Kelvin Peninsula

Kelvin Peninsula is a peninsula on the shore of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand's Otago Region. The peninsula lies between the main body of Lake Wakatipu and the lake's Frankton Arm (a short inlet into the lake's northern shore) and its outlet, the Kawarau River. The centre of Queenstown lies on the opposite shore of the Frankton Arm. The peninsula was formerly called Kelvin Heights Peninsula.[1] The name Kelvin Heights is still used for the Queenstown suburb which sits on the peninsula.

Kelvin Peninsula
View over Queenstown, with the Kelvin Peninsula and Kelvin Heights in the centre background.

Geography

The peninsula has two major parts, a rounded main part to the east, dominated by the 834 metres (2,736 ft) Peninsula Hill, and a smaller western extension largely occupied by Queenstown Golf Club.[2] Peninsula Road skirts the shore of Frankton Arm at the foot of Peninsula Hill to link the peninsula with SH 6 close to Frankton, at the eastern end of the arm.

At one time there was public access to the prominent Deer Park Heights part of Peninsula Hill (which has several former film locations as well as a range of farm animals) from Peninsula Road, but this closed in 2009.[3]

History

The original Ngāi Tahu inhabitants called the peninsula Te Nuku-o-Hakitekura, the Expanse of Hakitekura.[4] Hakitekura is the famous Kāti Māmoe woman who was the first person to swim across the lake. Several other nearby geographical features are named after Hakitekura and this historic event.

European settlers first called it the Kawarau Pensinsula,[4] before changing it to Kelvin Peninsula.

Kelvin Heights

The Queenstown suburb of Kelvin Heights sits at the narrow isthmus between the two parts of the peninsula. It is one of the most expensive suburbs in New Zealand in which to buy a house, with the median house value at about NZ$1 million in 2005.[5] Kelvin Heights features part of the Queenstown Trail, which runs between the suburb and the Frankton Arm section of Lake Wakatipu. The suburb is also home to a Christian camp that is over 50 years old.

References
  1. "Kelvin Peninsula". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. 25 November 1999. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
  2. "Kelvin Peninsula, Otago". NZ Topo Map. Retrieved 2021-01-31.
  3. "Deer park closes as owners 'too old'". Otago Daily Times. 4 August 2009.
  4. "Te Nuku-o-Hakitekura". Kā Huru Manu. Nga Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu. Retrieved 19 October 2021.
  5. "South claims NZ's first $1m suburb". The New Zealand Herald. 20 July 2007.
Part of Kelvin Heights, with The Remarkables in the background.

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