The Octagon is the city centre of Dunedin. As the name suggests, it is an eight-sided plaza, with a circular one-way carriageway, bisected by the city's main streets, George Street to the North, Princes Street to the South, with Stuart Street meeting the outer carriageway to the East and West (usually called Lower and Upper Stuart Streets respectively). The Octagon is predominantly a pedestrian reserve, with grass and paved features, and is surmounted by a statue of the Scottish poet Robert Burns. Several of Dunedin's significant buildings and institutions adjoin the plaza.
First laid out in 1846, the site was largely derelict for many years until the two major early parts of the city's settlement (to the north and south of the Octagon) were linked by the excavation of Bell Hill, through a cutting where Princes Street now runs. From the 1890s on it rose to prominence as the city's central area. The Octagon was substantially renovated during the 1980s, and is now a centre of the city's cafe culture, with many al fresco dining areas.
Charles Kettle's survey of the city in 1846 set out an octagonal area (Moray Place) enclosing a smaller octagonal space, originally designated as a reserve. It was first called "the Square of Moray Place", though it was colloquially known as the Octagon even then.
Despite the reserve status, the Anglican Church sought to build in the centre of the Octagon, applying directly to Governor Sir George Grey. It was not until construction was about to begin that the local (predominantly Presbyterian) community became aware of what was happening. This resulted in a major furore. Otago Superintendent William Cargill was put in charge of resolving the dispute, which resulted in the Anglicans being forced to withdraw their plans for The Octagon. (The Anglican St. Paul's Cathedral stands today at its northern edge.)
The first major structure of any kind in The Octagon's reserve area was a monument erected in 1864 to the memory of Cargill. This was moved several hundred metres to The Exchange in 1872 to allow for the construction of a central roadway connecting Princes Street and George Street. In 1887 a statue of the poet Robert Burns, the uncle of one of the city's founding fathers, was unveiled. It still stands at the western edge of The Octagon close to the junction with Stuart Street.
The Octagon 1862 (Te Papa collection) The Octagon 1890's (Te Papa collection)
In the early 1890s several improvements were proposed to The Octagon, including fencing, and the planting of plane trees along the edge of the central roadway. About this time a monument was also erected to early settler Thomas Burns, though this monument, erected in 1891, was generally unpopular and was eventually removed during the 1940s. Subterranean public toilets were installed close to the monument in 1910, though these were filled in during the 1970s.
In 1963, the council was given £5,000 by the Evening Star newspaper to build a fountain in the Octagon. The Star Fountain, as it became known after its installation in 1966, was a popular attraction, with synchronised lighting, music and water displays, which played at regular times of the morning and evening. Despite its popularity, it was also unsightly during times when it was not playing, due to the large number of visible pipes needed for its performances. When The Octagon was refurbished in the 1990s, the Star Fountain was removed and was not included in The Octagon's new design, leading to some public outcry.
Octagon in the 1960's with the Star Fountain Upper Octagon 2022
During the renovations in the 1990's the lower octagon was paved and is now regularly used for street performances and markets. This plaza has seen an increase in al fresco dining. Also added were two walks featuring large plaques embedded in the paving. The larger of these, the Dunedin Writers' Walk, features plaques inscribed with words from notable Dunedin writers and words about Dunedin by famous visiting writers. This walk extends around much of the upper Octagon. A second, smaller, walk along the central carriageway of The Octagon features plaques dedicated to Dunedin-born or -based Olympic medallists.
Source: Wikipedia
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Send me the answer to parts 1 & 2. Do not post the answers in your online log. Post your photo from part 3 in your online log.
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Please use the pedestrian crossings at the traffic lights to cross the central roadway.
1) At Waypoint 1 find the National Historic Places Trust plaque in the bottom retaining wall. What are the last 3 words of the 3rd line of the plaque (middle line ie. 3rd line of 5)?
2) At Waypoint 2, find the Council plaque in the ground. What are the words on the 2nd line of the plaque?
3) At or near the posted coordinates, take a photo of the Robert Burns statue with either yourself, your GPS or something with your geocaching name on it visible in the photo. Include this photo in your online log.
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