Stockton, New Zealand

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Stockton
NZ-West Coast plain map.png
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Stockton
Coordinates: 41°37′51″S171°54′2″E / 41.63083°S 171.90056°E / -41.63083; 171.90056 Coordinates: 41°37′51″S171°54′2″E / 41.63083°S 171.90056°E / -41.63083; 171.90056
Country New Zealand
Region West Coast
District Buller District

Stockton is a former settlement in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand in the West Coast region. [1] It is located in the Papahaua Ranges about 30 kilometres linear distance north east from Westport.

South Island southernmost and largest 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.

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.

West Coast, New Zealand Region in South Island, New Zealand

The West Coast is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island that is administered by the West Coast Regional Council. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth, and Hokitika. The region is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country.

Stockton is best known for the Stockton Mine operated by Solid Energy. This mine had the first electric railway in New Zealand, from 1908 to 1953, when it was replaced by an aerial cableway. [2]

Stockton Mine mine in New Zealand

Stockton Mine, on the Stockton Coal Field, is New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation. The entrance to the mine is at the former settlement of Stockton. The mine was operated by Solid Energy in a partnership agreement with Downer Australia. Solid Energy obtained the Stockton Coal Mining Licence (CML) in 1987 for a period of 40 years. In 2016 Talley's, in a joint purchase with Bathurst Resources, bought this and former Solid Energy mines at Rotowaro and Maramarua.

Solid Energy was the largest coal mining company in New Zealand and is a state owned enterprise of the New Zealand Government.

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Pike River Mine mine in New Zealand

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Cypress Mine mine in New Zealand

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Ngakawau River river in New Zealand

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Mt William North Mining Project mine in New Zealand

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References

  1. ↑ LINZ database
  2. ↑ Churchman, Geoffrey B. (1995). Railway Electrification in Australia and New Zealand. Sydney & Wellington: IPL Books. pp. 8, 9. ISBN   0-908876-79-3.
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