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Hokitika
Hokitika is a town in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island, south of Greymouth, and close to the mouth of the Hokitika River. It is the seat and largest town in the Westland District. The town's estimated population is as of . On a clear day Aoraki / Mount Cook can clearly be seen from Hokitika's main street. Toponymy The name Hokitika translates from Māori as "to return directly" (from , 'to return', and , 'direct'). According to the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, the name comes from when a band of Ngāi Tahu warriors in search of greenstone were about to attack Ngāti Wairangi . The chief of the invaders drowned while trying to cross the Hokitika River, and the leaderless (army) then returned directly to their own home. History The land where Hokitika stands was purchased in 1860 from Māori when Poutini Ngāi Tahu chiefs signed the Arahura Deed. This was the sale of the whole of the West Coast region, apart from small areas reserved for Māori ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hokitika Cemetery
Hokitika Cemetery, also known as Seaview Cemetery, is the cemetery for Hokitika in New Zealand. The cemetery is located on Hospital Hill Road in the suburb of Seaview on an elevated site north-east of the town, giving a good outlook over the settlement and the Tasman Sea. State Highway 6 is located at the bottom of the hill. Hokitika Airport is located just east of the cemetery. Previously, the jail, mental institution ( Seaview Asylum) and hospital were located between the cemetery and the airport, and there is a memorial in the cemetery to the inmates of the asylum and gaol who were buried in unmarked graves. Explorers' Monument The Westland Explorers' Monument was erected in 1868 in the centre of the intersection of Weld and Sewell Streets. It was moved to the entrance of Hokitika Cemetery in 1880; the Hokitika Clock Tower was later erected in the same place in 1902. The monument memorialises four explorers, surveyors Henry Whitcombe (1830–1863), Charlton Howitt (1838 ... [...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] |
West Coast Region
The West Coast () is a region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023. The region has a rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal. First settled by Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD, the area was famous across New Zealand for its richness in pounamu greenstone. Kāi Tahu traded millions of modern ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast () is a regions of New Zealand, region of New Zealand on the west coast of the South Island. It is administered by the West Coast Regional Council, and is known co-officially as Te Tai Poutini. It comprises the Territorial authorities of New Zealand, territorial authorities of Buller District, Grey District and Westland District. The principal towns are Westport, New Zealand, Westport, Greymouth and Hokitika. The region, one of the more remote areas of the country, is also the most sparsely populated. With a population of just 32,900 people, the West Coast is the least populous region in New Zealand. The population in the region grew by 0.4% over the year to July 2023. The region has a rich and important history. The land itself is ancient, stretching back to the Carboniferous period; this is evident by the amount of carboniferous materials naturally found there, especially coal. First settled by Ngāi Tahu, Kāi Tahu in approximately 1200 AD, the area was famous ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hokitika River
The Hokitika River is in the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about long, beginning in the Southern Alps, emerging from the narrow Hokitika Gorge after merging with the Whitcombe River, and flowing into the Tasman Sea just south of the town of Hokitika. The river then feeds into the offshore Hokitika Canyon, which merges with the Cook Canyon to form the Cook Channel. The canyons extend to about and are important spawning areas for hoki, hake and orange roughy. The Hokitika River, and its eastern tributary, the Kokatahi River, have formed the Kowhitirangi- Kokatahi alluvial plain; a fertile and productive land extensively used for dairy farming. The entrance to the Hokitika River was once used as a harbour during the West Coast gold rush The West Coast gold rush, on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, lasted from 1864 to 1867. Description The gold rush populated the area, which up until then had been visited b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ngāi Tahu
Ngāi Tahu, or Kāi Tahu, is the principal Māori people, Māori (tribe) of the South Island. Its (tribal area) is the largest in New Zealand, and extends from the White Bluffs / Te Parinui o Whiti (southeast of Blenheim, New Zealand, Blenheim), Mount Māhanga and Kahurangi Point in the north to Stewart Island / Rakiura in the south. The comprises 18 (governance areas) corresponding to traditional settlements. According to the 2023 New Zealand census, 2023 census an estimated 84,000 people affiliated with the Kāi Tahu iwi. Ngāi Tahu originated in the Gisborne District of the North Island, along with Ngāti Porou and Ngāti Kahungunu, who all intermarried amongst the local Ngāti Ira. Over time, all but Ngāti Porou would migrate away from the district. Several were already occupying the South Island prior to Ngāi Tahu's arrival, with Kāti Māmoe only having arrived about a century earlier from the Hastings, New Zealand, Hastings District, and already having conquered W ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westland District Council
Westland District Council is the territorial authority for the Westland District of New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla .... The council is led by the mayor of Westland, who is currently . There are also eight ward councillors. Composition Councillors * Mayor * Northern Ward: Anna Hart, Jenny Keogan, Jane Neale * Hokitika Ward: David Carruthers, Paul Davidson, Latham Martin * Southern Ward: Ian Hartsthorne, Ryan Kennedy History The council was formed in 1989. Its predecessors include Hokitika County Council (1868-1989), Ross County Council (1878-1972), and Westland County Council (1876-1989). In 2020, the council had 205 staff, including 22 earning more than $100,000. According to the right-wing Taxpayers' Union think tank, residential rates averag ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pounamu
Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word is derived from ''namu'', an archaic word that describes blue-green (or 'grue') cognate with Tahitian ''ninamu''. , also used in New Zealand English, in itself refers to two main types of green stone valued for carving: nephrite jade, classified by Māori as , , , and other names depending on colour; and translucent bowenite, a type of serpentine, known as . The collective term pounamu is preferred, as the other names in common use are misleading, such as New Zealand jade (not all pounamu is jade) and greenstone (a generic term used for unrelated stone from many countries). Pounamu is only found in New Zealand, whereas much of the carved "greenstone" sold in souvenir shops is jade sourced overseas. The Māori classification of pouna ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Westland Province
The Westland Province was a province of New Zealand from 1873 until the abolition of provincial government in 1876. The capital was Hokitika. Area and history The area was part of Canterbury Province when the provinces were created in 1853. By 1868, triggered by the population growth associated with the West Coast gold rush, the West Coast region was separated from Canterbury Province with the formation of the County of Westland. The boundary to Canterbury was defined as the crest of the Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana. This county was not a true province, as it had all the administrative powers of a provincial council, but saw the legislative powers remain with Parliament in Wellington. Members of Parliament were not happy with having to spend their time on local legislation, and in 1873 the government elevated the county to full provincial status – the last of the 10 New Zealand provinces to be established. The province covered an area roughly the same as th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
West Coast Gold Rush
The West Coast gold rush, on the West Coast, New Zealand, West Coast of New Zealand's South Island, lasted from 1864 to 1867. Description The gold rush populated the area, which up until then had been visited by few Europeans. Gold was found near the Taramakau River in 1864 by two Māori, Ihaia Tainui and Haimona Taukau. In 1865–66 gold was discovered at Ōkārito, Bruce Bay (the scene of the Hunt's Duffer gold rush), around Charleston, New Zealand, Charleston and along the Grey River (New Zealand), Grey River. Miners were attracted from the Otago gold rush, and from Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia where the Victorian gold rush had nearly finished. By the end of 1864 there were an estimated 1800 prospectors on the West Coast, with many in the Hokitika area. Hokitika was in 1866 the most populous settlement in New Zealand with a population of more than 25,000, and boasted more than 100 pubs. The Canterbury Provincial Council in Christchurch tasked their provincial ... [...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] |
