The attractive, historic town and modern container port of Port Chalmers, on a tiny peninsula 12km from Dunedin, is worth a half,day trip for its magnificent harbour views offset by bush,covered hills, its fine nineteenth,century buildings and its thriving artistic community. The site was chosen in 1844 as the port to serve the proposed Scottish settlement of New Edinburgh, later called Dunedin. The first settlers arrived on the John Wickliffe in March 1848 and named the port after the Reverend Dr Thomas Chalmers.