100 trips for 100 years with Dunedin on Foot: Day Sixty North Dunedin

Today was a longer walk around the streets surrounding the central city and University. I walked 21 streets today.

727. Albion Lane
728. Cumberland Street
729. Malcolm Street
730. Walsh Street
731. Emily Siedeberg Place
732. Claredon Street
733. Gowland Street
734. Castle Street
735. Bow Lane
736. St Andrew Street

737. St Andrew Street Extension
738. Hanover Street
739. Frederick Street
740. Vire Street
741. Grange Street
742. Leith Street
743. Hyde Street
744. Ethel Benjamin Place
745. Ethel McMillan Place
746. Albion Street
747. Riego Street

Today I carried on walking along the flat so there aren't many views to see but there continues to be many places and buildings of interest. The first building of note that I walked past today was the Dunedin Hospital. The hospital has been on it's current site for more than 150 years with the first patient being admitted in 1866. Over the years the hospital has grown and this is one of the 'newer' building additions to the hospital, this ward block was built in 1983.

The Dunedin Hospital is set to move with the demolition of the Cadbury chocolate factory a few blocks south. The new hospital is expected to cost more than 1.4 billion dollars and take 10 years to build I walked past the site of the new hospital today and can see where the demolition of the Cadbury chocolate factory has begun .

Across the road from the current Dunedin Hospital is the Dunedin Medical School which was built in 1927. The first fully trained doctor graduated from the Dunedin Medical School in 1887 and it was not until 1896 that the first woman doctor graduated.

The first woman to graduate from the Dunedin Medical School was Emily Siedeberg. Emily faced hostile opposition when she enrolled at the medical school and went on to become the first female medical practitioner in New Zealand. Today I walked the street named after her. Emily Siedeberg Place is a small street between the University of Otago and the Dunedin Hospital. There is a plaque in the footpath of the street to commerate Emily Siedeberg.

Next to the medical school is the Otago University's pathology department and is home for the preventive medicine, pathology and bacteriology departments. This lovely art deco building was opened in 1948.

Next to the Dunedin Hospital is the old Queen Mary Maternity Hospital which opened in 1937 and closed in 1990 when it was amalgamated with the Dunedin Hospital. Today it is a residential college for students studying at the University of Otago

Near the Dunedin Hospital, is the University of Otago School of Dentistry. Founded in 1907, this is the only School of Dentistry in New Zealand and is ranked within the top 15 dental schools in the world. Dunedin citizens are able to receive low cost dental treatment by trainee dentists at the dental school.

Today's walk has taken me past many buildings of significance and the last one that I will share is the Central Dunedin Fire Station. Built in 1931, it originally housed the firemen and their families as well as the engines and equipment. While the fire station is still in use today, the firemen no longer live or sleep at the fire station.

Today I walked along part of Anzac Avenue which seemed very appropriate as today is Anzac day. Anzac (Australia New Zealand Armed Corps) is the day that we remember all the soldiers who did not come home from war. Anzac Avenue was built on reclaimed land in 1925 and planted with elm trees.

I was pleased to walk past this hidden Anzac memorial today. Hidden under a tree on the University of Otago art department grounds, this memorial is for all the men who were ex-pupils that gave their lives in the Great War of 1914-1919

I have already mentioned walking Emily Siedeberg Place which is a street named to commemorate the first New Zealand female doctor. There are two other streets that I walked today that are named for other notable females. One is Ethel Benjamin Place, named after Ethel Benjamin who is the first woman to qualify as a lawyer in New Zealand. Ethel enrolled at the University of Otago in 1893 not knowing if she would be able to practice law once she graduated as women were not allowed into the legal profession at that time. Ethel received top marks and in 1897 was admitted as a barrister of the Supreme Court of New Zealand

Ethel McMillan Place is the other street I walked that commemorates a notable female. Ethel McMillan graduated from the University of Otago in 1926 and she was the first female to be elected to the Dunedin City Council where she served for 30 years. Ethel went on to become the first woman elected to New Zealand parliament where she served for 25 years.