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Story: Ports and harbours

Dunedin’s first jetty

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Dunedin’s first jetty

Varying dates have been ascribed to this photo of Dunedin’s jetty in the 1850s, but what is certain is that the shallow mudflats hindered the movement of people and goods. Early Dunedin spent a fortune demolishing Bell Hill (from where this photo was taken) to reclaim the bay out to deeper water.

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Alexander Turnbull Library

Reference: 1/2-038710; F

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page

Gavin McLean, Ports and harbours – Beachheads and beginnings, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/5984/dunedins-first-jetty (accessed 4 June 2026).

Story by Gavin McLean, published 2 March 2009, updated 30 July 2015.