| Mount Cargill | |
|---|---|
 Mount Cargill (centre) and Buttar's Peak (to the right of the church steeple) dominate the skyline of Dunedin, New Zealand | |
| Highest point | |
| Elevation | 676 m (2,218 ft) |
| Parent peak | Silver Peak |
| Isolation | to Swampy Summit |
| Coordinates | 45°48′47″S170°33′17″E / 45.8131°S 170.5548°E /-45.8131; 170.5548 |
| Naming | |
| Native name | Kapukataumahaka (Māori) |
| Geography | |
 Mount Cargill (red marker) on map of selected nearby surface volcanic features. Legend
| |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Otago |
| District | Dunedin |
| Geology | |
| Volcanic zone | Dunedin Volcano complex |
| Climbing | |
| Easiest route | Cowan Road |
| Normal route | Mount Cargill Walk |
Mount Cargill, known inMāori asKapukataumahaka,[1] is a volcanic outcrop which dominates the skyline of northernDunedin,New Zealand.
The peak is named for CaptainWilliam Cargill, an early leader of the Province ofOtago. Māori legend tells of the mountain showing the profile of a prominent warrior, and indeed from Dunedin Buttar's Peak and Mount Cargill between them do form the outline of a reclining figure, with the nearby Buttar's Peak being the head and Mount Cargill the body.
Panoramic views of Dunedin and its surrounding area are visible from the summit, making it a popular, if difficult to access, site. A single rough road ascends to the peak, and several popular walking tracks also ascend the slopes.
Mount Cargill is topped by a telecommunications station and mast, the Mount Cargill Transmitting Station. The mast is Dunedin's tallest man-made structure.
Mt. Cargill is situated some 15 kilometres (9 miles) north of the city centre, and dominates the city's northern skyline. It rises to a height of 676 metres (2,218 ft). To the north and east of Mount Cargill's peak are several smaller peaks including Mount Zion, Mount Holmes and (most notably) Buttar's Peak.
A rough road from the end ofPine Hill Road provides vehicular access to the summit, and several walking tracks also lead to the top, notably a 4-kilometre (2.5 mi) walk fromBethune's Gully inNorth East Valley at the northern end of Dunedin's urban area and a 6-kilometre (3.7 mi) walk through Graham's Bush, which starts inSawyers Bay close toPort Chalmers. These tracks pass through regenerating nativebush and volcanic outcrops before a sharp climb along the northern flank immediately below the summit.[2]
The tracks pass two significant points of interest. One of these is a prominent formation ofcolumnar jointed basalt known as the Organ Pipes.[3] Similar outcrops are found elsewhere in the Dunedin area, at Blackhead nearWaldronville and at Second Beach,Saint Clair. The second point of interest is the small temperatecloud forest which dominates the vegetation of the upper slopes. Though not a true cloud forest, in that it is not tropical, it bears many of the hallmarks of true cloud forest, with abundant moss and fern cover under thick low canopy. The cloud forest is protected within a 1.8-square-kilometre (0.69 sq mi) reserve, which includes the peak of the mountain as well as several secondary peaks. Although the tracks are easy (but steep), care should be taken by walkers, as the weather conditions on Mount Cargill are notoriously unpredictable and can change very rapidly.
The peak is, along with the similarly highFlagstaff one of the highest points surrounding Dunedin, and as such, it is a popular lookout. From the summit, views can be obtained of the entire Dunedin urban area, as well as a considerable stretch of open countryside and much of Otago's coastline, from Shag Point nearPalmerston to Nugget Point inThe Catlins. Particularly notable is the view of theOtago Peninsula and Otago Harbour, the entire length of which can be seen from the summit.
Mount Cargill, and the nearby smaller peaks are among the youngest parts of the massive extinctDunedin Volcano and was formed between 16 and 10 million years ago. Its peak comprises anephelinephonolitedome, an intrusion through earlierpyroclastics and phonolite flows, suggesting that the volcanic origins of the peak were as apyroclastic cone, followed by aplugging with the nepheline dome.[4]
Buttar's Peak and Mt. Zion are similar, smaller domes. Mt. Holmes is a more distinct plug, featuring the columnar jointed basalt of the Organ Pipes.[5]
The Mount Cargill statistical area includesWaitati,Pūrākaunui andAramoana. It covers 129.78 km2 (50.11 sq mi)[6] and had an estimated population of 2,170 as of June 2025,[7] with a population density of 17 people per km2.
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 1,755 | — |
| 2013 | 1,776 | +0.17% |
| 2018 | 2,016 | +2.57% |
| Source:[8] | ||
Mount Cargill had a population of 2,016 at the2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 240 people (13.5%) since the2013 census, and an increase of 261 people (14.9%) since the2006 census. There were 798 households, comprising 1,038 males and 975 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.06 males per female. The median age was 47.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 390 people (19.3%) aged under 15 years, 192 (9.5%) aged 15 to 29, 1,119 (55.5%) aged 30 to 64, and 312 (15.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 92.9% European/Pākehā, 7.9%Māori, 0.9%Pasifika, 2.4%Asian, and 3.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 23.7, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 62.9% had no religion, 25.1% wereChristian, 0.4% hadMāori religious beliefs, 0.1% wereHindu, 0.7% wereBuddhist and 3.4% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 639 (39.3%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 189 (11.6%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $34,000, compared with $31,800 nationally. 363 people (22.3%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 822 (50.6%) people were employed full-time, 291 (17.9%) were part-time, and 54 (3.3%) were unemployed.[8]
The Mount Cargill transmitting station sits atop the mountain, broadcasting television and FM radio to Dunedin and the eastern Otago area. The station was completed in 1970, transmitting television channelDNTV2 (now part ofTVNZ 1) and replacing the original station at Highcliff.[9] The station features a 104.6-metre (343 ft) mast,[2] the tallest structure in Dunedin.
The following television stations and radio stations broadcast from Mount Cargill:[10][11][12]
| Television Station | Transmit Channel | Transmit Frequency | Band | Power (kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World TV digital | 28 | 530.0 MHz | UHF | 25 |
| Sky digital | 30 | 546.0 MHz | UHF | 25 |
| MediaWorks digital | 32 | 562.0 MHz | UHF | 25 |
| TVNZ digital | 34 | 578.0 MHz | UHF | 25 |
| Kordia digital | 36 | 594.0 MHz | UHF | 25 |
| Māori Television digital | 38 | 610.0 MHz | UHF | 25 |
| Radio stations | Transmit Channel | Transmit Frequency | Band | Power (kW) |
| ZM | 88.6 MHz | VHF | 8 | |
| The Hits | 89.4 MHz | VHF | 16 | |
| The Sound | 90.2 MHz | VHF | 8 | |
| Radio One | 91.0 MHz | VHF | 2.5 | |
| The Edge | 91.8 MHz | VHF | 100 | |
| RNZ Concert | 92.6 MHz | VHF | 32 | |
| The Rock | 93.4 MHz | VHF | 8 | |
| Life FM | 94.2 MHz | VHF | 1 | |
| Radio Hauraki | 95.8 MHz | VHF | 16 | |
| George FM | 96.6 MHz | VHF | 40 | |
| More FM | 97.4 MHz | VHF | 40 | |
| The Breeze | 98.2 MHz | VHF | 40 | |
| Magic | 99.8 MHz | VHF | 2.5 | |
| More FM | 100.6 MHz | VHF | 8 | |
| Coast | 104.6 MHz | VHF | 8 | |
| Otago Access Radio | 105.4 MHz | VHF | 8 | |
| Flava | 106.2 MHz | VHF | 8 |
The following frequencies were used until 29 April 2013, when Mount Cargill switched off analogue broadcasts (seeDigital changeover dates in New Zealand).
| TV Channel | Transmit Channel | Transmit Frequency | Band | Power (kW) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV One | 2 | 55.25 MHz | VHF | 160 |
| TV2 | 4 | 175.25 MHz | VHF | 1000 |
| TV3 | 9 | 210.25 MHz | VHF | 100 |
| Four | 11 | 224.25 MHz | VHF | 100 |
| Māori Television | 44 | 655.25 MHz | UHF | 100 |
| Prime | 60 | 783.25 MHz | UHF | 100 |
| Channel 39 | 62 | 799.25 MHz | UHF | 1.6 |
Sources
Media related toMount Cargill at Wikimedia Commons