Portobello Stupa

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The Portobello Stupa is the southernmost stupa in the world, located on a knoll below

Harbour Cone, an iconic hilltop above the township of Portobello on the Otago Peninsula

near the city of Dunedin in the south of New Zealand’s South Island. A traditional Buddhist

monument, the Stupa enshrines relics of the late Venerable Geshe Ngawang Dhargyey, the

highly respected and beloved inaugural teacher and founder of the Dhargyey Buddhist

Centre in Dunedin, where he lived and taught from 1985-1994.

 

The Portobello Stupa is an enlightenment stupa, symbolising Shakyamuni Buddha’s

enlightenment and commemorating his historical, spiritual achievement when meditating

 under the Bodhi tree at Bodhgaya, India, over two and a half thousand years ago. A stupa’s

architectural design varies in different Buddhist cultures and countries. In Tibet, eight types

of stupas with slightly divergent shapes refer to specific events in the Buddha’s life.

 

After Geshe Dhargyey passed away, a ritual cremation of his body took place on August 17th, 1995, at the site where the stupa now stands. Following an ancient Tibetan ritual, relics in the form of bone fragments were carefully picked from the ashes to be enshrined within the stupa. A year later, the stupa was constructed under the joint supervision of Venerable Thupten Rinpoche, Geshe Dhargyey’s successor at the DBC, and the architect Venerable Sonam Chodron. The stupa was then consecrated on Friday morning, September 13th, 1996, with many locals and visitors in attendance, to coincide with His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s second visit to Aotearoa New Zealand. Significantly, His Holiness dedicated the Portobello Stupa to local and global peace, drawing on the premise that true universal peace can be best achieved in societies where individuals are striving towards peace within themselves.

 

With this theme in mind, the Portobello Stupa is a place with peaceful surroundings in a

landscape of tranquil, natural beauty, offering sweeping and inspiring views of the Otago

Harbour right out to the open Pacific Ocean. Together with neighbouring lands, it forms a private nature reserve with original and regenerating New Zealand bush, hosting a broad spectrum of native forest and birdlife.

 

The attentive caring for this unique environment and all its life forms is symbolised by

a cypress tree on the stupa grounds, planted by His Holiness Yongzin Ling Rinpoche when

he visited Dunedin as part of his first New Zealand tour in March 2020. In his previous

incarnation, Ling Rinpoche was the revered Senior Tutor to the present Dalai Lama. This tree- planting ceremony was dedicated to the peaceful co-existence of all sentient beings.

Other prominent Tibetan Buddhist Teachers who have blessed the stupa site with their visits

include Lama Zopa Rinpoche and Za Choeje Rinpoche.

 

Visiting the Portobello Stupa

The stupa grounds are open to visits by members of the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre and the

wider public. From the city centre of Dunedin, the drive takes about half an hour on

the picturesque Portobello Road alongside the Otago Harbour to Portobello township and then to the stupa location just below Harbour Cone Hill. Access and parking are on private land owned by members of the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre (DBC).

 

If you are interested in calling to view the stupa, visitors from the wider public are requested  

beforehand to contact the resident guardian of the stupa grounds, Dieter Dunkel, by texting

0274 315 309 or by emailing: stupavisit@harbourconesanctuary.co.nz Please kindly ensure a minimum of one day's notice before your intended arrival. Access to the stupa is situated on private property and permission for entry is subject to the discretion of the guardians.

 

Once you arrive at the stupa's access point on Highcliff Road, take the private turnoff and follow a 400-meter single-lane driveway with its two passing bays. The parking area is adjacent to the private residential buildings. A further 150 metres of a slightly uphill walk on the grass leads to the stupa overlooking Otago Harbour to the north. Please be aware that the path on the grass can be slippery, especially in wet conditions, and has the occasional rabbit hole. Please take care! Accessing this private property entails assuming your own risk.

 

By visiting the stupa, you can align yourself with Buddha’s enlightened mind. It is a place of

quiet contemplation and meditation. As is customary Buddhist tradition, you may want to

walk clockwise around the stupa, or you may like to sit in the shade of the trees and enjoy

the peaceful surroundings, the bird calls, and the stunning harbour views. Due to fire risk at the site, we request that you refrain from lighting candles or offering burning incense at all times.

 

Community activities at the Portobello Stupa

Apart from individuals and small groups visiting the Portobello Stupa, people associated

with the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre gather at times for “gardening working bees”,

announced through DBC members’ information channels (see the monthly edition of the

DBC Newsletter on the DBC website or Facebook pages, plus text messaging for weather-

related date changes).

 

These gatherings are focused on tasks like weeding, pruning, and filling in rabbit holes. They

are carried out without any use of noisy power tools and followed by a sociable cup of

tea at the guardian’s house. Stupa gardening “working bees” are a good opportunity for

closer contact with the spiritual teachers and members of the DBC community and for

forming a closer connection to the stupa grounds.

 

Volunteers

We warmly invite volunteers for other regular maintenance work, such as lawnmowing. If you wish to participate, please contact the resident guardian, Dieter Dunkel (see details above).

 

Stay and Work at Stupa

For those wanting to form an even deeper connection with the Portobello Stupa and its

environment, a self-contained unit for accommodation and self-catering can be offered

for a work-and-stay visit. The unit is in the building at the base of Stupa Hill and is generally

used to accommodate the guardians’ private guests. It is available at times for others who

want to actively participate in the maintenance and development of the following areas:

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• Stupa Garden Zhi-de-Ling (Place of Joyous Peace). Zhi-de-Ling is the name His Holiness the Dalai Lama bestowed on the stupa grounds during the Portobello Stupa consecration in 1996.

 

• Driveway and parking area.

 

• Meditation paths, like the “Path of Tranquillity”.

 

• Other gardens, e.g. “Garden of Balance and Harmony”.

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Please feel welcome to contact guardian Dieter Dunkel by email (see above), outlining your

plans for the stay, including what kind of daily outdoor work you would like to do or learn,

and what practical skills you can offer in exchange for the self-contained accommodation.

Regular jobs on the list for visiting workers include hand-weeding and lawnmowing, plus at times the use of power tools like brush cutters and chainsaws. Please indicate if you have

experience with these tools.

 

Please bring your own food supplies to look after yourself during your stay. Our accommodations are equipped for self-catering, allowing you to cook and attend to your preferences conveniently.