1.
South Island
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The South Island or Te Waipounamu is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, the South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres and has a temperate climate. In the early stages of European settlement of the country, the South Island had the majority of the European population, in prose, the two main islands of New Zealand are called the North Island and the South Island, with the definite article. Charcoal drawings can be found on rock shelters in the centre of the South Island. The drawings are estimated to be between 500 and 800 years old, and portray animals, people and fantastic creatures, possibly stylised reptiles, some of the birds pictured are long extinct, including moa and Haasts eagles. They were drawn by early Māori, but by the time Europeans arrived, early inhabitants of the South Island were the Waitaha. They were largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by the Kāti Mamoe in the 16th century, Kāti Mamoe were in turn largely absorbed via marriage and conquest by the Kāi Tahu who migrated south in the 17th century. While today there is no distinct Kāti Mamoe organisation, many Kāi Tahu have Kāti Mamoe links in their whakapapa and, a notable feature of the Moriori culture, an emphasis on pacifism, proved disadvantageous when Māori warriors arrived in the 1830s aboard a chartered European ship. In the early 18th century, Kāi Tahu, a Māori tribe who originated on the east coast of the North Island, There they and Kāti Mamoe fought Ngāi Tara and Rangitāne in the Wairau Valley. Ngāti Māmoe then ceded the east coast regions north of the Clarence River to Kāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu continued to push south, conquering Kaikoura. By the 1730s, Kāi Tahu had settled in Canterbury, including Banks Peninsula, from there they spread further south and into the West Coast. In 1827-1828 Ngāti Toa under the leadership of Te Rauparaha successfully attacked Kāi Tahu at Kaikoura, Ngāti Toa then visited Kaiapoi, ostensibly to trade. When they attacked their hosts, the well-prepared Kāi Tahu killed all the leading Ngāti Toa chiefs except Te Rauparaha, Te Rauparaha returned to his Kapiti Island stronghold. After destroying Te Maiharanuis village they took their captives to Kapiti, John Stewart, though arrested and sent to trial in Sydney as an accomplice to murder, nevertheless escaped conviction. In the summer of 1831–32 Te Rauparaha attacked the Kaiapoi pā, Kaiapoi was engaged in a three-month siege by Te Rauparaha, during which his men successfully sapped the pā. They then attacked Kāi Tahu on Banks Peninsula and took the pā at Onawe, in 1832-33 Kāi Tahu retaliated under the leadership of Tūhawaiki and others, attacking Ngāti Toa at Lake Grassmere. Kāi Tahu prevailed, and killed many Ngāti Toa, although Te Rauparaha again escaped, fighting continued for a year or so, with Kāi Tahu maintaining the upper hand. Ngāti Toa never again made an incursion into Kāi Tahu territory
2.
Springfield, New Zealand
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Springfield is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. In 2001 it had a population of 219, at the foot of the Southern Alps,65 kilometres west of Christchurch, it is the most westerly town of the central Canterbury Plains. Springfield has an association with the Midland railway line. Springfield is situated in the foothills, less than an hour from the center of Christchurch on State Highway 73, the town has a Gothic Revival architecture church dedicated to Saint Peter, designed by the architect Cyril Mountfort. It was the birthplace of Rewi Alley, notable for his work in China in the mid 20th century, there is an extensive memorial dedicated to him, located in a small reserve off the main road. It includes a stone carving and a number of panels giving details of his life. On 15 July 2007, a statue of a giant pink doughnut was erected to promote the upcoming movie and it was subsequently set alight and destroyed by an arsonist on 25 September 2009. A tyre painted pink was used as a substitute until it was replaced with a concrete version unveiled on 1 July 2012, Springfield is a significant stop on the TranzAlpine train journey across the Southern Alps on the Midland Line. The town also home to the Midland Rail Heritage Trust a rail preservation group that has established a base in the former NZR locomotive depot opposite the railway station, media related to Springfield, New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons
3.
Midland Line, New Zealand
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The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the famous KiwiRail Scenic Journeys train, the TranzAlpine, travels this line. Freight on the line depends largely on coal traffic, with general freight being restricted to products from the Westland Milk Products factory at Hokitika. In 2003, Tranz Rail carried a total of 2.1 million tonnes of coal over the line, usually, coal services are headed by two class DX locomotives, and consist of 30 coal hopper wagons, with a total capacity of 1,800 tonnes. On 27 November 2007, it was announced that coal from the Pike River Coal mine would be transported to Lyttelton for export. Pike River Coal had reserved under contract with Toll Rail 1.3 million tonnes of capacity for their coal on the line, however coal from the Pike River facility at Rapahoe stopped since the series of explosions that killed 29 miners in November 2010. The company was liquidated and sold to Solid Energy, the Pike River Mine was closed, the other primary source of coal traffic is from the Solid Energy facility at Ngakawau, north of Westport. Trains to and from Ngakawau use the Midland line as far as the junction with the Stillwater - Westport Line and these later included a branch to Springfield which was reached by January 1880. The major obstacle to engineers and politicians was the Southern Alps, the Company entered into a contract with the Government the same year. The major obstacle to the route lay immediately ahead, the forcing of the Waimakariri and Broken River gorges, some 8.5 miles of the route surveyed by C. Napier Bell in 1883 and described to the Royal Commission by District Engineer W. N. Blair as very rough, the section would include 16 tunnels and four major viaducts not including the Kowai already constructed. The viaducts were built under Treasury contracts by both New Zealand and British bridging firms, the most spectacular of these, the Staircase Viaduct carries the rails 75 metres above the bed of the stream. It was slow laborious work with men, horses, picks, shovels, progress slowed after that although the country to be traversed became much easier. Cass was not reached until 1910 and Arthurs Pass township in 1914 – the Westland section meantime having advanced to Otira – to meet the major obstacle. Construction of Otira Tunnel began in 1907, but progress was very slow, cobb & Co coaches were used to transport passengers between the two railheads while the tunnel was under construction. The tunnel was completed in 1923. The line was unique in New Zealand for its use of many different types of locomotives. These locomotives include the KB class locomotives between Arthurs Pass and Springfield, once the second most powerful locomotives in New Zealand
4.
New Zealand
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New Zealand /njuːˈziːlənd/ is an island nation in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, or Te Ika-a-Māui, and the South Island, or Te Waipounamu—and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 1,500 kilometres east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, because of its remoteness, it was one of the last lands to be settled by humans. During its long period of isolation, New Zealand developed a distinct biodiversity of animal, fungal, the countrys varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealands capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland, sometime between 1250 and 1300 CE, Polynesians settled in the islands that later were named New Zealand and developed a distinctive Māori culture. In 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman became the first European to sight New Zealand, in 1840, representatives of Britain and Māori chiefs signed the Treaty of Waitangi, which declared British sovereignty over the islands. In 1841, New Zealand became a colony within the British Empire, today, the majority of New Zealands population of 4.7 million is of European descent, the indigenous Māori are the largest minority, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders. Reflecting this, New Zealands culture is derived from Māori and early British settlers. The official languages are English, Māori and New Zealand Sign Language, New Zealand is a developed country and ranks highly in international comparisons of national performance, such as health, education, economic freedom and quality of life. Since the 1980s, New Zealand has transformed from an agrarian, Queen Elizabeth II is the countrys head of state and is represented by a governor-general. In addition, New Zealand is organised into 11 regional councils and 67 territorial authorities for local government purposes, the Realm of New Zealand also includes Tokelau, the Cook Islands and Niue, and the Ross Dependency, which is New Zealands territorial claim in Antarctica. New Zealand is a member of the United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, ANZUS, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Pacific Islands Forum, and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation. Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted New Zealand in 1642 and called it Staten Landt, in 1645, Dutch cartographers renamed the land Nova Zeelandia after the Dutch province of Zeeland. British explorer James Cook subsequently anglicised the name to New Zealand, Aotearoa is the current Māori name for New Zealand. It is unknown whether Māori had a name for the country before the arrival of Europeans. Māori had several names for the two main islands, including Te Ika-a-Māui for the North Island and Te Waipounamu or Te Waka o Aoraki for the South Island. Early European maps labelled the islands North, Middle and South, in 1830, maps began to use North and South to distinguish the two largest islands and by 1907, this was the accepted norm. The New Zealand Geographic Board discovered in 2009 that the names of the North Island and South Island had never been formalised and this set the names as North Island or Te Ika-a-Māui, and South Island or Te Waipounamu
5.
Arthur's Pass
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It is a popular base for exploring Arthurs Pass National Park. Arthurs Pass township is about 5 km south of the pass with the same name. Its elevation is 740 metres above sea level surrounded by beech forest, the Bealey River runs through the township. The town is located 153 km from Christchurch a 2-hour drive on SH73, the township and the pass are named after Sir Arthur Dudley Dobson. Arthur Dobson had been tasked by the Chief Surveyor, Thomas Cass, in 1864, his brother Edward joined him and accompanied him into the valley of the Otira River. A West Coast Māori Chief, Tarapuhi, told Arthur of a pass that Māori hunting parties occasionally used, when Arthur returned to Christchurch, he sketched the country he had traversed and included it in a report to Cass. Arthur Dobson did not name the pass, which he found very steep on the western side, Dobson named the site that became the township Camping Flat. When the gold rush began, a committee of businessmen offered a prize for anyone who would find a better or more suitable pass from Canterbury to the West Coast. Arthurs Pass township was reached by the railway in 1914, while the Westland section having advanced to Otira, construction of the tunnel was very slow. The tunnel was completed in 1923. The TranzAlpine Express passes through Arthurs Pass and the Otira Tunnel as part of its 223 kilometres trek from Christchurch to Greymouth, the trip is considered one of the worlds great train journeys for the scenery and views. A power station was built below the Devils Punchbowl Falls to provide electricity for the tunnel construction, in 1929 the Arthur’s Pass National Park was created, New Zealands third National Park. The Geographic Board had a policy of omitting apostrophe in place names, and this caused a great upset with the local population, and the Minister of Lands reinstated the old version with the apostrophe. Since 16 September 1975, the post office adopted the spelling with the apostrophe. The township has a DOC ranger station, which accommodates a visitor information. Visitor accommodation is provided, from ground up to hotel standard. The township provides a store, a petrol station, tea rooms. There are also several good walks from here, including the Devils Punchbowl Falls, Bealey Valley, the mischievous kea can be found here
6.
Canterbury, New Zealand
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Canterbury is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of 44,508 square kilometres, the region in its current form was established in 1989 during nationwide local government reforms. The Kaikoura District joined the region in 1992 following the abolition of the Nelson-Marlborough Regional Council, Christchurch, the South Islands largest city and the countrys third-largest urban area, is the seat of the region and home to 65 percent of the regions population. Other major towns and cities include Timaru, Ashburton, Rangiora, in 1848, Edward Gibbon Wakefield, a Briton, and John Robert Godley, an Anglo-Irish aristocrat, founded the Canterbury Association to establish an Anglican colony in the South Island. The colony was based upon theories developed by Wakefield while in prison for eloping with a woman not-of-age, due to ties to the prestigious Oxford University, the Canterbury Association succeeded in raising sufficient funds and recruiting middle-class and upper-class settlers. In April 1850, a group led by Godley landed at Port Cooper—modern-day Lyttelton Harbour—and established a port, housing. In December 1850, the first wave of 750 settlers arrived at Lyttelton in a fleet of four ships, following 1850, the provinces economy developed with the introduction of sheep farming. The Canterbury regions tussock plains in particular were suitable for sheep farming. Since they were valued by settlers for their meat and wool. By the 1860s, this figure had risen to three million, during this period, the architect Benjamin Mountfort designed many civic and ecclesiastical buildings in the Gothic Revival style. The Canterbury Province was formed in 1853 following the passing of the New Zealand Constitution Act 1852 and it was formed from part of New Munster Province and covered the middle part of the South Island, stretching from the east coast to the west coast. The province was abolished, along with provinces of New Zealand. The modern Canterbury Region has slightly different boundaries, particularly in the north and it is New Zealands largest region by area, with an area of 45,346 km2. Canterbury was traditionally bounded in the north by the Conway River, to the west by the Southern Alps, the area is commonly divided into North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury, South Canterbury and Christchurch City. Canterbury is home to 600,100 people according to Statistics New Zealands June 2016,13 percent of New Zealands population and it the most populous in the South Island and the second most populous region in New Zealand. The median age of Canterburys population is 39.9 years, around 15.5 percent of the population is aged 65 or over while 18.7 percent is aged under 15. There are 97.5 males for every hundred females in Canterbury, just under 20 percent of Canterburys population was born overseas, compared to 25 percent for New Zealand as a whole. The British Isles remains the largest region of origin, accounting for 36.5 percent of the population in Canterbury
7.
New Zealand State Highway 73
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State Highway 73 is a major east-west South Island state highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Cass/Hokitika via the Southern Alps. It is mostly two lane, with some single-lane bridges north of Springfield but is mostly dual carriageway in Christchurch, the fourth and fifth-highest points of New Zealands state highway network are on this road at Porters and Arthurs Pass respectively. The route connecting the West and East coasts of the South Island via the Southern Alps were known for hundreds of years by the Māori people, the Europeans were informed of the route by a local chief in the mid-19th century but was not used during his lifetime. In 1864, Arthur Dudley Dobson traversed from the east to the west coast from the Waimakariri River, a route connecting Christchurch to Hokitika was fully completed in 1866, with the first Cobb & Co coach began operating that same year for the burgeoning gold rush. Construction of a link had started in 1890, and the Midland Line between Canterbury and the West Coast was finally completed on 4 August 1923, with the opening of the Otira Tunnel. This signalled the end of the Cobb & Co coach in New Zealand, the road between Arthurs Pass and Otira in particular was amongst the most dangerous in the country, due to the road located on scree slopes which frequently gave way. As a result, numerous studies were conducted into alternative options for fixing the road around Candys Bend, Starvation Point, construction of the Otira Viaduct and the protective roofs from slips began in 1997 and opened in 1999. As of May 2016, this is the current route of the highway, State Highway 73 begins 11 km south of Greymouth at Kumara Junction. The highway passes through undulating farmland, scrubland and forest as it passes through the settlements of Kumara, the road veers sharply to the left as it approaches the mountains to the front of the road. The road then hugs the Taramakau River as it proceeds down the valley, at Jacksons, the Midland Line crosses the river and begins to run parallel to the road. Just before Aickens at the confuence of the Taramakau and Otira Rivers, beyond Otira, the road breaks with the railway line and crosses the river before climbing up towards the Otira Viaduct and Arthurs Pass. At 920 metres, Arthurs Pass is the second highest pass on the road and is one of the three passes connecting the east and west coasts. After peaking, the road descends into Arthurs Pass village with the railway line emerging from the Otira Tunnel nearby, before Cass, the road runs along a bluff and turns right to proceed past some more farmland as well as Lakes Grasmere and Pearson. After cresting, the road descends into the Kowai River valley, after Springfield, the road emerges onto the Canterbury Plains and runs straight through the settlements of Annat, Sheffield and Waddington before arriving at Darfield. The road then passes through the settlements of Kirwee, Aylesbury and West Melton as well as dairy, the road passes by Paparua Prison and arrives in Christchurch via Yaldhurst. As Yaldhurst Road, the proceeds in a direction towards Riccarton. The road widens to four lanes at Avonhead, but by Curletts Road/Peer Street, as Curletts Road, the road temporarily reverts to two lanes divided by a flush median. After Blenheim Road, however the road again, crosses over the Main South Line
8.
Lake Coleridge
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Lake Coleridge is located in inland Canterbury, in New Zealands South Island. Located 35 kilometres to the northwest of Methven, it has an area of 47 square kilometres. The lake is situated in a valley formed by a glacier over 20,000 years ago in the Pleistocene era. It currently has no natural outflows, there is a little settlement at the lake. The lake is located to the north of the Rakaia River, the project makes use of the difference in altitude between the lake and river. Both the Harper and Wilberforce Rivers have had some of their flow diverted into the lake, the Lake was named by the chief surveyor of the Canterbury Association, Joseph Thomas, on a sketch map prepared in early 1849. It commemorates Edward Coleridge and William Coleridge, who were first cousins and both nephews of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, two early members of the Canterbury Association. Two further members of the Coleridge family joined the Canterbury Association in June 1851, i. e. after the lake had been named, John Taylor Coleridge, the lake was the epicentre for the 6.5 magnitude earthquake that struck on 26 June 1946. Lakes of New Zealand List of lakes of New Zealand Details about the Lake Coleridge Power Station Map of Lake Coleridge 1849 sketch map by Thomas
9.
Leeston
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Leeston is a town on the Canterbury Plains in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 40 kilometres southwest of Christchurch, between the shore of Lake Ellesmere and the mouth of the Rakaia River. The town is a service centre, but has all the necessities for a real township such as a supermarket, schools, churches, hospital. The Selwyn District Council currently has a office in Leeston. Leeston is growing relatively fast for a town, having a 2006 population of 1,299 up 8. 3%, or 99 people. This is significantly above the population growth rate in New Zealand. The 2013 census returned a population of 1,506, which is 15. 9% higher than the 2006 census, population growth is expected to continue due to people leaving Christchurch as a result of the 2010 Canterbury earthquake and the 2011 Canterbury earthquake. Its primary school was opened in 1865 and consolidated during the early 20th century and it was located on the west side of Leeston, with school residences being built in 1868. Its peak roll was 275, with classes in woodwork and metalwork for the males and cookery, a side school for younger pupils was opened in Doyleston, and named Leeston Side School. There were many schools in the Ellesmere area, including Doyleston School, Irwell School, Lakeside School, Brookside School, Killinchy School. These schools had very small rolls, and as early as 1898 there was a proposal that they should be closed and their pupils moved to the schools in the townships of Leeston. The Board replied that while the advantages that might accumulate from such a move were recognized, no funds were available for the purpose, the matter then was left alone for quarter of a century. In early 1923, the Chair of Education at Canterbury University College, Professor James Shelley and he promoted the idea of closing a number of small schools and moving their pupils to Leeston Primary. The Ellesmere Guardian followed this up with an article supporting the idea, some months later, at a meeting of the Leeston own Board, Dr. B. Volckman moved that Leeston was a suitable trying out ground for such consolidated, the clerk was instructed to send this resolution to the Canterbury Education Board after a unanimous vote of the members. For the next ten years the theoretical advantages and disadvantages of consolidation were discussed on, in December 1936, the party favourable to the consolidation gained a victory when a meeting of householders in Irwell voted in favour of consolidating Irwell School with Leeston. A week later, similar victories were achieved at Lakeside and Doyleston, Irwell and Doyleston pupils became foundation pupils of Leeston Consolidated School by April 1938. In 1945 Brookside School also consolidated with Leeston after falling roll numbers made it apparent that the school would only be entitled to one teacher
10.
Courtenay, New Zealand
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Courtenay is a settlement in inland Canterbury, New Zealand. It was once important as a place where the Waimakariri River could be forded and was a stop on the way to the West Coast. Its decline began when the Midland Line was routed via the nearby Kirwee, early pioneers in Canterbury found it challenging to cross the Waimakariri River, and struggled with its pronunciation. The best opportunity for fording the river was 35 kilometres from Christchurch, when building timber ran low in Christchurch, the logs from the Harewood Forest at Oxford were brought across the river at Courtenay. Courtenay is an agricultural district. It originally formed part of the Racecourse Hill and Desert runs, the latter was bought by the Rev Octavius Mathias for his friend, the Rev John Owen, a member of the Canterbury Association who never came out to New Zealand. Courtenay was one of the earliest settled districts in Canterbury, a hotel was built in 1861 and operated by Charles White, and a store was opened at the township in the days when Cobb & Co coaches ran through it on their way to the West Coast. A second hotel, the Halfway House, was opened by Charles Watson just east of Courtenay and it was so named because it was equidistant to Christchurch and Sheffield, and Cobb & Co made it its breakfast stop on the journey from Christchurch. The Courtenay Road Board, of which Colonel Brett was the first chairman, had jurisdiction in the district, subsequently the Boards headquarters were transferred to Kirwee. The Courtenay Agricultural and Pastoral Association, and a society, were also formed in the early days, and shows were initially held at the Desert homestead. St. Matthews church is an Anglican church, located where Halkett, the township had a country model school, i. e. a school where trainee teachers worked under the supervision of experienced teachers. The school closed long ago, but the building is still in existence, Courtenay celebrated its 150th history in 2000, and a memorial is located next to Old West Coast Road. The Waimakariri River makes a curve across the Canterbury Plains. River terraces are low-lying, and old flood channels starting at Courtenay can easily be recognised on aerial photos. The flood risk was recognised early on, but no action was taken until Christchurch was hit by a flood in February 1868 that saw Victoria Square 1 metre under water. The Waimakariri flood waters had reached the source of the Avon River in Avonhead, subsequently, flood banks were built by the Canterbury Provincial Council. The Courtenay district gave its name to a general electorate, the 1902 electoral redistribution created six new electorates, including Courtenay. It existed for two terms and was abolished for the 1908 election
