The Mole (sea wall) - Portobello

Such an amazing hidden gem that I had no idea about! I can't wait to visit again some day.

Quite,amazing views perfect for a stroll,a dip etc

Fabulous walk along the sea wall. Spotted a couple of seals, and could see the albatross on the hill opposite. Warm, with no breeze. Fabulous winter day.

The mole at the entrance to Otago Harbour provides the opportunity for a pretty unique seaside walk, with some interesting maritime history thrown in. Originally known as Cargill’s Pier, after early notable Captain William Cargill (check out Cargill's Castle and Tunnel Beach), the Mole is a man-made rock wall constructed to protect the harbour entrance from silt. It directs tidal flow and helps keeps the channel clear. It extends a thousand metres out to sea and provides generally good footing for walkers but is closed to vehicle traffic. Common sense should be used when a trip is planned in rough weather. The Otago Harbour Board was established on 30 June 1874 to manage the Port and Harbour.  This body remained in place untill 1988. Today, Port Otago Limited operates two wharf systems – Port Chalmers and Dunedin – within Otago Harbour. Port Chalmers is one of New Zealand’s two deepest container ports and services the largest container ships in the New Zealand trade. Port Chalmers owes its considerable natural depth to the designof Sir John Coode, a nineteenth century, English, civil engineer.  Sir John was invited to New Zealand in 1880 to delivere a report to the Government on improving facilities and depths at 10 ports throughout the country.  His plan for Port Chalmers was simple but, ultimately, effective. The entrance to Otago Harbour features a sand bar that, at the time, restricted the size and draft of vessels calling at the port.  The Otago Harbour Board had decided that dredging the channel was the only solution and invested in a large bucket dredge even though Coode’s report was due to be presented.  Coode considered a dredge could work, but that nature would have the final say and long-term improvement of the entrance and channel could not be secured by mechanical means.  He proposed a long (1,890m) mole outward from the sandspit in a north northwest direction, with a shorter (518m) eastern mole to be built out from Taiaroa Head.  The tidal current, in its rush to make its way through the narrowed entrance created by the moles, would cut into the sandbar and deepen the channel naturally. The first load of rock for the long mole was deposited in January 1885 and, by November 1887, the mole was 1,246m long.  The beneficial effects of the mole were immediately apparent with the depth at the sand bar increasing by 4.6m from its 1879 depth.  Plans for the eastern mole were subsequently shelved. Between 1921 and 1945 several hulks were scuttled along the Mole to protect it from erosion by the sea. Marine mammals are often found sleeping on the rocks of the Mole. Please give them some space as you walk by, for your sake as well as theirs.

A nice walk out on the mole. Experience nature watching the terns, gulls and shags going about their daily lives. Watch your step though as it's quite gard to see the seals basking in the sun. Across the harbour you can see the albatross colony and light house. After walking the mole you can stroll along the beaches of aramona or the streets of a small settlement, where once was a tragic multiple shooting and a memorial has been set up describing the event and all who died.

Aramoana = "Pathway to the Sea" Indeed !!! A truly gorgeous beach with amazing scenery and vibrant wildlife. The bounty of beautiful seashells that wash up here is absolutely endless, as is the picturesque serenity that surrounds the area.

Aramoana Beach is just awesome. There's a cliff with a hole in it there. Huge beach and easy to park there. The views are pretty and amazing scenery with the cliffs that rise up behind you. Good surf area. There's also the option of doing (some of) the Heyward Point walk that takes you on top of the cliff looking down on the beach. Amazing change of perspective of the same place.

Well worth the visit if you want some history about the harbour of Dunedin