Water of Leith (New Zealand)

Story

The Water of Leith, is a small river in the South Island of New Zealand.It rises to the north of the city of Dunedin, flowing for 14km southeast through the northern part of the city and the campus of the University of Otago before reaching the Otago Harbour. The name of the city of Dunedin is the anglicised form of Dùn Èideann which is the Scottish Gaelic form of the name Edinburgh, and thus the river is also named for the Water of Leith which runs through the Scottish capital. The original Māori name for the stream was Ōwheo, Wheo being the name of a local chief whose village stood close to its mouth. This name is now rarely used.CourseThe Leith's source is close to the Dunedin Northern Motorway, part of State Highway 1, 100m south of Leith Saddle, at an elevation of some 380m above sea level. The motorway passes over the Leith Saddle, which lies between the sources of the Leith and the Waitati River, approximately halfway between the northern suburb of Pine Hill and the outlying settlement of Waitati.