Some examples of what the society has achieved for the enhancement of Dunedin over the years, from its founding in 1888 to the present day.
1890 The Triangle – Queens Gardens
This area was described in Society’s minutes “as being an eyesore for the traveller on the railway bound to the 1889 -90 New Zealand and South Seas Exhibition.”
Before
Then
Now
The Octagon 1890 – 1903
The minutes describe the Octagon as ” a standing disgrace to the community an eyesore to most citizens and an object of ridicule to strangers.”
Before
Then
Now
ANZAC Square 1997
The society raised $70,000 for this project by selling seats and bricks to donors. The square with the railway station are perhaps the most photographed areas in Dunedin.
The Ocean Domain 1891 – 1990
A severe 1891 storm smashed the St. Clair esplande and took apart the sand dunes. The society imported marram grass and lupins to consolidate the dunes. For over a hundred years frequent plantings have occurred from Second Beach to Lawyers Head.
St. Clair 1890
Current views of the dune escarpment along the St Clair and St Kilda beaches
The Town Belt was developed as part of Kettle’s original 1848 town plan.
It was described in an Otago Daily Times 26th March headline as ” Dunedin’s Verdant Treasure”. The Society has been active in partnership with the Dunedin City Council on planting , maintenance, advising on noxious plants, encroachment, parking, litter, vandalism, education and running the biannual Town Belt Traverse. The Town Belt now has an area of 203 hectares, 22 sport fields, 11 playgrounds, a 9-hole golf course and numerous lookouts; many developed with the Society’s assistance.
Then (around 1910)
Now (2025)
A wide variety of native and exotic vegetation throughout the Town Belt
Jubilee Park (1888) within the Southern section of the Town Belt. This park was created from Tomlinson’s paddock (a gold miners’ encampment in the 1870s) to celebrate Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee.
Cairn at the eastern boundary of Jubilee Park commemorating Queen Victoria’s golden jubilee
Queens View –established by the society to celebrate the 1952 Queen Elizabeth’s visit to Dunedin
The Clear – Prospect Park 1964 75th anniversary project
Over the years the society has planted thousands of trees and shrubs in the Town Belt.
Lake Logan – Logan Park 1916 – 1968
The Society was an early proponent for Lake Logan to be reclaimed as a reserve and sports field. The first proposal for the area to be used for the 1925 South Seas Exhibition was from the Society.
1968 – The Society donated the gates of the university oval at Logan Park to celebrate the University of Otago centennial.
Anzac Avenue – tree planting 1925
The society organised the planting of Anzac Avenue as an Arbor Day exercise by students of the then Albany Street school.
General Street Planting
From 1916 and throughout the 1920’s and the 1930’s, many streets were planted with trees by the Society in conjunction with the Returned Services Association, providing work schemes for unemployed soldiers.
The first streets to be planted were Claremont Street and Valpy Street in 1916
Claremont Street with a seat donated by the Society
Valpy Street
Some of the streets and areas planted with the Society’s input include the following:
- 1893 Kensington Bank
- 1894 Oval
- 1899 Canongate – Serpentine
- 1912 Hawthorne Ave
- 1917 Dowling St, Tennyson St, Elder St, Melbourne St
- 1918 OBHS rectory (Arthur St), Eglinton Rd
- 1921 Constitution St, Baker St, London St, Heriot Row, Albany St
- 1921 View St, Wilkie Rd, Main South Rd, Moana Cres, Meadow St
- 1923 Queen St, Wallace St, The Clear, Warrender St, Cumberland St
- 1926 Tweed St, Arthur St, High St
- 1927 Rawhiti St, Cliffs Rd, Easther Cres, Second Beach, Maori Rd, Cargill St
- 1930s Lower Portobello Rd
- 1941 St Clair, North Rd
- 1943 Queen’s Drive, Littlebourne
- 1953 Northern Highway
- 1958 Norfolk St, Lynn St, Hislop St, Helensburgh Rd, Pt Chalmers Highway
- 1989 Portsmouth Dr, Baldwin St
- 1992 Willowbank, Sidey St
- 1997 MacAndrew Rd
Planting – many parts of Dunedin have been planted by the Society
Examples include:
Kensington(1893)
The Oval ( 1894 and 1911)
The Museum Reserve ( 1895)
Eglinton Road (1918)
Willowbank (1992)
Natives at Mornington Park (2023)
Botanic Gardens – the society has always contributed to the facilities of the Gardens.
The Wolf Harris Fountain (relocated from its original 1890 site at Queens Gardens – see the photo at the start of this article)
The feeding area of the duck pond
The Rock Garden
Azalea Garden
Mediterranean Garden
Friendship seat – sister city Portsmouth USA
Gardens Aviary
1991 The original Dunedin Amenities Society 110th anniversary fountain
2025 the replacement fountain
Seats – the Society has donated over a hundred seats around Dunedin, Karitane, Brighton, and the Otago Peninsula.
A memorial seat ( 1916) honouring Thomas Brown (one of the Society’s founders), overlooking the Town Belt in Belleknowes above Preston Crescent
Botanic Gardens 1990’s
Flagstaff 2025
Craigieburn Reserve (above Ross Creek – Leith Valley)
In 1949 the Society and the DCC were jointly bequeathed a 20 acre farm above the Ross Creek reservoir. During the 1950’s and 1990’s, often as Arbor Day exercises, many groups such as polytechnic and university students, high school students, the Lions and Rotary societies helped to plant natives trees and shrubs. This reserve is now jointly managed by the DCC and the Society
Aerial view of the Craigieburn Reserve
The stone wall
The ‘Little Ruin’
Aerial view of the yard and foundations of the former Cow Byre
Eye-level view of the remains of the Cow Byre at Craigieburn
View from Byre towards Ross Creek dam and reservoir with the city and harbour beyond
The Dunedin Amenities Society 