Portobello, New Zealand

Portobello
Settlement
Portobello
Portobello
Map
Coordinates: 45°50′23″S 170°39′03″E / 45.8398°S 170.6509°E / -45.8398; 170.6509
CountryNew Zealand
IslandSouth Island
RegionOtago
Community boardOtago Peninsula Community Board[1][2]
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial authorityDunedin City Council
 • Regional councilOtago Regional Council
 • Mayor of DunedinJules Radich
 • Dunedin MPRachel Brooking
 • Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris
Area
 • Total1.97 km2 (0.76 sq mi)
Population
 (2018 Census)[4]
 • Total594
 • Density300/km2 (780/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Area code03
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

Portobello is a village beside the Otago Harbour halfway along the Otago Peninsula in Dunedin City, New Zealand. It lies at the foot of a small peninsula (Portobello Peninsula) between Portobello Bay and Latham Bay.

Like scores of Dunedin features, Portobello was named after a locality in Edinburgh, Scotland, also called Portobello.

At the end of Portobello Peninsula sits a marine research station, the Portobello Marine Laboratory, which is part of the University of Otago. Close to the end of this peninsula lies Quarantine Island / Kamau Taurua.

Portobello features a Historical Society Museum, the 1908 Restaurant, a local primary school (Portobello School, Years 1-8), the old Portobello Hotel (a pub), a cafe and several accommodation providers, including a camping ground, bed and breakfasts and motels. A local dairy acts as the community's grocers, though most of the village's retail needs are served by Dunedin city.

The winding but well-surfaced Portobello Road runs along the edge of the harbour, connecting Portobello to the city. A multi-year project to raise and widen this road and add a 19km shared-use pathway, now named Te Aka Ōtākou,[5] was completed in 2023, safely connecting Portobello to Dunedin for cyclists and walkers and allowing a full loop around the harbour via the ferry to Port Chalmers. A more convoluted but scenic route, Highcliff Road, connects Portobello with Dunedin city centre via the ridge of the peninsula.

Boating is an historical focus for Portobello. In the past, Portobello residents caught the ferry to the city, before the Portobello Road along the foreshore was constructed. Today, scheduled ferry service to Kamau Taurua and Port Chalmers departs from the recently renovated ferry jetty,[6] a short distance from the centre of the village. A boating club maintains a slipway and boat shed near the jetty.

Portobello Community Inc.[7] is the local community group, which works to improve Portobello for its community.

  1. ^ "Otago Peninsula Community Board | Community Plan 2019 – 2020" (PDF). dunedin.govt.nz. Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  2. ^ "2016 Otago Peninsula Community Board Boundary" (PDF). dunedin.govt.nz. Dunedin City Council. Retrieved 2 June 2022.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference Area was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference Census 2018 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Dunedin City Council. "The Insider's Guide to Te Aka Ōtākou". Retrieved 12 October 2024.
  6. ^ Port To Port Cruises. "Port To Port Cruises". Retrieved 27 November 2021.
  7. ^ Portobello Community Inc. "Portobello New Zealand". Retrieved 27 November 2021.