Ikamatua is a small village on the
West Coast West Coast or west coast may refer to:
Geography Australia
* Western Australia
*Regions of South Australia#Weather forecasting, West Coast of South Australia
* West Coast, Tasmania
**West Coast Range, mountain range in the region
Canada
* Britis ...
of the
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 ...
in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
. Its name translates literally as ''ika'' (fish) and ''matua'' (mature/parent). It may be a contraction of ''Te Ika-a-matua'', fish of my ancestor.
It is located on the
State Highway 7 inland route, north of
Greymouth and south of
Reefton. It has a population of under 200.
In 1946, 4 km north of Ikamatua, the floating
Grey River gold dredge dug its way across State Highway 7, and the main Greymouth to
Westport railway link, to move into its new mining area in the Blackwater Valley. This was the first and only time that such an event has occurred in New Zealand.
In 1906 Ikamatua had two sawmills, a creamery, a
railway station
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 ...
and a school.
References
External links
*
more information on Ikamatua
Buller District
Populated places in the West Coast, New Zealand
{{WestCoastNZ-geo-stub