Fortification is a locality in the western part of the Catlins region of Southland in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

. Nearby settlements include Quarry Hills and Waikawa to the southeast, Tokanui to the southwest, and Waimahaka to the west. It is over 50 km east of Southland's main centre,

Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. The city lies in the heart of the wide expanse of t ...

. The area was logged by timber companies which included Fortification Timber Co 1875 and Fortification Timber Co Ltd. Subdivisions were created in 1914 under the Lands for Settlement Act and the road to Te Peka improved after 1919.

Tramway

To serve forestry interests in the Fortification area, a

bush tramway A bush tram and line-side log hauler owned by the Tamaki Sawmill Co., Raurimu. Photographed by Albert Percy Godber circa 1917. In New Zealand railway terminology a bush tramway is an industrial tramway, most commonly used for logging. They are ...

was built in the mid-1920s. It ran from

Te Peka Te Peka is a locality in the Southland, New Zealand, Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. It is situated on the western edge of the Catlins region, with Waimahaka to the west, Fortrose, New Zealand, Fortrose to the southwest, and Pukew ...

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

station on the Tokanui Branch eastwards to a sawmill in Fortification, and then divided into a number of branches to logging sites. The tramway's date of closure is unknown, but it occurred prior to the closure of the Tokanui Branch on 31 March 1966. Tramways to a sawmill east of Fortification Hill were shown on 1944 one inch map S183.

References

Populated places in Southland, New Zealand The Catlins Southland District {{Southland-geo-stub