Kew, Dunedin: Suburb Guide to Terrace Streets Above Forbury

Last updated October 2026

Kew is a small residential suburb of Dunedin, set on the lower slopes above Forbury Corner. It was laid out on part of the farmland of early settler John Sidey and was planned as a place to live, with no shops of its own.

The main local street, Easther Crescent, follows a terrace from Allandale Road down toward Forbury Corner. The name comes from the Kew gardens in London, and some streets in the wider hill area use Scottish place names. From the terrace, the southern suburbs and the coast are close, with St Clair Beach a short distance to the south.

Practical Information

Getting there

Easther Crescent links Allandale Road with Forbury Corner. Forbury Road is the arterial past the suburb. Orbus Route 8 (St Clair to City to Normanby) stops on Forbury Road.

Main shopping

None in Kew. South Dunedin is the main nearby retail centre. St Clair has cafes and local services to the south.

Nearby landmarks

Kew Park, Forbury Corner, St Clair Beach, King’s High School and Queen’s High School

About Kew

Kew sits on the lower slopes of the hill that rises inland from the southern coastal flat. Easther Crescent, named for the area’s first house owner, a naval captain, runs along a terrace at the edge of the hill. It connects with St Clair at Allandale Road to the south and descends toward Forbury Corner and Caversham to the northeast.

Kew Park lies at Forbury Corner, a busy suburban road junction, and the ground immediately above the park is sometimes called Kew Rise.

The suburb takes its name from the noted Kew gardens in London. It was built on part of the former farmland of John Sidey, who arrived in Dunedin in 1848, and it was always intended to be residential.

Unlike the hill suburb of Corstorphine above it, Kew has no commercial premises. Daily shopping and most services are elsewhere: South Dunedin is Dunedin’s second retail district, and St Clair, a short distance south, has beachfront hospitality and local services.

Dunedin City Council recognises suburb names for addressing, but it does not fix suburb boundaries in an authoritative sense. A property near the edge of Kew may be described under more than one suburb name.

Easther Crescent is treated as a Kew street in accounts of the suburb, and it is also listed among the roads of Forbury, which lies on the flat immediately east of the cliff. That overlap is a mapping quirk, not a sign that the street has moved.

Kew is not a visitor destination in its own right. It is a quiet hillside address within easy reach of Forbury Corner, the southern schools, and the ocean beach at St Clair. The local green space is Kew Park. Wider walks and the surf beach sit just beyond the suburb, not inside it.

Getting Around

Most trips in and out of Kew use Easther Crescent or Forbury Road. Forbury Road runs roughly north to south and links Forbury Corner with the Esplanade at St Clair. From Forbury Corner, city roads continue through Caversham toward the central city.

Public transport is the Orbus network run by Otago Regional Council. Route 8 operates between St Clair, the city and Normanby. Stops on Forbury Road, including near Forbury Corner, are the practical bus access for Kew.

The Dunedin Bus Hub on Great King Street is the main transfer point for other city routes. There is no train or ferry service to the suburb.

History and Heritage

Before European settlement, the coastal flat below this hillside was not permanently occupied, although walking routes crossed it. In January 1849 the Valpy family took up farms along the western edge of that flat and named them Caversham and The Forbury, after places near Reading in England. The hill land above later became associated with John Sidey.

Sidey arrived in 1848. His house and land took the name Corstorphine, from a village near Edinburgh, though the Dunedin name is stressed differently from the Scottish one. His residence, Corstorphine House, was built in 1864 and substantially extended in 1910. It stands in Corstorphine, on the hill above Kew, and is a landmark of that wider Sidey estate. His son, Sir Thomas Sidey, became a prominent local and national politician.

Kew was subdivided from part of that farmland as a residential suburb. Streets in Kew and Corstorphine include Scottish place names, among them Skibo Street, Dornoch Street and Lockerbie Street. The suburb was not planned around a shopping strip or an industrial site. That residential intent still describes it.

Getting Outdoors

Kew Park, at Forbury Corner, is the reserve most closely tied to the suburb. It is a local green space rather than a large sports park. The terrace along Easther Crescent gives views across the southern suburbs toward the coast.

St Clair Beach, at the foot of Forbury Hill, is the standout nearby outdoor place. Dunedin City Council describes St Clair and St Kilda as one long stretch of sand facing the Pacific, with surf patrols at both ends through summer and a consistent surf break.

The beach, esplanade and salt-water pool are a short trip south of Kew, not part of the suburb itself. Higher on the hill, Corstorphine connects by rural roads toward Tunnel Beach, which is well outside Kew.

Where to Learn More

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Kew part of Dunedin?
Yes. Kew is a suburb of Dunedin City, on the lower slopes above Forbury Corner. It is reached by Easther Crescent and Forbury Road.

Does Kew have shops?
No. Kew was planned as a residential suburb and has no commercial premises. Everyday shopping is in South Dunedin, and St Clair has cafes and local services a short distance south.

How do I get to Kew by bus?
Use Orbus Route 8, which runs between St Clair, the city and Normanby, and get off on Forbury Road. Stops near Forbury Corner are the closest to Kew. Check the Otago Regional Council timetable before you travel.

Are there schools in Kew?
No school is based in Kew itself. The nearest secondary schools are King’s High School and Queen’s High School, single-sex state schools in Forbury. Nearby primary options include Bathgate Park School and St Bernadette’s School in Forbury, and St Clair School. Confirm the enrolment zone for your street with the school.

What is Kew Park?
Kew Park is the local reserve at Forbury Corner, the road junction at the northeastern end of the suburb. The slope immediately above it is sometimes called Kew Rise.

Where does the name Kew come from?
It comes from the Kew gardens in London. It is not a Māori name. The land was part of John Sidey’s farm before it was subdivided for housing.

What is Easther Crescent?
Easther Crescent is the terrace street that defines Kew. It is named after the first house owner in the area, a naval captain, and it links Allandale Road at St Clair with the roads down to Forbury Corner.

Is Kew a good base for the beach?
Yes, if you want a quiet residential street near the coast rather than a beachfront address. St Clair Beach is a short trip south along Forbury Road or Allandale Road. Kew itself has no beach, pool or surf club.

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