place

Leith Saddle

Geography of DunedinLandforms of OtagoLeith ValleyMountain passes of New Zealand
Leith saddle
Leith saddle

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. The saddle is a strategic point where the Dunedin Northern Motorway, part of State Highway 1 traverses a fragile alpine forest. Proposed road works to straighten a dangerous corner here conflict with conservation values. Water supply pipelines, and popular tramping and cycling routes also converge at the saddle. The Water of Leith's source is 100 metres to the south of Leith Saddle, at a height of 380 metres above sea level.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 and Dunedin's hills.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 metalled surfaces, making them attractive to cyclists.Transit New Zealand 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. The forest here features a species of Libocedrus, variously called Pahautea, Kaikawaka or New Zealand cedar, Libocedrus bidwillii, which is unusual in this region of New Zealand.Transit New Zealand stated in 2004 that Leith Saddle has 250% more accidents than average for the New Zealand state highway network and that the accident rate increased by 50% in the ten years to 2004. They said realignment here would reduce traffic delays, fuel use, crashes, and emissions of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.A contour pipeline running southbound over the saddle from several tributaries of the Waitati River feeds two of Dunedin's water supply reservoirs in Leith Valley: Ross Creek Reservoir and Sullivans Dam. Treated, fluoridated water is transmitted northwards from Dunedin's municipal water system via a new pipeline to the rural settlements of Waitati, Warrington and Seacliff.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Leith Saddle (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Leith Saddle
Dunedin-Waitati Highway, Dunedin

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Leith SaddleContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N -45.800094 ° E 170.516081 °
placeShow on map

Address

Dunedin-Waitati Highway

Dunedin-Waitati Highway
9010 Dunedin
Otago, New Zealand
mapOpen on Google Maps

Leith saddle
Leith saddle
Share experience

Nearby Places

Swampy Summit

Swampy Summit is a prominent hill 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) to the north of Dunedin, New Zealand. It reaches a height of 739 metres (2,425 ft). The hill's eastern slopes forms the western side of Leith Valley, the other side of which consists of the flank of Mount Cargill. The Leith Saddle is 2500 metres to the east of Swampy Summit's peak. Both the Water of Leith and the Waitati River (which forms the valley on the north side of the Leith Saddle) have their sources on Swampy Summit's eastern flank. As the name suggests, a regionally significant 48.4 hectares (120 acres) of wetland lies to the southeast, close to the peak of Swampy Summit. The wetland is largely composed of peat bog which formed in a hollow near the summit, over which sphagnum moss has grown. Beyond the wetland lies a subordinate peak, Swampy Spur. To the west of Swampy Summit, the land falls away to form the valley of Whare Creek (McKenzie's Creek), a tributary of the Silver Stream. A ridge connects the hill with another prominent peak, Flagstaff, which lies five kilometres to the south. The slopes of Swampy Summit are the site of several walking and mountain biking tracks, one of which — the Swampy Ridge Track — ascends to the hill's peak. The first track on Swampy Summit was formed in the 1840s by early settler Johnny Jones to ease his travels between his farm near Waikouaiti and the new settlement of Dunedin. A private access road also climbs to the summit, built during the 1960s when a telecommunications equipment was placed on and close to the summit.

Bethune's Gully
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-growth forest and a large stand of exotic Douglas fir, and is an ecosystem directly below the cloud forest on the upper slopes of Mount Cargill. The gully was formed by the upper reaches of Lindsay Creek, a tributary of the Water of Leith which flows along North East Valley. The gully is surrounded by an 86-hectare (210-acre) reserve and recreational area at the start of walking and trail-biking tracks which lead up the slopes of Mount Cargill, 2.5 kilometres (1.6 mi) to the north. The most notable of these is a 2-hour round trip walk which leads to the Cargill's summit, a rise of 580 metres (1,900 ft), which was opened in 1981.In 1996 Bethune's Gully was the venue for the New Zealand national mountain-biking championships. Biking tracks were extended after the championships and were opened to the public in 2003. Nearby Forrester Park, on Norwood Street, is home to the city's main BMX circuit.The reserve was named for David Bethune, who took over the property in 1878, setting up a sawmill and brick kiln. The property fell into disuse after it was sold by Bethune, only to be redeveloped by J. B. Thompson immediately after World War I and leased to the Dunedin City Council. It became city property after Thompson's death in 1955.The Gully is reached by Cluny Street, a short paved road off Normanby's Norwood Street, beyond which Norwood Street passes through a narrow cutting before emerging in open countryside.