Dunedin ( () duh-NEE-din; MÄori: ÅŒtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from Dùn Èideann, the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Archaeological evidence points to lengthy occupation of the area by MÄori prior to the arrival of Europeans. The province and region of Otago takes its name from the NgÄi Tahu village of Otakou at the mouth of the harbour, which became a whaling station in the 1830s.