Day Fifty Nine Studentville

My walk today took me around the streets surrounding the University of Otago past many of the student flats.  Today I walked 10 streets.

717. Ellis Street
718. Howe Street
719. MacKenzie Street
720. Moat Street

721. Brook Street
722. Castle Street North
723. Leith Street North
724. Montgomery Avenue
725. Union Street West
726. Union Place

I walked around the North Ground which is a sports field between the two one ways in the north end of Dunedin.  The autumn colours look great at this time of the year.

I walked over the Water of Leith again and followed it around behind the student flats and the side of the Dunedin Botanic Gardens.  The Water of Leith, also known as Òwheo, is contained by concrete sides which help contain the river during heavy rain and flooding.  Today it is flowing peacefully. 

Once past the student housing, I walked the streets that connected the University of Otago with the city.  The University of Otago accepted it's first students in 1871 making it the oldest university in New Zealand.  The University clock tower is the most recognisable building on campus and features in many graduation photos.

While there are parts of the university that date back to it's beginning, there are also newer buildings that have been added as the university has grown.  It is interesting to see how the different styles fit together.  Within sight of the stone cock tower is this modern glass building. 

The Water of Leith flows through the heart of the University of Otago where there has been a lot of work done on flood protection over the years. 

 Today on my walk I past the Otago Museum which was opened in 1868 and over the past 150 years, the museum has one of the largest museum collections in New Zealand with over 1.5 million objects.  The museum houses artifacts not just from New Zealand but from around the world including an Egyptian mummy, complete whale skeleton, animal attic and live butterfly house.  

Near the Museum is the historic North Dunedin Post Office which was built in 1878.  When the post office moved across the road, the museum took over the lease of the building and it often houses special exhibitions. 

One lovely old building that I walked past today is Selwyn College which was opened in 1893 and is Otago's first residential college. It was not until 1983 that women were allowed to live at the Selwyn College.

Students at the University of Otago are affectionately known as "scarfies" and this name dates back to the 1960's when it was common for students to wear long scarfs often because their flats were so cold.  In the 1930's students began naming their flats and today that tradition is still alive with over 600 weird and wonderful names.  Flats are often known by their names rather than their address.   Below is just a few of the named flats that I walked past today. 

One notoriously named flat  that I walked past today is 660 Castle Street.  This is where the New Zealand band Six60 was formed in 2008.  The founding members of the band were all flat mates in 660 Castle Street and they took their name from the address of their flat. 

There is some impressive public art in and around the student flatting area.  The paintings cover whole walls and are great for covering up walls that were prone to graffiti.   

There is also some graffiti on the sides of the concrete walls containing the Leith.  Some of the graffiti is very well done so while it is not official art, I thought it was worth taking a photo of.

Finally I thought I would share the google earth image of the streets that I have walked so far.  I have walked all the streets in red.

Distance walked:  7.8 km      Walking time   1hr 23 mins    

Total distance: 463.9 km       Total walking  87 hr 08 mins