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Otira
Otira is a small township fifteen kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the northern approach to the pass, a saddle between the Ōtira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps. A possible meaning of is ''"o"'' (place of) and ''"tira"'' (the travellers). Another possible meaning is ''"Oti"'' (finished) and ''"ra"'' (Sun), because Otira Gorge is usually in deep shadow. History Otira was originally a stop on the Cobb and Co stagecoach from Canterbury to the West Coast. The Midland Line was extended from Stillwater to Jacksons in 1894 and then Otira in 1899, when the pass was navigated by coach from Otira until the railway tunnel opened in 1923. During the construction of the tunnel, Otira housed about 600 workers and their families. The Otira Railway Station was opened on 13 November 1900 (ex-Goat Creek on 15 October 1900), and closed in February 1992. In the 1950s, the town had a population of about 350, but this had ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Otira Tunnel
The Otira Tunnel is a railway tunnel on the Midland Line in the South Island of New Zealand, between Otira and Arthur's Pass. It runs under the Southern Alps from Arthur's Pass to Otira – a length of over . The gradient is mainly 1 in 33, and the Otira end of the tunnel is over lower than the Arthur's Pass end. Construction Construction commenced in 1907 and a "breakthrough" celebration was held on 21 August 1918 by the Minister of Public Works Sir William Fraser. When the Otira tunnel opened on 4 August 1923, it was the seventh longest tunnel in the world and the longest in the British Empire. The Midland Railway Company investigated alternatives to a long tunnel, but a railway line over the pass with gradients of 1 in 50 on both sides was not practical. Other options for a line over the pass were a cable-hauled system or a line of 1 in 15 gradient using either the Fell system or a rack railway using the Abt system (or even an S-shaped tunnel under Mount Rolleston). Howe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
New Zealand State Highway 73
State Highway 73 (SH 73) is a major east-west South Island New Zealand state highway network, state highway in New Zealand connecting Christchurch on the east coast with Cass, New Zealand, Cass/Hokitika, New Zealand, Hokitika via the Southern Alps (New Zealand), Southern Alps. It is mostly two lane, with some single-lane bridges north of Springfield, New Zealand, Springfield but is mostly dual carriageway in Christchurch. The fourth and fifth-highest points of New Zealand's state highway network are on this road at Porters Pass and Arthur's Pass (mountain pass), Arthur's Pass respectively. History The route connecting the West and East coasts of the South Island via the Southern Alps were known for hundreds of years by the Māori people, due to a flourishing pounamu trade. The Europeans were informed of the route by a local chief in the mid-19th century but was not used during his lifetime. In 1864, Arthur Dudley Dobson traversed from the east to the west coast from the Waimaka ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midland Line, New Zealand
The Midland line is a 212 km section of railway between Rolleston, New Zealand, Rolleston and Greymouth in the South Island of New Zealand. The line features five major bridges, five viaducts and 17 tunnels, the longest of which is the Otira Tunnel, Otira tunnel. It is the route of the popular TranzAlpine passenger train. History Railway development in the South Island in the 1870s was concentrated on a main line linking the established centres of Christchurch, Timaru, Dunedin and Invercargill and light, easily constructed branch lines serving the arable plains; (see Rail transport in New Zealand#Vogel Era, Vogel Era). These later included a branch to Springfield which was reached by January 1880. In 1882 the East and West Coast Railway League was formed and in 1884 a Royal Commission, although fully aware of the construction difficulties of the Waimakariri Valley-Arthurs Pass route, as compared with the somewhat easier but longer Hurunui Valley-Harpers Pass route, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arthur's Pass (mountain Pass)
Arthur's Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. The pass sits above sea level and marks part of the boundary between the West Coast and Canterbury regions. Located 140 km from Christchurch and 95 km from Greymouth, the pass comprises part of a saddle between the valleys of the Ōtira River (a tributary of the Taramakau River in the west) and of the Bealey River (in the east). Arthur's Pass lies on the border of the Selwyn and Westland districts. A township of the same name (Arthur's Pass) lies about 5 km south of the mountain pass. The pass is named after Arthur Dudley Dobson and a memorial at the pass commemorates him. History For hundreds of years Māori had crossed the Southern Alps by every pass free of snow in the summer months. The reason for making this difficult journey was greenstone (''pounamu''), highly prized both for its hardness and beauty and found only on the West Coast of the South Island. By the t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westland District
Westland District is a territorial authority district on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is administered by the Westland District Council. The district's population is History Westland was originally a part of Canterbury Province, administered from Christchurch, on the east coast. The booming population as a result of the gold rush, together with the difficulty of travel and communication across the Southern Alps, led first to the creation of a special Westland County, then the formal separation of Westland from Canterbury to form the short-lived Westland Province (1873–1876). Westland Province also included what is now the southern portion of Grey District, with the provincial boundary at the Grey and Arnold rivers. Greymouth proper was in Westland Province, Cobden, on the north bank of the Grey River, was in Nelson Province. After the abolition of the provinces in 1876, a new Westland County was created with roughly the same borders as the province ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Railways Department's Housing Scheme
The Railways Department's Housing Scheme refers to a housing programme undertaken by the New Zealand Railways Department (also known as NZR or New Zealand Government Railways) during the 1920s. The scheme was intended to provide railway workers and their families with affordable and accessible accommodation during a time when it was otherwise difficult to find suitable housing. Although the houses were generally only intended as section houses, specifically for workers of the Railways Department, some houses were provided for the general population - such as those in Lower Hutt. The construction scheme was in effect between 1923 and 1929 and saw the construction of over 1,500 prefabricated houses throughout New Zealand. History Background NZR had provided housing of some sort for its workforce since the 1880s. These were often huts for the workers and small cottages for higher-ranking officials such as station masters. Privately operated railways New Zealand Midland Ra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ōtira River
The Ōtira River is located in the central South Island of New Zealand. It rises on the slopes of Mount Rolleston in the Southern Alps, and flows north for , passing through the town of Otira before joining the Taramakau River. The Taramakau's outflow is into the Tasman Sea, south of Greymouth. The valley of the Ōtira River forms the northwestern approach to Arthur's Pass Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explori ..., one of the three main passes across the Southern Alps. References Westland District Rivers of the West Coast Region Rivers of New Zealand Arthur's Pass National Park {{WestCoastNZ-river-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
South Island
The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south by the Foveaux Strait and Southern Ocean, and to the east by the Pacific Ocean. The South Island covers , making it the List of islands by area, world's 12th-largest island, constituting 56% of New Zealand's land area. At low altitudes, it has an oceanic climate. The most populous cities are Christchurch, Dunedin, Nelson, New Zealand, Nelson and Invercargill. Prior to European settlement, Te Waipounamu was sparsely populated by three major iwi – Kāi Tahu, Kāti Māmoe, and the historical Waitaha (South Island iwi), Waitaha – with major settlements including in Kaiapoi Pā near modern-day Christchurch. During the Musket Wars expanding iwi colonised Te Tau Ihu Māori, Te Tau Ihu, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacksons, New Zealand
Jacksons is a settlement and railway station in the Westland District of the West Coast of New Zealand. The TranzAlpine Express passes through Jacksons. Jacksons was the railhead for the Midland Line from Stillwater via Moana from 1894, until the line was extended to Otira in 1899. The station opened on 1 March 1894 (using a building from Teremakau on 23 February 1894), and closed on 3 November 1986. The ''Jackson’s Accommodation House'', now the ''Jackson Tavern'', was bought by Michael Jackson in 1870; Michael and his brother Adam from Scotland had moved there after spending some time on the Otago Goldfields. The hotel was a stop for Christchurch-Hokotika coaches. The hotel was swept away in a flash flood in 1871, and was rebuilt as the Perry Range Hotel. In 1910 it was rebuilt and in 1970 it passed out of the Jackson family, but was renamed the ''Jackson Tavern''. Adam moved to Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO Wor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Civil Engineering
Civil engineering is a regulation and licensure in engineering, professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage systems, pipelines, structural element, structural components of buildings, and railways. Civil engineering is traditionally broken into a number of sub-disciplines. It is considered the second-oldest engineering discipline after military engineering, and it is defined to distinguish non-military engineering from military engineering. Civil engineering can take place in the public sector from municipal public works departments through to federal government agencies, and in the private sector from locally based firms to Fortune Global 500, ''Fortune'' Global 500 companies. History Civil engineering as a discipline Civil engineering is the application of physical and scientific principles for solv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Press
''The Press'' () is a daily newspaper published in Christchurch, New Zealand, owned by media business Stuff (company), Stuff Ltd. First published in 1861, the newspaper is the largest circulating daily in the South Island and publishes Monday to Saturday. One community newspaper—''Northern Outlook''—is also published by ''The Press'' and is free. The newspaper has won the title of New Zealand Newspaper of the Year (in its circulation category) three times: in 2006, 2007 and 2012. It has also won the overall Newspaper of the Year title twice: in 2006 and 2007. History Origins James FitzGerald (New Zealand politician), James FitzGerald came to Lyttelton, New Zealand, Lyttelton on the ''Charlotte Jane'' in December 1850, and was from January 1851 the first editor of the ''Lyttelton Times'', Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury's first newspaper. From 1853, he focussed on politics and withdrew from the ''Lyttelton Times''. After several years in England, he returned to Cante ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TVNZ
Television New Zealand (, "Te Reo Tātaki" meaning "The Leading Voice"), more commonly referred to as TVNZ, is a New Zealand state-owned media company and Crown entity. The company operates a television network, streaming service, and news service that is available throughout New Zealand and parts of the Pacific region. All of its currently-operating channels are free-to-air and funded through advertising. TVNZ was established in February 1980 following the merger of the two government-owned television networks, Television One (now TVNZ 1) and South Pacific Television (now TVNZ 2), under a single administration. It was the sole television broadcaster in New Zealand until November 1989 when private channel TV3 (now Three) was launched. TVNZ operates playout services from its Auckland studio via Kordia's fibre and microwave network for TVNZ 1, TVNZ 2 and TVNZ Duke, with new media video services via the American-owned Brightcove which is streamed on the Akamai RTMP/ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
