Port Chalmers
From Queenstown.net.nz
Port Chalmers is a suburb and the main port of the city of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 3,000. Port Chalmers lies ten kilometres inside Otago Harbour, some 15 kilometres northeast from Dunedin's city centre.
Much of Port Chalmers is located on a small hilly peninsula, at the northern end of which is a large reclaimed area which is now the site of Dunedin's container port. Close to the southeastern shore of this peninsula are a pair of islands, which lie across the harbour between Port Chalmers and the Otago Peninsula. These two islands are Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua and Goat Island. Prior to the local body reorganisation in the 1980s Port Chalmers was made up of several suburbs, as well as the central area, Roseneath, Blanket Bay, Upper Junction, Brick Hill, Sawyers Bay, Mussel Bay, Upper Port Chalmers, Dalkeith, Careys Bay, Reynoldstown, Deborah Bay, Hamilton Bay, Waipuna Bay, Te Ngaru, and Aramoana, as well as the outlying townships of Long Beach, Purakanui and several other smaller nearby villages and farmsteads.
Although the harbour beyond Port Chalmers is regularly dredged, most of the port activity is centred on Port Chalmers rather than on central Dunedin. Part of the reason for this is the narrowness of the Victoria Channel, the one part of the Otago Harbour navigable by large ships, which makes it far easier for berthing to take place at Port Chalmers, closer to the open sea. Any big ships venturing into the upper harbour wharfs need to be piloted in with the help of tugs.
The port was the last visited by Robert Falcon Scott before heading south on his final expedition to Antarctica. A large stone monument now stands above the town dedicated to Scott's final expedition.
Most of Port Chalmers' economic activity centres on the container terminal. Fishing, of historic importance, is now only a small part of the economy.
Around 80 cruise ships now visit Port Chalmers in a season stretching from October to May. See Port Otago Cruise ships
Exploring New Zealand is based in Port Chalmers and runs tours for cruise ship passengers from there.
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[edit] Visiting Port Chalmers
Port Chalmers has a number of utilities and attractions for visitors including:
[edit] Businesses
- Restaurants
- Bars
- Cafes
- Convenience store
- 'New World' Supermarket
- ATM Machine
- Chemist (Drugstore)
- Hairdresser
- Bookshop
- Art Gallerys
- Second hand and collectables stores
[edit] Cultural sites
- Lookout point (over the port)
- Scott Memorial
- Library with free wifi
- Maritime Museum
- Iona Presbyterian Church
- Anglican Church
- Catholic Church (where Mary MacKillop, Australia's first saint was once based)
- School with playground
- Harbour Rugby club and sports grounds
[edit] Cruise ship passenger transport
