Woodhaugh Dunedin: Riverside Gardens and Leith Valley Suburb

Woodhaugh lies at the lower end of Leith Valley where the Water of Leith meets the central city plain. The suburb offers residents and visitors a mix of residential streets and green space within easy reach of Dunedin’s CBD and university area.

The defining feature is Woodhaugh Gardens, a 12-hectare park managed by the Dunedin City Council as part of the Town Belt. It contains one of the city’s most significant remnants of ancient kahikatea swamp forest along with totara and rimu trees. Walking tracks through the native bush connect to broader routes including those near Ross Creek Reservoir.

Recreational facilities include playgrounds with swings, slides and a flying fox, a seasonal paddling pool, electric barbecues and sheltered picnic tables. The gardens support native birds such as kererū, tūī and fantail.

Woodhaugh’s history includes mid-19th-century industrial use with sawmills and flour mills along the river, followed by formal garden development from 1873 and major landscaping in 1895. Flood protection works have modified the river channel within the gardens.

The name Woodhaugh derives from the wooded character of the area and the Scots term for a riverside meadow. During the 1850s the Leith powered sawmills and flour mills serving early Dunedin settlers. The Woodhaugh Paper Mill, New Zealand’s first commercial paper mill, began production in 1876.

Formal reservation of the gardens began in 1873 within the planned Town Belt. Significant landscaping occurred in 1895. The area later became a family recreation space with the addition of a paddling pool and playground in the mid-20th century.

Woodhaugh Gardens provides playground equipment, a seasonal paddling pool, public electric barbecues, picnic tables and toilets. Native forest tracks offer opportunities for walking and birdwatching. The park connects to the wider Town Belt network and routes toward the Dunedin Botanic Garden.

The Dunedin City Council has designated the gardens as a destination playground. Under the 2025–2034 Nine-Year Plan, approximately NZ$3.53 million is allocated for redevelopment with a water, adventure and woodland theme, including inclusive play structures and a modernised water play area. Design is scheduled for 2028 and construction for 2029.

The Leith Flood Protection Scheme, managed by the Otago Regional Council, mitigates flooding risk across approximately 200 hectares from Malvern Street in Glenleith to Rattray Street. Works within Woodhaugh Gardens have included channel modifications and weirs to reduce erosion and protect residential and park areas.

These measures address historical flood events, including major flooding in 1929, while balancing ecological needs along the Water of Leith.