Waitahuna
Encyclopedia
Waitahuna is a small rural village in the Otago
region of New Zealand
's South Island
. It is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Lawrence
.
In the 19th century, the town thrived after the discovery of gold
. The Waitahuna Gully Miner's Monument commemorates this discovery and the miners who lived in the area. Another notable man-made feature is the Waitahuna River Suspension Bridge, built around 1905-06. The town possesses a primary school that caters for local students in years 1-6 and has achieved high academic standards.
The town was briefly a railway terminus, when a branch line
from a junction in Clarksville
with the Main South Line
was opened to the town on 22 January 1877. A little over two months later, the line was opened beyond Waitahuna to Lawrence
and it went on to become the Roxburgh Branch. Passenger trains served Waitahuna until 4 September 1936; from that date until the line's closure on 1 June 1968, the line was freight-only. Despite the line's closure, Waitahuna's goods shed
, station building, and even men's toilets still stand at the site of the former railway yard.
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. It is 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) from Lawrence
Lawrence, New Zealand
Lawrence is a small town of 474 inhabitants in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 8, the main route from Dunedin to the inland towns of Queenstown and Alexandra...
.
In the 19th century, the town thrived after the discovery of gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
. The Waitahuna Gully Miner's Monument commemorates this discovery and the miners who lived in the area. Another notable man-made feature is the Waitahuna River Suspension Bridge, built around 1905-06. The town possesses a primary school that caters for local students in years 1-6 and has achieved high academic standards.
The town was briefly a railway terminus, when a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
from a junction in Clarksville
Clarksville, New Zealand
Clarksville is a small township located three kilometres southwest of Milton in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. State Highways 1 and 8 meet in Clarksville. The town was also once the location of a railway junction, where the Roxburgh Branch left the Main South Line...
with the Main South Line
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
was opened to the town on 22 January 1877. A little over two months later, the line was opened beyond Waitahuna to Lawrence
Lawrence, New Zealand
Lawrence is a small town of 474 inhabitants in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on State Highway 8, the main route from Dunedin to the inland towns of Queenstown and Alexandra...
and it went on to become the Roxburgh Branch. Passenger trains served Waitahuna until 4 September 1936; from that date until the line's closure on 1 June 1968, the line was freight-only. Despite the line's closure, Waitahuna's goods shed
Goods shed
A goods shed is a railway building designed for storing goods before or after carriage in a train.A typical goods shed will have a track running through it to allow goods wagons to be unloaded under cover, although sometimes they were built alongside a track with possibly just a canopy over the door...
, station building, and even men's toilets still stand at the site of the former railway yard.
External links
- Education Review Office's review of Waitahuna School, October 2005
- Lawrence visitor's guide - includes some Waitahuna details