Don’t get the idea that the peninsula is coast-to-coast houses, however. This is no Whangaparaoa of the south. Most of the area’s residents live in a narrow strip beside the finger-like Otago Harbour, with only a smattering over the bulk of the rugged knuckle of land that flanks the harbour. At heart, the peninsula is wild. Steep hills up to 400 m high—created by volcanoes 12 million years ago—form its backbone, and wonderful white-sand surf beaches, sheer cliffs and scything winds dominate its southern and eastern flanks. On the harbour side the landscapes are tamer, but there are still extensive cliffs at the city end. Beyond Portobello, the coastline mellows, and sandflats and beaches replace rocky bluffs.