West Otago

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West Otago is the local name given to part of the region of Otago, New Zealand, lying close to the border with Southland. [1] It is administratively connected to South Otago, but is geographically separated from it by a range of hills known as the Blue Mountains. The largest settlements in West Otago are Tapanui and Heriot, and other localities within the area include Moa Flat, Edievale, Crookston, Merino Downs, and Waikoikoi. The area described as West Otago is sometimes extended to include Lawrence, Clinton, and Beaumont. The ghost town of Kelso also lies within West Otago. [2] Other notable features of the area include Conical Hill and Landslip Hill, the latter being a major fossil-bearing formation.

West Otago is connected to the New Zealand State Highway network by SH 90 , which runs north–south through the Pomahaka valley linking SH 1 near Gore and SH 8 at Raes Junction. The area was formerly also served by a rail branch line, the Tapanui Branch, which ran from 1880 until 1978.

European settlement in the area dates back to the 1850s. [3] Early settlers in the region included William Pinkerton, an Englishman who had been a runholder in Australia for over a decade, who first cleared land for farming around Tapanui in 1857. [4] A Scottish settler, Adam Oliver, and his wife Agnes, had settled further down the Pomahaka valley the previous year. [5] Prior to European arrival, the area was a Māori moa-hunting area, but had little if any permanent settlement. [6]

West Otago consists of rolling farmland and forested hills close to the Pomahaka River. Livestock farming (sheep and cattle) is a major industry in the area, [7] and Tapanui is historically a forestry centre. [8]

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The Waikaka branch was a branch line railway of the Main South Line that ran through agricultural and gold-mining country in Southland, New Zealand. It was constructed in 1907 and 1908, and was operated by the New Zealand Railways Department until its closure in 1962.

The Tapanui Branch was a railway line located near the border of the regions of Southland and Otago, New Zealand. Although the name suggests that it terminated in Tapanui, its furthest terminus was actually in Edievale. Construction of the line began in 1878 with the first section opened in 1880, and it operated until 1978, when it was destroyed by flooding from the Pomahaka River.

Blue Mountains are a range of rugged hills in West Otago, in southern New Zealand. They form a barrier between the valleys of the Clutha and Pomahaka Rivers. They lie between the towns of Tapanui and Lawrence and rise to 1019 metres (3280 ft).

Tarras Village in Otago, New Zealand

Tarras is a small farming settlement in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand.

Landslip Hill is located on the boundary of Southland and Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand, between Tapanui and Pukerau. It is a debris flow feature associated with the Manuherikia Group of fluvial quartz sandstones. Geologists have described the fossil-bearing rocks as forming part of a sequence of "siliclastic fluvial deltaic sands, conglomerates and silty clays".

Kelso, New Zealand

Kelso is an abandoned small settlement in Otago, New Zealand, located ten kilometres north of Tapanui on the Crookston Burn, close to its junction with the larger Pomahaka River. Its population during the 1960s and 1970s was close to 300, with most of its economy based on sheep farming. A small dairy factory was a focal point in the village's early years.

Heriot is a small settlement in West Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 kilometres southwest of Raes Junction and 15 kilometres north of Tapanui.

State Highway 90 (SH 90) is a New Zealand State Highway connecting the town of Gore on State Highway 1 to the locality of Raes Junction on State Highway 8 via Tapanui, servicing the agricultural areas of eastern Southland and West Otago. It is mostly hilly and is just under 60 kilometres long.

Southland, New Zealand Region of New Zealand

Southland is New Zealand's southernmost region. It consists mainly of the southwestern portion of the South Island and Stewart Island/Rakiura. It includes Southland District, Gore District and the city of Invercargill. The region covers over 3.1 million hectares and spans over 3,400 km of coast.

Edievale is a small settlement in West Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It lies equidistant between Heriot, which lies to the west, and Raes Junction, which lies to the east, on State Highway 90.

Crookston is a small rural settlement in West Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on SH 90 between Tapanui and Edievale, and lies 6 km east of Heriot.

References

  1. ↑ McKinnon, Malcolm (29 July 2015). "Otago places – West Otago and Teviot Valley". Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand . Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  2. ↑ Weaver, G., "Ghost towns haunt the southern region", Southland Times, 13 July 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Crean, M., "Farming and fortunes", The Press (Christchurch), 31 January 2009. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  4. ↑ Miller 1954, p. 2.
  5. ↑ Miller 1954, p. 5.
  6. ↑ Roe, S., (2018). Tuapeka – A walk through time. Balclutha, NZ: Clutha Print. p. 11. ISBN   978-0-473-43675-9.
  7. ↑ Nicoll, D., "Stunning day delivers for West Otago A&P Show", Southland Times, 19 November 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  8. ↑ Crean, M., "The town that branched out", The Press (Christchurch), 7 December 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2018.

Further reading

Coordinates: 45°56′35″S169°15′40″E / 45.943°S 169.261°E / -45.943; 169.261


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