If we turned the clock back several hundred years, Dunedin/Ōtepoti would be a very different place. Imagine standing in the Octagon and instead of seeing shops and roads you would be surrounded by beautiful native forest. Huge native trees such as rimu and tōtara would have towered into the sky. The peninsula would have been lush in native canopy.
Areas like Mt Cargill give us a glimpse of what Dunedin’s forests probably looked like. Out in South Dunedin suburbs, much of that land was largely wetland or sandy dunes, perhaps similar to modern day Hoopers Inlet.
With the loss of habitat, threats from introduced predators and hunting, many native birds that once flourished in Dunedin have disappeared. Here is a list of some of the special bird species that once filled our forests and skies.
One day some of these birds may once again be seen in our city as we reduce introduced predator numbers!
1) Moa
February 20, 2025
7 birds that used to live in Dunedin — City Sanctuary
maximios city
If we turned the clock back several hundred years, Dunedin/Ōtepoti would be a very different place. Imagine standing in the Octagon and instead of seeing shops and roads you would be surrounded by beautiful native forest. Huge native trees such as rimu and tōtara would have towered into the sky. The peninsula would have been lush in native canopy.
Areas like Mt Cargill give us a glimpse of what Dunedin’s forests probably looked like. Out in South Dunedin suburbs, much of that land was largely wetland or sandy dunes, perhaps similar to modern day Hoopers Inlet.
With the loss of habitat, threats from introduced predators and hunting, many native birds that once flourished in Dunedin have disappeared. Here is a list of some of the special bird species that once filled our forests and skies.
One day some of these birds may once again be seen in our city as we reduce introduced predator numbers!
1) Moa