Port Chambers – considered to be a Dunedin suburb – is primarily a commercial dockyard and terminal for large passenger ships. The namesake for this small port town of 3,000 residents is Thomas Chalmers. He was an influential minister who founded the Free Church of Scotland in 1843. Five years later, the initial Presbyterian service was conducted here. In 1883, the Iona Church was built near the water’s edge. Its Gothic Revival design is constructed from Oamaru Stone, a local limestone used frequently during the late 19th century for grand structures in the Otago Region. This historic landmark is multidenominational, serving Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational Church members.
