Saddle Hill
Saddle Hill rises over the town of Green Island, as seen from Lookout Point, Dunedin.
Highest point
Elevation473 m (1,552 ft)
Prominence320 m (1,050 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
Parent peakSilver Peak
Isolation10.7 km (6.6 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
to Flagstaff)
Coordinates45°54′39″S 170.°21′20″E / 45.91083°S 170.35556°E / -45.91083; 170.35556
Naming
Native namePukemakamaka (Māori)
Geography
CountryNew Zealand
RegionOtago
DistrictDunedin
Geology
Volcanic regionDunedin Volcano complex
Saddle Hill from the Taieri Plains, showing the shape which gives the hill its name. East to the left.
Saddle Hill from the main street of Mosgiel.

Saddle Hill is a prominent landmark overlooking the northeastern end of the Taieri Plains in Otago, New Zealand. Within the limits of Dunedin city, it is located 18 kilometres to the west of the city centre, between Mosgiel and Green Island, and is clearly visible from many of the city's southern hill suburbs. A lookout on the northern slopes of the hill commands a good view across the plains, with Lake Waihola visible 25 kilometres to the west in clear weather.

The hill has two peaks with the eastern peak rising to 473 metres, and the western peak – Jeffray's Hill – rising to 431 metres.

Of largely volcanic origin, the hill is part of the extinct Dunedin Volcano complex, with a base of Cretaceous breccia overlaid with Miocene igneous rocks, these in turn overlaid with Cenozoic sediments.[1] Erosion has revealed a volcanic plug on the western peak, giving the hill its distinct breast-like shape.

The hill was – along with Cape Saunders on the Otago Peninsula – one of just two places in Otago to have been named by Captain James Cook on his 1769 voyage of discovery. Cook described the hill in his journal as "a remarkable saddle". According to pre-European Māori tradition, the hill is the remains of a taniwha called Meremere[2] and the northern and southern peaks of hill were known by Māori by the names Makamaka and Pikiwara respectively. Early settlers' maps occasionally record the hill as "Saddleback Hill".[3]

A small coal seam on the hill was exploited by early European settlers, and was mined from as early as 1849, the first coal mine in the country.[4] Jaffray's Hill (often wrongly called Jeffrey's Hill, and named for the Jaffray family who owned the land from 1849 until 1937),[3] was extensively mined for basalt gravel until the mid-1980s. A DCC landscape architect reviewed the visual effects of quarrying in 2008 after concerns from local residents, and found the hill to be "relatively unchanged".[5] This finding, however, has been successfully challenged in court[6] with much public opinion against[7] the continued quarrying.

Demographics

The statistical area of Saddle Hill-Chain Hills covers 47.61 km2 (18.38 sq mi)[8] and had an estimated population of 1,320 as of June 2023,[9] with a population density of 28 people per km2.

Historical population
YearPop.±% p.a.
20061,071—    
20131,191+1.53%
20181,224+0.55%
Source: [10]

Saddle Hill-Chain Hills had a population of 1,224 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 33 people (2.8%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 153 people (14.3%) since the 2006 census. There were 432 households. There were 609 males and 612 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.0 males per female. The median age was 46.1 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 192 people (15.7%) aged under 15 years, 216 (17.6%) aged 15 to 29, 657 (53.7%) aged 30 to 64, and 156 (12.7%) aged 65 or older.

Ethnicities were 94.1% European/Pākehā, 4.7% Māori, 0.7% Pacific peoples, 1.7% Asian, and 2.2% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).

The proportion of people born overseas was 16.7%, compared with 27.1% nationally.

Although some people objected to giving their religion, 55.6% had no religion, 37.0% were Christian, 0.5% were Muslim, 0.5% were Buddhist and 1.5% had other religions.

Of those at least 15 years old, 267 (25.9%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 150 (14.5%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $37,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 252 people (24.4%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 561 (54.4%) people were employed full-time, 171 (16.6%) were part-time, and 18 (1.7%) were unemployed.[10]

References

  1. ↑ Bishop, D.G. and Turnbull, I.M. (1996). Geology of the Dunedin area. Lower Hutt: Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences. ISBN 0-478-09521-X
  2. ↑ Dann, C. and Peat, N. (1989) Dunedin, North and South Otago. Wellington: GP Books. p. 64. ISBN 0-477-01438-0
  3. 1 2 Herd, J. and Griffiths, G.J. (1980) Discovering Dunedin. Dunedin: John McIndoe. p. 103. ISBN 0-86868-030-3
  4. ↑ Dunmore, Patricia, ed. (1977). The Dunmore Book of New Zealand Records. p. 22. ISBN 0-908564-08-2.
  5. ↑ Schofield, Edith (16 September 2008). "Saddle Hill 'relatively unchanged', says DCC". Otago Daily Times. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  6. ↑ RadioNZ (17 October 2016). "Environment court decides in Council's favour".
  7. ↑ "Save Saddle Hill".
  8. ↑ "ArcGIS Web Application". statsnz.maps.arcgis.com. Retrieved 24 December 2023.
  9. ↑ "Population estimate tables - NZ.Stat". Statistics New Zealand. Retrieved 25 October 2023.
  10. 1 2 "Statistical area 1 dataset for 2018 Census". Statistics New Zealand. March 2020. Saddle Hill-Chain Hills (350200). 2018 Census place summary: Saddle Hill-Chain Hills

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