The Dunedin Botanic Gardens are located at the northern end of central Dunedin. The location of the gardens makes them popular with University students, as they lie between the University and the mouth of North East Valley. The gardens occupy an area of 28 hectares at an altitude of 25-85 metres asl. The gardens were established in 1863 on a site surrounding the Water of Leith now occupied by the University of Otago. After extensive flooding in 1868, the gardens were then moved to their current site, featuring the lower gardens near the motorway and the upper gardens on the slopes of Opoho.br/br/The Dunedin Botanic Garden is New Zealand's first botanic garden and holds the status of Garden of International Significance. It has hill views from sunny lawns, more than 6,800 plant species and the song of wild native bellbirds, wood pigeons and tui. Its wide range of horticultural and botanical collections includes roses, the herbaceous and perennial borders, a rock garden, New Zealand native plants and four hectares of Rhododendron Dell with more than 3,000 rhododendrons. An important aspect of The New Zealand Native plant collection is the cultivation of rare and endangered native plant species.