Willowby | |
|---|---|
Rural locality | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 43°59′S171°41′E / 43.983°S 171.683°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Canterbury |
| Territorial authority | Ashburton District |
| Ward | Eastern |
Willowby is a lightly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. [1] It is situated in Mid-Canterbury, south of Ashburton, the major town of the area. Other nearby settlements include Hinds and Lynnford to the southwest, Eiffelton to the south, and Huntingdon to the east.
Willowby is part of the Eiffelton statistical area. [2]
The primary economic activity around Willowby is agriculture.
Until 2000, primary education was provided by Willowby School. That year, three local schools merged to form Longbeach School, which is situated at the former site of Willowby School. It caters for students in years 1-8 and has 120 pupils and five teachers. [3]
Willowby is located on the Canterbury Plains between the Ashburton River / Hakatere and Rangitata rivers. The Pacific Ocean is a short distance away, with Eiffelton and Waterton between Willowby and the coastline. At the turn of the 21st century, local efforts were improving the quality of Willowby's environment. A barren shingle pit was converted into the Willowby Community Reserve, and other projects have been undertaken with the assistance of local government. [4]
Willowby formerly had its own Methodist church. It was founded in 1876 and closed in 1992. Its stained glass windows are now at the Baring Square Methodist church in Ashburton, and a tapestry created by a member of Willowby Methodist Church to celebrate its centenary in 1976 was given to Tinwald's Methodist church. [5]
Willowby has its own volunteer rural fire fighting unit. It covers a catchment between the Ashburton and Hinds rivers and was founded to serve the local farming community, especially during dry summers. It has 21 members, and as part of the national rural fire service, it can provide assistance and back-up to other volunteer units in the surrounding region. [6]
Willowby is situated off major transport routes. State Highway 1 and the Main South Line railway pass nearby, through Winslow to the northwest.
Ashburton is a large town in the Canterbury Region, on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. The town is the seat of the Ashburton District. It is 85 kilometres (53 mi) south west of Christchurch and is sometimes regarded as a satellite town of Christchurch.
Timaru is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located 157 km (98 mi) southwest of Christchurch and about 196 km (122 mi) northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to 28,900 people, and is the largest urban area in South Canterbury, and the third-largest in the Canterbury Region overall, after Christchurch and Rolleston. The town is the seat of the Timaru District, which includes the surrounding rural area and the towns of Geraldine, Pleasant Point and Temuka, which combined have a total population of 48,900.
Opawa is an inner residential suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located approximately 3.5 kilometres south-east of the city centre. Initally Opawa was a low-lying area, and a continuation of the Sydenham swamp. By the 1860s, the area was sparsely populated by European settlers and later became a rural-agricultural locality, with many of the early settlers of English descent. As Woolston emerged as an industrial hub nearby, Opawa was heavily urbanised, transforming it into an upscale residential area and its population largely included factory workers and businesspeople. Notable heritage-listed buildings in the suburb include "Risingholme" and "The Hollies". In its formative days, Opawa was a riding of the Heathcote County Council. It later amalgamated in to the city area in 1916.
Mayfield is a small farming settlement in Mid Canterbury, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located 35 km from Ashburton on former State Highway 72 at the intersection of the Lismore-Mayfield Road towards the top of the Canterbury Plains. Mayfield is within the Ashburton District Council and Canterbury Regional Council boundaries. The population of the Mayfield village is around 200. The majority of the population is engaged either directly or indirectly in farming or farming related services.
Glentunnel is a village located in the Selwyn District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island.
The Hinds River is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. Its north and south branches drain the eastern flank of the Moorhouse Range, part of the Southern Alps, and their confluence is near Anama and Mayfield. The river then flows across the Canterbury Plains towards the Pacific Ocean, passing through the small town of Hinds along the way. In Hinds, State Highway 1 and the Main South Line railway cross the river. The river's mouth is located between the localities of Longbeach and Lowcliffe.
Longbeach is a lowly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located in a rural area of the Canterbury Plains on the shore of the Pacific Ocean on the northern side of the Hinds River's mouth.
Eiffelton is a lightly populated locality in the Mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island.
Hinds is a small town in the Mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the Canterbury Plains on the south bank of the Hinds River, which reaches the Pacific Ocean between the nearby localities of Longbeach and Lowcliffe. Other localities around Hinds include Ealing to the west, Willowby, Windermere, and Winslow to the northeast, and Eiffelton to the southeast.
Lynnford is a lightly populated locality in the Mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated between Hinds and Eiffelton on the banks of the Hinds River, which reaches the Pacific Ocean not far to the southeast, between the nearby localities of Longbeach and Lowcliffe. Other localities close to Lynnford are Willowby and Windermere to the north.
Lowcliffe is a lightly populated locality in the mid-Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the shore of the Pacific Ocean between the mouths of the Hinds and Rangitata Rivers. Nearby settlements include Coldstream to the west by the Rangitata River, Longbeach to the east on the other side of the Hinds River's mouth, and Hinds to the north. The closest towns of significant size are Ashburton to the northeast and Geraldine to the west.
Environment Canterbury, frequently abbreviated to ECan, is the promotional name for the Canterbury Regional Council. It is the regional council for Canterbury, the largest region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is part of New Zealand's structure of local government.
Huntingdon is a lightly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the southern bank of the Ashburton River / Hakatere, south of Ashburton. Other nearby settlements include Willowby to the west, Wheatstone, Flemington, and Ashton to the south, and Wakanui to the east across the river.
Wheatstone is a locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the Canterbury Plains south of Ashburton, on the banks of the Ashburton River / Hakatere. Other nearby settlements include Huntingdon to the north, Eiffelton and Flemington to the west, Ashton and Waterton to the south, and Riverside and Wakanui to the east on the opposite side of the Ashburton River / Hakatere. Wheatstone is slightly inland from the coastline of the Pacific Ocean.
Ashton is a lightly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the Canterbury Plains south of Ashburton, on the Pacific Ocean coastline. It is on the southern side of the Ashburton River / Hakatere's mouth. Nearby settlements include Huntingdon and Wheatstone to the north, Waterton to the southwest, and across the Ashburton River / Hakatere, Riverside to the northeast.
Waterton is a former town in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is still officially recognised as a locality.
Flemington is a lightly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island.
Elsie Low, was a New Zealand botanist, teacher and temperance campaigner.
Barrhill is a lightly populated locality in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the Canterbury Plains, on the right bank of the Rakaia River, about 17 kilometres (11 mi) inland from Rakaia. It was founded by Cathcart Wason in the mid-1870s and named by him after his old home Barrhill in South Ayrshire, Scotland. Wason set it up as a model village for the workers of his large sheep farm. The population of the village peaked in the mid-1880s before the general recession initiated a downturn for the village. Wason had expected for the Methven Branch railway to run past Barrhill, but the line was built in 1880 on an alignment many miles away, which caused Barrhill population to decrease.
The Rangitata Diversion Race or RDR is a combined irrigation and power generation scheme that diverts water from the Rangitata River to irrigate over 66,000 hectares of farmland in Mid-Canterbury, New Zealand. The RDR project was the first major river diversion in New Zealand, and the largest irrigation scheme in the country. It was originally constructed by the Public Works Department between 1937 and 1944. The main canal is 67 km long, 10 m wide and 3 m deep.