Daily Photo – Dunedin’s Saddle Hill at Sunset

One of the more forgotten features of the Dunedin landscape, strangely enough, is also one of the most prominent. Namely, Saddle Hill. Within reason, it can be seen from almost every part of the city, yet it goes by with barely a mention. Apart from when it snows, that is. Then you’ll hear the locals saying, “Well, there was snow on Saddle Hill this morning,” quietly noting that another cold front has passed over the city during the night.

Located 18 kilometres to the west of the city centre, with an elevation of 473 metres, it’s not particularly massive as far as hills go. Yet a visit to the lookout on its northern slope provides a commanding view across the Taieri Plains, stretching all the way to Lake Waihola, some 25 kilometres away to the west.

In terms of the Dunedin landscape, it’s one of the old-timers. Saddle Hill has been around for millions of years, formed when molten rock pushed up through the Earth’s crust and cooled into a hard volcanic plug. It resisted the steady wear and tear of time while the surrounding softer land gradually eroded away, leaving behind that distinctive saddle shape we see today.

If it has a Māori name, I’m slightly embarrassed to admit I don’t know it. Its European name, however, was given by Captain James Cook during his 1769 voyage of discovery. As he sailed past, he noted in his journal that it had “a remarkable saddle”. And, as these things tend to go, the name stuck.

The thing I like best about it, though, is something a little more fleeting. As the earth turns and the sunsets shift across the western horizon, there are a couple of times each year when the sun drops directly behind it, creating a wonderful silhouette set against a rich wash of yellow and orange. It may not be the most dramatic sunset you’ll ever see, but it doesn’t really need to be. It makes me smile, and sometimes that’s enough.