Kyeburn is a small settlement in Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It lies on the Maniototo, a wide, high plain stretching from the end of the Strath-Taieri valley.
Kyeburn stands at the junction of State Highways 85 ("The Pigroot") and 87, some 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) east of Ranfurly, on the Kyeburn Stream, a minor tributary of the Taieri River. [1] The stream's name, from which the settlement gets its name, is one of those within "Thomson's Barnyard", an area dotted with northern English farmyard animal names, all given by early Otago surveyor John Turnbull Thomson. The area was, in its early years of settlement, called Cows Creek. ("kye" is a Northumbrian term for cows). [2]
The area around Kyeburn was a busy mining location during the latter part of the Otago gold rush, with the mining settlement of Kyeburn Diggings (sometimes called Upper Kyeburn) located some 10 kilometres to the north of Kyeburn itself. [1]
Kyeburn would be flung into national and international infamy at the beginning of the 1880s when long-time resident Mary Young was murdered on 3 August 1880. This murder was shocking to many residents and garnered media attention during the trial that followed. Young died from the injuries that were inflicted on her with large stones from her garden before any definite culprit could be found. Because of this, the police struggled to find a motive, let alone the identity of the culprit. The only lead they had initially was discovered through talking to Young before she died, as she indicated that the person that attacked her was of Chinese origin. Despite the lack of evidence, a lengthy trial would find a Chinese man by the name of Ah Lee guilty. He was a miner who had only been in the area for a short period of time and was indicted based on largely circumstantial evidence. Although he was convicted and executed, a lot of people believed that Lee was not guilty, after many fallacies in the prosecution came to light, including the fact that the interpreter who the police used did not fully understand the type of Chinese. The interpreter was a Seyuip Cantonese and Lee of Panyu origin, resulting in about a 40% understanding between the two. [3]
Henley is a township on New Zealand's Taieri Plains, named after the rowing centre Henley-on-Thames in England. It lies close to the confluence of the Taieri and Waipori Rivers at the eastern edge of the plain, at the foot of a low range of coastal hills. The township lies close to the ecologically significant Sinclair Wetlands, which lie 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) to the west.
The Taieri Plain is an area of fertile agricultural land to the southwest of Dunedin, in Otago, New Zealand. The plain covers an area of some 300 square kilometres, with a maximum extent of 30 kilometres. It is not to be confused with Strath Taieri, a second plain of the Taieri River, 40kms to the north beyond Mount Ross.
Brighton is a small seaside town within the city limits of Dunedin on New Zealand's South Island. It is located 20 kilometres southwest from the city centre on the Southern Scenic Route.
The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to the north and the Rock and Pillar Range to the southeast. It has a harsh, dry climate, ranging from over 30 °C in mid-summer to -15 °C in mid-winter.
St Bathans, formerly named Dunstan Creek, is a former gold and coal mining town in Central Otago, New Zealand. The settlement was a centre of the Otago gold rush, but mining has since long ceased. It is now largely a holiday retreat due to the preservation of many of its historic buildings.
The Strath Taieri is a large glacial valley and river plateau in New Zealand's South Island. It is surrounded by the rugged hill ranges to the north and west of Otago Harbour. Since 1989 it has been part of the city of Dunedin. The small town of Middlemarch is located at its southern end.
Wedderburn is a community in Central Otago, New Zealand. It is located 15 kilometres northwest of Ranfurly, and was at one time close to the centre of a thriving gold and coal mining area. The name of Wedderburn was given to the area by John Turnbull Thomson, and is one of the names in his infamous "Thomson's Barnyard", wedder being Northumbrian dialect form of the word wether, meaning a castrated sheep.
Outram is a rural suburb of Dunedin, New Zealand, with a population of 880 as of June 2023. It is located 28 kilometres west of the central city at the edge of the Taieri Plains, close to the foot of Maungatua. The Taieri River flows close to the southeast of the town. Outram lies on State Highway 87 between Mosgiel and Middlemarch.
Hyde is a locality in Otago, New Zealand, located in the Strath-Taieri. It is close to the northern end of the Rock and Pillar Range on State Highway 87 between Middlemarch and Ranfurly. Hyde is best known as the site of the Hyde railway disaster of 4 June 1943, in which 21 people were killed when an express train on the Otago Central Railway derailed at high speed in a cutting near the town. At the time, it was the worst railway accident in New Zealand's history; it has only been passed by the Tangiwai disaster of 24 December 1953, which claimed the lives of 151 people. The site of the Hyde disaster can now be walked as part of the Otago Central Rail Trail and a monument, a 2.5 m high cairn, stands as a memorial to the victims.
Kātiki is a small settlement in North Otago, New Zealand. It lies between the townships of Palmerston and Hampden on State Highway 1 at the northern end of Kātiki Beach, close to the Moeraki Peninsula. The tip of the peninsula, Kātiki Point, is the site of Kātiki Point Lighthouse. The scenic reserve of Trotter's Gorge is located just inland of Kātiki.
State Highway 85 (SH 85) is a South Island state highway in New Zealand, servicing the Maniototo Plains and the North and Central Otago regions of the South Island between the major settlements of Alexandra and Palmerston. It is wholly two lane and passes through some of the most extreme climatic regions in New Zealand. The highway is known colloquially as "The Pigroot". The name comes from the Pigroot Hotel, the only building in the town of Pigroot, where travellors stayed during the 1870's to 1880's. Officially named the "Halfway House", but colloquially known as the Pigroot Hotel, it was run by the proprietors John and Isabella Freeland. Today, the Pigroot Creek Bridge which runs over the Shag River is the only reminder of this town.
Papanui Inlet is the northernmost of two large inlets in the Pacific coast of Otago Peninsula, in the South Island of New Zealand.
Lauder is a small settlement in the Otago Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located in Central Otago, 8 km northeast of Omakau, on the main route between Alexandra and Ranfurly, State Highway 85. The settlement was named after the town of the same name in southern Scotland, one of many Otago sites to be named after places in the Scottish borders by John Turnbull Thomson.
Hindon is a small settlement in inland Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 24 kilometres (15 mi) northwest of Dunedin in the Silverpeaks Range, close to the edge of the Strath Taieri. The Taieri Gorge Railway runs through Hindon on its way between Dunedin and Middlemarch.
Huriawa, commonly known as Huriawa Peninsula or Karitane Peninsula, is a headland on the coast of Otago, New Zealand. It is located 35 kilometres north of Dunedin city centre, immediately to the southeast of the settlement of Karitane.
Whare Flat is a locality some 15 km to the northwest of Dunedin city centre, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located at a widening of the Silver Stream's valley amid the foothills of the Silverpeaks.
Moneymore is a small farming community in South Otago, New Zealand. It is located 5 kilometres to the southwest of Milton, to the south of SH 1.
Maruakoa is a small farming settlement in Waitaki District, New Zealand. It is located close to the banks of the Kakanui River just south of its emergence form the Kakanui Gorge. It is 18 kilometres northwest of Oamaru and 4 kilometres southwest of Windsor, between the two settlements of Five Forks and Tapui. The name Maruakoa is a Māori word literally meaning "Happy valley".
Bortons is a small settlement on the southern bank of the Waitaki River in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on SH 83, 7 km east of Duntroon.
Wairunga is a locality in Otago, New Zealand. It is located on SH1 to the south of Palmerston. The Pleasant River flows immediately to the west of Wairunga.
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