Scottish New Zealander - Scottish Placenames

Scottish Placenames

There are Scottish placenames all over New Zealand, but they tend to be concentrated in the southern part of South Island. Notable Scottish placenames in New Zealand include:

• North Island
  • Hamilton
  • Huntly
  • Napier

• South Island
  • Dunedin, from Dun Eideann, the Scottish Gaelic for Edinburgh. The town was originally to be called "New Edinburgh". Many of its street and suburb names mirror those of Edinburgh.
  • Invercargill, from "Inver" meaning a river mouth (an anglicisation of the Scottish Gaelic Inbhir), plus "Cargill"
  • Balclutha, from Baile Chluaidh meaning the town on the Clutha River (Abhainn Chluaidh – River Clyde)
  • Lammerlaw Range (mountains)
  • Lammermoor Range (mountains)
  • The Grampians (mountains)
  • Oban, the "capital" and only town of Stewart Island/Rakiura
  • Ulva Island
  • Water of Leith (river)

Many of the artificial lakes that have been formed as part of the Waitaki River hydroelectric scheme have also been given Scottish names, among them Lake Benmore and Lake Aviemore.

The South Island also contains the Strath-Taieri and the Ben Ohau Range of mountains, both combining Scots Gaelic and Maori origins. Invercargill has the appearance of a Scottish name, since it combines the Scottish prefix "Inver" (Inbhir), meaning a river's mouth, with "Cargill", the name of a Scottish official. (Many of Invercargill's main streets are named after Scottish rivers: Dee, Tay, Spey, Esk, Don, Doon, Clyde, etc.). Inchbonnie is a hybrid of Lowland Scots and Scottish Gaelic.