency. The project was a "Design and Construct" project costing NZ$1.4M. Design commenced in January 2018 and construction was completed in December 2018. The bridge spans 45m over the Leith and was constructed by Edifice Structures and designed by DC Structures Studio.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Leith, Water Of
Geography of Dunedin
Rivers of Otago
Leith Valley
Rivers of New Zealand