Waitati

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. The river flows through the town of Waitati before discharging into the Orokonui Lagoon, an estuary of Blueskin Bay.

Blueskin Bay is an estuary in coastal Otago, about 25 km north of Dunedin, New Zealand. The name also unofficially describes the rural district which includes the northern slopes of Mount Cargill, the southern slopes of the Kilmog, and the townships of Doctors Point, Waitati, Evansdale, Warrington, and Seacliff.

Careys Creek, known in Māori as Whaitiripaku and Waihema, is a small river in Otago, New Zealand, which flows from the Silverpeaks into Blueskin Bay at Evansdale. The creek drains the forest plantations and native bush of Silverpeaks Forest and the Careys Creek Conservation Area. It is crossed by State Highway 1 at Evansdale, close to the foot of The Kilmog.

Evansdale is a census-gathering district in rural Dunedin, New Zealand. It encompasses all areas outside of urban areas between Mount Cargill and the northern Dunedin City boundary. It is named after one of the small villages it contains: Evansdale, New Zealand. According to the 2013 New Zealand census, Evansdale has a population of 1,482, an increase of 198 people since the 2006 census.

Evansdale is a locality on State Highway 1, 25 km north of Dunedin, at the north west of Blueskin Bay. It also has lent its name to a cheese producer, and a census-gathering district, which has a population of 1,482 in the 2013 New Zealand census, an increase of 198 people since the 2006 census.

Orokonui Ecosanctuary, called Te Korowai o Mihiwaka in Māori, is an ecological island wildlife reserve developed by the Otago Natural History Trust in the Orokonui Valley between Waitati and Pūrākaunui, New Zealand, 20 kilometres (12 mi) to the north of central Dunedin.

Warrington, known in Māori as Ōkāhau, is a small settlement on the coast of Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is situated close to the northern shore of Blueskin Bay, an area of mudflats north of Dunedin, and is administered as part of Dunedin City. Warrington is 3 km (1.9 mi) from State Highway 1 linked by Coast Road. The Main South Line railway passes through the township and a tourist train, the Seasider passes through the settlement once or twice a week between Dunedin and Palmerston. Warrington beach, a popular surf beach for locals and visitors from the city, is patrolled by volunteer lifeguards of the Warrington Surf Life Saving Club which established in Dunedin in 1957 and relocated here in 1976. Warrington Beach is occasionally used by naturists for nude sunbathing. New Zealand has no official nude beaches, as public nudity is legal on any beach where it is "known to occur". St Barnabas Church is one of the area's oldest buildings.

St Barnabas' Church is a heritage listed Anglican church, located at 266 Coast Road, Warrington, Otago, New Zealand. The small wooden church was built in 1872.

Te Mapoutahi or simply Mapoutahi is a peninsula on the coast of Otago, New Zealand, between the townships of Waitati and Pūrākaunui, within the limits of Dunedin City. It lies some 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Dunedin's city centre. Known also, confusingly, as "Goat Island", the peninsula's narrow isthmus and rugged coastline made it the perfect defensive location for a pā, a fortified settlement. The headland was, indeed, occupied by a Kāti Māmoe pā during the century before the arrival of Europeans in the early 1800s, and was the site of a major massacre in around 1750 when the warrior Taoka attacked the fortifications and killed those within. The peninsula is now a scenic and historic reserve and is the site of a popular walking track. The adjacent beach, Mapoutahi Cove, is used by naturists for nude walks and sunbathing. New Zealand has no official nude beaches, as public nudity is legal on any beach where it is "known to occur".

The Kilmog, occasionally called Kilmog Hill and known in Māori as Kirimoko, is a hilly area approximately 20 kilometres north of Dunedin, New Zealand, on State Highway 1, to the north of Blueskin Bay and south of Karitane. Technically more a series of hills than a single hill, it lies between the south branch of the Waikouaiti River and the Pacific Ocean, and reaches its highest point at the 431 m (1436 ft) Hammond Hill, close to the farming community of Merton. A second peak, Porteous Hill, lies at the southern end of the Kilmog, rising to 395 m (1317 ft). The name is better known as that of a steep stretch of State Highway 1, where this main state highway traverses a section of these hills between Waitati and Waikouaiti. In the five kilometre stretch from Evansdale, at the northern end of Blueskin Bay, SH1 climbs from sea level to an altitude of 300 m — the highest point on the highway south of Amberley in north Canterbury. Most of the road is three lanes, with two lanes for uphill traffic on each side of the hill, and a passing lane for southbound traffic on a relatively flat alignment near the summit. The highway is sometimes closed by snow in winter. The area is sparsely inhabited; other than farms around Merton only the coastal stretch is inhabited, with a string of small settlements stretching along the coast from Warrington in the south to Puketeraki in the north, most notably Seacliff. The geology of the Kilmog is predominantly a basaltic intrusion into a raised section of the Otago peneplain, the latter mostly Cretaceous schist, over which is a deposit of sandstone with some quartz. Most of the area is prone to slumping, which leads to regular maintenance for the highway. The instability of the land also led to the disgrace of architect Robert Lawson, whose Seacliff Lunatic Asylum was structurally affected, and to the replacement of a railway tunnel on the South Island Main Trunk line by a cutting. A narrow winding scenic alternative route bypassing the Kilmog follows the coast past the settlements of Warrington and Seacliff, but this is of a relatively poor standard and is not recommended for heavy vehicles. The hill's name, though occasionally disputed, is widely believed to be a corruption of the Southern Māori word kirimoko, kilimoko or kilimogo, the name of a species of mānuka tree used by early Māori for brewing a kind of tea.

Mount Cargill, known in Māori as Kapukataumahaka, is a volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northern Dunedin, New Zealand. The peak is named for Captain William Cargill, an early leader of the Province of Otago. Māori legend tells of the mountain showing the profile of a prominent warrior, and indeed from Dunedin Buttar's Peak and Mount Cargill between them do form the outline of a reclining figure, with the nearby Buttar's Peak being the head and Mount Cargill the body. Panoramic views of Dunedin and its surrounding area are visible from the summit, making it a popular, if difficult to access, site. A single rough road ascends to the peak, and several popular walking tracks also ascend the slopes. Mount Cargill is topped by a telecommunications station and mast, the Mount Cargill Transmitting Station. The mast is Dunedin's tallest man-made structure.

Long Beach, known in Māori as Wharauwerawera or Wharewerawera is a small coastal settlement in Otago, New Zealand comprising approximately 100 homes. Many of the sections were initially auctioned in October 1922 for a pound deposit. It is located within the city limits of Dunedin, and lies 15 kilometres northeast of the city centre, between Blueskin Bay and the mouth of the Otago Harbour. The small settlement of Pūrākaunui is located nearby. Long Beach township is near a sandy beach that stretches 2.4 kilometres between coastal rock formations. Wildlife in the beach and lagoon area includes blue penguins, seals, terns, pūkeko, herons, spoonbills, and ducks. Because the beach lies within a bay and is seldom affected by swells, it is a common swimming location. Rock-climbing cliffs and caves at the beach's western end also attract many visitors. The Mopanui Ecological Society, a Long Beach community group, has been extensively beautifying the area through mass planting of native flora in reserve areas. Some of the earliest traces of human settlement in the South Island are from nearby Kaikai Beach, just to the northwest of Long Beach. The 2006 movie Out of the Blue was primarily filmed at Long Beach.