PLACENAME

WHERE

HISTORY

Caberfeidh

Mountain in Catlins district, and old railway station on Catlins river line.  About 2mls nth of Maclennan.

Named by John MacKENZIE, was motto of Seaforth Highlanders

Campbell’s Point / Campbell’s Bay

Point on sea coast 2ml nth of Tokata Point, near Kaka Point

Named after early resident in area

Canada Reef

Name of quartz mine in Table Hill area.  Canada Bush up north branch of Tokomairiro River

Name taken from early name for district

Cannibal Bay

Small bay north of False Island about 8km from Owaka

Maori name ‘Oraki-utuhia’.  Many unreliable stories as to origin of name.  Old Maori ovens in vicinity

Carol

Tussock hills of Kaihiku Range in Waiwera district

Named after home, near Dunrobin Castle, Scotland, of father of John ANDERSON (1^st white child born site of Dunedin, 1846)

Carterhope

Old estate on main highway near Warepa

Purchased by James BORTHWICK in 1861

Cathedral Caves

Series of large caves named by Dr Hocken 1892

Catlin’s Cone

Mountain 2290ft high about 16mls nth of Long Beach

Otago-Southland boundary

Catlin’s Lake

Tidal flat which Catlins River flows into

Maori name ‘Pounawea’

Catlin’s River

Rises nth of Catlin’s Cone, flows past south slopes of Wisp Range, past Ratanui to Catlin’s Lake.

Between 1863 and 1870, Catlin’s River referred to district known as ‘The Landing’   Maori name ‘Kuramea’

Catlins

Name given in general to Owaka district

Edward CATLIN, master of a trading schooner, bought large tract of land from Tuhawaiki

Cedar Hill

South of Chloris Stream between Catlins and Owaka Rivers

Cemetery Hill

Small hill 1ml sw of Port Molyneux where cemetery situated

Maori name ‘Puke-ti’ cabbage tree hill

Chasland’s Mistake

Headland 4ml sw of Tautuku Peninsula

Allegedly, CHASLAND once mistook this long headland for Cape Saunders. Thought more likely that Chasland himself named it that after having arrived there late one evening, discovering herd of seals and made the mistake of leaving them till morning, when it was found the seals had left in the night. Maori name ‘Maki-ti’ branch of cabbage tree

Chasland’s River

Known as Waipati River

Wai - river, pati - shallow

Chaslands

District between Tautuku and Waikawa

Named after Thomas CHASLANDS, of whaling fame

Chinaman Flat

Near Tuapeka

Named such in reference to large numbers of Chinese on goldfields

Chloris Stream

Rises SE of Wisp Hill, flows into Catlins River

Chrystals Beach

On the coast near Milton

Named after Francis CHRYSTALL, early settler and proprietor of boarding house

Circle Hill

District NW of Milton deriving name from a circular topped hill

Clarendon

10km north from Milton

Named by J H HARRIS, superintendent of Otago after his ancestor, Earl of Clarendon in reign of Charles II

Clarksville

District at junction of Main South and Central Highways, 3km from Milton.  Early spelling ‘Clarkesville’

Named after Henry and Jasper CLARK who were early settlers in area

Clifton

District, former Estate near Waiwera

Acquired by William TELFORD

Clinton

Town 31km SW of Balclutha

Family name of Duke of Newscastle, Secretary for Colonies 1852-54.  At one time the name Clinton was desired for Invercargill, unsuccessfully, and the name ‘wandered around looking for a home’ for a time.  In 1873 Popotunoa became Clinton

Clutha River

Major river with headwaters in Central Otago. Balclutha is situated on the lower river.

Clutha is Gaelic for Clyde.  Maori name from source in Lake Wanaka to the sea was ‘Mata-au’ meaning surface current.

Clydevale

Shearing Gang at Clydevale 1894

Area between fork of Clutha and Pomahaka Rivers about 29km from Balclutha. 

Name refers to the River Clyde.  Name given by NZ & Australian Land Company in 1863, name of estate.

Coal Point

On the coast east of Kaitangata

Named by Tuckett

Conical Hills

NW of Waipahi

Named after cone shaped hill

Conical, The

Small conical hill on west bank of Waiwera River

Coronet Hill

SW of Kuriwao Peak

Cosgrove Island

Small island 2ml NW of Long Point

Maori name ‘Puke-mau-kuku

Crichton

8km south from Milton

Named after early settler

Crookburn

Stream rising near Waitahuna West, flowing into Clutha River downstream from Tuapeka Mouth

Dalhousie

Name for Tuapeka Mouth c1860

Dull Burn

Otherwise known as Black Burn

Dunkeld

Alternative name for Beaumont (still used on land maps in 1975)

This Perthshire name given by surveyor CW ADAMS

Dutton’s Bridge, Dutton’s Hill

Bridge over Owaka River 2km north of Owaka

Earlstoke

Near Willsher Bay

Elbow, The

Deep corner on Owaka River at Pounawea

Evans Flat

5km from Lawrence

Named after goldrush hotel proprietor, David EVANS

Sources: 

‘Pioneering in South Otago’ by F Waite, pub. 1948

‘Catlins Pioneering’ by AR Tyrell, pub. 1989

‘Faith and Toil’ by DJ Sumpter and JJ Lewis, pub 1949

‘Full Circle’ 1975

‘Place Names of New Zealand’ by AW Reed, pub 1975

‘Otago Place Names’ by JH Beattie, pub