Last updated October 2026
Mount Grand is a hillside suburb on the western side of Dunedin, above the Kaikorai Valley. The same name is used for Kaikorai Hill and for the reservoir and water treatment plant on this ridge.
Some published descriptions treat the reservoir and Dalziel Road as part of Brockville, while Land Information New Zealand records Mount Grand as a suburb in its own right.
Dalziel Road is a semi-rural road at the edge of the main urban area, and it runs past the Mount Grand Reservoir. The suburb is defined less by shops or a town centre than by city waterworks and by open hill roads linking the valley with the country beyond.
Practical Information
- Ward or local board
- No community board. Dunedin City councillors are elected at large.
- Getting there
- Dalziel Road past the Mount Grand Reservoir, linking Three Mile Hill Road to the north and a road down toward Burnside. A dry-weather road at the southern end of Dalziel Road leads toward Abbotsford. Kaikorai Valley Road is the valley route below the hill. No bus route on Dalziel Road was confirmed.
- Nearby landmarks
- Mount Grand Reservoir, Mount Grand Water Treatment Plant, Kaikorai Valley, Frasers Gully
About Mount Grand
Mount Grand sits on the hills that rise on the western side of the Kaikorai Valley. Historical accounts also call this high ground Kaikorai Hill. The Kaikorai Stream, recorded by Ngāi Tahu as Kaikarae, drains the south-eastern and eastern slopes of Flagstaff, Kaikorai Hill and the Balmacewen area before running down the valley.
The name refers to an account of petrels being eaten near the stream mouth. No separate official Māori name for the suburb of Mount Grand was found.
European landholding reached this hill early. In 1855 John Sidey bought a large block running from the Caversham Hills, in the area of today’s Calton Hill, to Mount Grand, or Kaikorai Hill, above the Kaikorai Valley.
Away from steep gullies, much of that country was cleared, fenced and sown for farming. The ridge later became part of the city’s water-supply landscape rather than a dense street grid.
The Mount Grand Reservoir is one of seven raw-water dams in the Dunedin system. Pipelines from Deep Stream and Deep Creek, tributaries of the Taieri River, use gravity to bring water to the reservoir: about 58 kilometres from Deep Stream and about 64 kilometres from Deep Creek.
The Deep Creek supply was brought into the city system in 1936, and the Deep Stream scheme was commissioned by 1977. Excess water has spilled from the reservoir into Fraser’s Creek since the mid-1970s. In dry weather that outflow provides about two thirds of the flow in the Kaikorai Stream.
Beside the reservoir, the Mount Grand Water Treatment Plant is one of the two largest plants in the city, with the Southern plant. Together they supply most Dunedin customers. Treatment here includes dissolved air flotation to lift flocculated solids, filtration, chlorination and fluoridation, then lime and carbon dioxide to reduce acidity before water enters the pipes.
Since December 2017, after Mosgiel’s nine operational bores were shut down, that town’s drinking water has also come from Mount Grand.
In 2000 an accidental lime spill from the plant killed aquatic life in the Kaikorai Stream, including about 1,000 trout, and the council was fined. The plant remains a working part of the supply, not a site described by the council as closed.
Day to day, Mount Grand reads as a quiet hill suburb rather than a local centre. No school or shopping strip inside the suburb boundary was confirmed.
Houses and small holdings sit along the ridge roads, and the waterworks are the landmark most people associate with the name. For a public walk, Frasers Gully is the reserve close at hand: its track follows the creek between Frasers Road in the valley and Dalziel Road.
Getting Around
Dalziel Road is the practical spine of Mount Grand. It links Three Mile Hill Road, above Halfway Bush, in the north, runs past the Mount Grand Reservoir, and joins a road that drops toward Burnside.
The link from the southern end of Dalziel Road toward Abbotsford is a dry-weather road, so it is not a reliable all-weather through-route. Below the hill, Kaikorai Valley Road climbs toward Stuart Street at one end and meets the Dunedin Southern Motorway, part of State Highway 1, toward the valley mouth.
Council pages checked for this guide do not list a bus route along Dalziel Road or to the reservoir. Regular services are more likely on the valley floor or on Brockville Road. Use the regional timetable for the stop closest to a particular address, and allow for a walk or a short drive up the hill.
Walking Nearby
Frasers Gully is a Dunedin City Council recreation reserve in native and regenerating bush, listed as an Urban Landscape Conservation Area. The gully lies on the upper Kaikorai catchment and is clothed with remnants that include broadleaf and fuchsia, plus regenerating bush.
Birds recorded there include tūī, bellbird and fantail. The main track is about 2.3 kilometres and links Frasers Road with Dalziel Road.
The reservoir and treatment plant are working water-supply sites. Council information explains how water is stored and treated. It does not present the plant as a park, lookout or public tour venue. For time outdoors on this side of the city, Frasers Gully is the accessible walk.
Where to Learn More
Dunedin City Council: Dunedin water supply system: How raw water reaches the Mount Grand Reservoir and how the two main treatment plants supply the city.
Dunedin City Council: Water treatment: Treatment steps at Mount Grand, including dissolved air flotation, filtration, fluoridation and disinfection.
Wikipedia: Brockville: The Mount Grand redirect, with Dalziel Road, the reservoir, and the hill roads toward Burnside and Abbotsford.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Mount Grand a suburb of Dunedin?
Yes. Land Information New Zealand records Mount Grand as a suburb in Dunedin City. The name is also used for Kaikorai Hill and for the reservoir and treatment plant on the ridge. Some published descriptions treat that hillside as part of Brockville.
How do I get to Mount Grand?
Dalziel Road runs past the Mount Grand Reservoir. It links Three Mile Hill Road to the north and a road down toward Burnside. A dry-weather road at the southern end of Dalziel Road leads toward Abbotsford. Kaikorai Valley Road is the main route in the valley below.
Does a bus go to Mount Grand?
Council sources checked for this guide do not list a bus route along Dalziel Road or to the reservoir. Check the regional timetable for the nearest stop, which is more likely on Kaikorai Valley Road or Brockville Road.
What is the Mount Grand Water Treatment Plant?
It is one of Dunedin’s two largest treatment plants, with the Southern plant, and together they supply most city customers. Water reaches the Mount Grand Reservoir by gravity pipeline from Deep Stream and Deep Creek. Treatment includes dissolved air flotation, filtration, chlorine, fluoride, and pH correction. Since December 2017 it has also supplied Mosgiel.
Can I visit the reservoir or treatment plant?
They are working parts of the city water supply. Council pages describe how the system operates. They do not describe the site as a public park, lookout or tour venue. For a walk on this side of the hill, use Frasers Gully, whose track meets Dalziel Road.
Are there schools or shops in Mount Grand?
No school or shopping centre inside the suburb was confirmed. Brockville School is on Brockville Road, and Kaikorai Valley College is on Kaikorai Valley Road. Everyday shops are on those busier roads, not at the reservoir.
Is there a Māori name for Mount Grand?
No official Māori name for the suburb was found. Historical writing also calls the hill Kaikorai Hill. The stream below is Kaikarae in te reo Māori, a name linked to petrels eaten near the stream mouth. The wider city sits within the rohe of Ngāi Tahu (Kāi Tahu).
Who represents Mount Grand on the council?
Mount Grand is not in one of Dunedin’s six community board areas. Dunedin City councillors are elected at large, along with the mayor.
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