Parnassus | |
---|---|
Locality | |
Coordinates: 42°43′S173°18′E / 42.717°S 173.300°E | |
Country | New Zealand |
Region | Canterbury |
Territorial authority | Hurunui District |
Ward | East Ward |
Electorates | |
Government | |
• Territorial Authority | Hurunui District Council |
• Regional council | Environment Canterbury |
• Mayor of Hurunui | Marie Black |
• Kaikōura MP | Stuart Smith |
• Te Tai Tonga MP | Tākuta Ferris |
Time zone | UTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time) |
Parnassus is a locality in the Canterbury region's Hurunui District on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the north bank of the Waiau Uwha River.
It takes its name from a local sheep run owned by a classical scholar, Edward Lee. He saw a likeness between a local hill and the Greek Mount Parnassus, mythical home of the god Apollo and the Muses. [1]
State Highway 1 passes through the town on its route from Cheviot to Kaikōura, and the Main North Line railway from Christchurch to Picton also runs through the town. At one stage, the Waiau Branch was intended to be the main line north and a branch line diverged from the Waiau route in Waipara to service coastal communities. This line was opened to Parnassus in 1912 and was known as the Parnassus Branch at that stage. However, the decision was made to use the Parnassus route as the main line, relegating the route from Waipara through the Weka Pass to Waiau to the status of branch line. The Main North Line was completed in 1945 and continues to serve Parnassus today.
The epicentre of the 1901 Cheviot earthquake was at Parnassus.
The Parnassus statistical area, which includes Cheviot, covers 994.57 km2 (384.01 sq mi). [2] It had an estimated population of 1,360 as of June 2024, [3] with a population density of 1.4 people per km2.
Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
---|---|---|
2006 | 1,272 | — |
2013 | 1,308 | +0.40% |
2018 | 1,323 | +0.23% |
Source: [4] |
Parnassus had a population of 1,323 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 15 people (1.1%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 51 people (4.0%) since the 2006 census. There were 546 households, comprising 657 males and 666 females, giving a sex ratio of 0.99 males per female. The median age was 47.0 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 273 people (20.6%) aged under 15 years, 153 (11.6%) aged 15 to 29, 612 (46.3%) aged 30 to 64, and 285 (21.5%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 93.9% European/Pākehā, 11.8% Māori, 1.6% Pasifika, 1.1% Asian, and 1.8% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
The percentage of people born overseas was 10.2, compared with 27.1% nationally.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 53.7% had no religion, 34.9% were Christian, 0.7% had Māori religious beliefs, 0.2% were Hindu, 0.2% were Muslim, 0.2% were Buddhist and 0.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 156 (14.9%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 219 (20.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $27,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. 117 people (11.1%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 504 (48.0%) people were employed full-time, 222 (21.1%) were part-time, and 18 (1.7%) were unemployed. [4]
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Amberley is a town located in the Hurunui District in north Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 approximately 50 km north of Christchurch. It is the seat of the Hurunui District Council. The nearest town to the north of Amberly via state highway one is Waipara (11 km) and the nearest town to the south is Leithfield (5.7 km).
Cheviot is a town in the Hurunui District of north Canterbury, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1, approximately 112 kilometres (70 mi) north of Christchurch and 68 kilometres (42 mi) south of Kaikōura.
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The Waiau Branch was a branch line railway in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. Known as the Great Northern Railway for its first few decades of life, the Waiau Branch was seen as part of a main line north but was ultimately superseded by a coastal route. Opened in stages from 1882 to 1919, the line closed in 1978 but a portion has been retained as the Weka Pass Railway.
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The Main North Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk railway, is a railway line that runs north from Christchurch in New Zealand up the east coast of the South Island through Kaikōura and Blenheim to Picton. It is a major link in New Zealand's national rail network and offers a connection with roll-on roll-off ferries from Picton to Wellington. It was also the longest railway construction project in New Zealand's history, with the first stages built in the 1870s and not completed until 1945.
The Culverden Express was a passenger train operated by the New Zealand Railways Department between Christchurch and Culverden. It ran from 1886 until its replacement by the Picton Express in 1945 and its route followed both the Main North Line and the Waiau Branch. In the mid-1920s, the main northern terminus became Parnassus, and to reflect this, the name was changed to the Parnassus Express.
Tāneatua is a small town in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island, 13 kilometres south of Whakatāne. State Highway 2 passes through the town on its route between Edgecumbe and Ōpōtiki. The small settlements of Ruatoki and Waimana are to the south and south-east of Tāneatua.
Hedgehope is a locality in the central Southland region of New Zealand's South Island.
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Media related to Parnassus, New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons