Craigieburn, New Zealand

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Craigieburn is the name of a settlement and several geographic features in northwest Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island.

New Zealand Constitutional monarchy in Oceania

New Zealand is a sovereign island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The country geographically comprises two main landmasses—the North Island, and the South Island —and around 600 smaller islands. New Zealand is situated some 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) east of Australia across the Tasman Sea and roughly 1,000 kilometres (600 mi) south of the Pacific island areas of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga. 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, and plant life. The country's varied topography and its sharp mountain peaks, such as the Southern Alps, owe much to the tectonic uplift of land and volcanic eruptions. New Zealand's capital city is Wellington, while its most populous city is Auckland.

South Island Southernmost of the two main islands in New Zealand

The South Island, also officially named Te Waipounamu, is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area; 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, and to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers 150,437 square kilometres (58,084 sq mi), making it the world's 12th-largest island. It has a temperate climate.

The Craigieburn Range of mountains is located on the south banks of the Waimakariri River, south of Arthur's Pass. The Craigieburn Valley Ski Area is located on its slopes, as is the Craigieburn Forest Park. The ski slopes are within an hour and a half from Christchurch New Zealand.

The Craigieburn Range forms part of the Southern Alps in New Zealand's South Island. The range is located on the south banks of the Waimakariri River, south of Arthur's Pass and west of State Highway 73. The Craigieburn locality is adjacent to the Craigieburn Forest Park.

Waimakariri River river in New Zealand

The Waimakariri River, formerly briefly known as the Courtenay River, is one of the largest of the North Canterbury rivers, in the South Island of New Zealand. It flows for 151 kilometres (94 mi) in a generally southeastward direction from the Southern Alps across the Canterbury Plains to the Pacific Ocean. In Māori, Waimakariri has several meanings, one of which is "river of cold rushing water". The river is known colloquially in Canterbury as "The Waimak".

Arthurs Pass Township in Canterbury, New Zealand

Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for exploring Arthur's Pass National Park.

The small Lake Hawdon lies immediately to the west of Craigieburn.

Fauna

During the summer months five species of grasshoppers can be found along the Craigieburn Range. They include Sigaus villosus which can be found along the ridgelines, Brachaspis nivalis which lives on the rocky scree, Sigaus australis , Paprides nitidus which both live in the alpine tussocklands and Phaulacridium marginale which can be found in the tussocklands below 1100 m. [1]

<i>Sigaus villosus</i> species of insect

Sigaus villosus is New Zealand's largest grasshopper. It is only found in the central mountains of the South Island. The genus Sigaus is endemic to the New Zealand. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S. villosus has a 2 or 3 years life cycle. The eggs must ‘overwinter’ before they will hatch. Hoppers are found throughout the year and adult grasshoppers can be found throughout the New Zealand summer between December and April. Adult S. villosus do not overwinter.

Scree Broken rock fragments at the base of steep rock faces, that has accumulated through periodic rockfall

Scree is a collection of broken rock fragments at the base of crags, mountain cliffs, volcanoes or valley shoulders that has accumulated through periodic rockfall from adjacent cliff faces. Landforms associated with these materials are often called talus deposits. Talus deposits typically have a concave upwards form, while the maximum inclination corresponds to the angle of repose of the mean debris size.

<i>Sigaus australis</i> species of insect

Sigaus australis is the most common alpine grasshopper found in New Zealand. It can be found in the lower half of the South Island, from the Otago and Canterbury Region. S. australis was described in 1897 by Frederick Wollaston Hutton. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers S. australis has a 2 or 3 years life cycle. The eggs must ‘overwinter’ before they will hatch. Hoppers are found throughout the year, and adult grasshoppers can be found throughout the New Zealand summer between December and April. The adult S. australis do not overwinter. The genus Sigaus is endemic to New Zealand.

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Selwyn District Territorial authority in Canterbury, New Zealand

Selwyn District is a predominantly rural area in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Selwyn River, which is in turn named after Bishop George Selwyn, the first Anglican bishop of New Zealand who, in 1843 and 1844, travelled the length of the country by horse, foot, boat and canoe, leaving in his wake a sprinkling of locations that now bear his name.

Broken River Ski Area

Broken River is a club skifield in South Island, New Zealand. Run by the Broken River Ski Club, it is located at about 110 km (68 mi) from Christchurch. The skifield claims to often have the longest ski season anywhere in Australasia. Also, by connecting with Craigieburn Valley, it claims to have the largest skiable area in New Zealand, at 900 hectares.

Craigieburn Valley Ski Area

Craigieburn Valley Ski Area is a club skifield in the Southern Alps of New Zealand's South Island, about 104km west from Christchurch. Catering only to intermediate and advanced skiers, it features a vertical range of 1308—1811 m, 600 hectares of skiable area and 3 fast rope tows. The resort has several ski lodges but no gear hire. It is also the base for ski touring expeditions when conditions permit. It is immediately adjacent to the Broken River Ski Area, with which it shares a ski pass system. Skiing between the two is possible with some skinning involved.

Porters Ski Area

Porters, is a commercial ski resort just over an hour's drive west from Christchurch, in the South Island of New Zealand. Originally functioning as a club skifield, it has one beginner magic carpet, one platter tow, one chairlift and three t-bars. The difficulty of the slopes is distributed as 15% beginner, 35% intermediate and 50% advanced. Modern grooming equipment is used, and snowmaking facilities operate along the main pistes along the chairlift.

Goldney River river in New Zealand

The Goldney River is a river in the Canterbury Region of New Zealand. It arises on the southern slopes of the Craigieburn Range and flows south into Lake Coleridge. The Goldney family were early squatters in the area.

The Porter River is a river of the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It rises close to the southern end of the Craigieburn Range east of Lake Coleridge, flowing generally northeast to reach the Broken River close to Castle Hill. The Porters Ski Area is above the river valley's western flank, and State Highway 73 follows the river's course for some distance to the west of Porters Pass.

The Ryton River is a river of the Canterbury Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows southwest down a long valley within the Craigieburn Range to reach the northeastern shore of Lake Coleridge.

<i>Sigaus homerensis</i> species of insect

Sigaus homerensis is a grasshopper endemic to the southern South Island of New Zealand. It is known only from three isolated populations in Fiordland.

<i>Sigaus childi</i> species of insect

Sigaus childi is an endangered protected species of grasshopper known only from the Alexandra district of the South Island of New Zealand. It is one of just two species of grasshopper listed for protection under the New Zealand Wildlife Act 1953. The genus Sigaus is endemic to New Zealand.

<i>Brachaspis robustus</i> species of insect

Brachaspis robustus is a nationally endangered species of grasshopper endemic to the Mackenzie Basin of the South Island of New Zealand. The genus Brachaspis is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. Although a grasshopper, it is a poor jumper, relying on camouflage to hide from predators. It is threatened by introduced mammals such as stoats, hedgehogs, and rats.

<i>Alpinacris tumidicauda</i> species of insect

Alpinacris tumidicauda is a species of grasshopper only known from Otago and Southland, New Zealand. The genus Alpinacris is endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. A. tumidicauda was described in 1967 by Robert Sidney Bigelow, with a type locality of Obelisk in the Old Man Range (45°19′22″S169°12′27″E). A male holotype and paratype are deposited in the Canterbury Museum, Christchurch. Like all of New Zealand sub-alpine and alpine grasshoppers, A. tumidicauda has a 2- or 3-year life cycle. The eggs must "overwinter" before they will hatch. Hoppers are found throughout the year, and adult grasshoppers can be found throughout the New Zealand summer between December and April. The adult A. tumidicauda do not overwinter.

Cass River (Selwyn District)

The Cass River is an alpine river in the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It rises near the Cass Saddle in the Craigieburn Forest Park and flows generally northeast alongside the Craigieburn Range before turning north to meet the Waimakariri River. State Highway 73 and the Midland Line both cross the lower reaches of the river near a farming locality named Cass.

<i>Phaulacridium marginale</i> species of insect

Phaulacridium marginale is an endemic New Zealand grasshopper found in low altitudes throughout the North Island, the South Island, Stewart Island and on many smaller islands.

<i>Phaulacridium otagoense</i> species of insect

Phaulacridium otagoense is an endemic New Zealand grasshopper found in low altitudes throughout the central South Island.

Lake Hawdon is a small high country lake in Canterbury, New Zealand.

References

  1. ↑ R. S. Bigelow (1967). The Grasshoppers of New Zealand, their Taxonomy and Distribution. Christchurch: University of Canterbury.

Coordinates: 43°06′S171°52′E / 43.100°S 171.867°E / -43.100; 171.867

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.

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