Now 139 years later, that "absolute treasure" has made its way back to the Otago Girls’ High School library.
The book was in the care of Margaret Cassie, a former pupil of the school and the great-granddaughter of Christine.
Ms Cassie said it was passed down through the family and was kept among a collection of old bibles, but she thought it would be better appreciated by the pupils of the school.
She travelled down from Wellington to deliver it to the school yesterday.
The book, a copy of Those Holy Lands, was awarded to her great-grandmother in 1883 for "steady and satisfactory work".
It told of a journey through Palestine and was filled with intricate etchings.
Christine, who would later become Mrs Dodds, was always a very literate woman and would read "voraciously", Ms Cassie said.
Her great-grandmother travelled to Dunedin from the United Kingdom at the age of 13.
Librarian Monique Patterson said the book was an "absolute treasure".
She was amazed by the condition of the book, which only had some minor scuff marks to show its age.
She had already started to delve into the archives to find out more about it, including the fact Mrs Dodds was awarded a certificate of Merit in Latin in 1883.
Principal Bridget Davidson said she was overwhelmed by the age of the book.
While the school still awarded books at prizegiving today, they could not contend with the intricate detailing and care put into older books.
"Books aren’t made like this anymore."
There were many pupils interested in history who would love to spend time peering over the pages of the tome.
