Signal Hill () is a prominent landform in the city of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; ) is the second-most populous city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from ("fort of Edin"), the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of S ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is located close to, and due north of, the head of the

Otago Harbour Otago Harbour is the harbor, 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 m ...

and reaches an elevation of 393 m (1289 ft). The suburbs Ravensbourne, St. Leonards, and Opoho lie on its southern, eastern, and northwestern flanks, respectively. To the northwest is North East Valley, the

thalweg In geography, hydrography, and fluvial geomorphology, a thalweg or talweg () is the line or curve of lowest elevation within a valley or watercourse. Normally only the horizontal position of the curve is considered (as viewed on a map); the c ...

of Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the

Water of Leith The Water of Leith (Scottish Gaelic: ''Uisge Lìte'') is the main river flowing through central Edinburgh, Scotland, that starts in the Pentlands Hills and flows into the port of Leith and then into the sea via the Firth of Forth. Name The ...

. The southernmost spur of Signal Hill, Logan Point, has been extensively quarried for road gravel. State Highway 88 skirts the foot of the hill close to the edge of the Otago Harbour. An observatory for geodetic and astrophysical study was installed at the summit in the 1970s, which has since been removed. A secondary summit of the hill (height 329 m) is capped by a monument to the New Zealand Centennial of 1940, a large structure including two large bronze figures representing "History" and "The Thread of Life" designed by F. A. Shurrock and F. W. Staub. (colloquially known as 'the buddhas' in local slang for their similarities to the sitting posture of the buddha figure). Although commissioned for the centenary of the signing of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

, the monument was not constructed until the 1950s, owing to the enforced strictures of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. A large stone from

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

is also incorporated in the monument, symbolising the ties between Dunedin and its

sister city A sister city or a twin town relationship is a form of legal or social agreement between two geographically and politically distinct localities for the purpose of promoting cultural and commercial ties. While there are early examples of inte ...

. The monument is surrounded by a scenic reserve 180 hectares in extent. This park was inaugurated as a much smaller park in 1926, and has gradually been extended to its current size. The reserve, located only five kilometres from central Dunedin, is a popular site for both locals and visitors, and affords an excellent panoramic view over the city. In October 2006, a series of bush fires caused extensive damage to the plantations of forest which cover the western slopes of the hill.

References

{{Commons category, Signal Hill (Dunedin)

References

Further reading