Kakahu is a

locality Locality may refer to: * Locality (association), an association of community regeneration organizations in England * Locality (linguistics) * Locality (settlement) * Suburbs and localities (Australia), in which a locality is a geographic subdivis ...

in the

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. ...

region in 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 ...

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 ...

. It is located about 22 kilometers (13.6 mi) west of Geraldine. It is well known for its rich historical and geological history.

History

Kakahu Station run was taken up in 1853. The area was milled for

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, wi ...

in the early years before the focus changed to the rich mineral landscape in the area this included

lime Lime commonly refers to: * Lime (fruit), a green citrus fruit * Lime (material), inorganic materials containing calcium, usually calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide * Lime (color), a color between yellow and green Lime may also refer to: Botany ...

and

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or Dolomite (mineral), dolomite. Marble is typically not Foliation (geology), foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the ...

. The area was home to numerous

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone (calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime (material), lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this chemical reaction, reaction is :Calcium carbonate, Ca ...

s and

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their environ ...

over the years including the still intact Hall Road Kiln. A post office and two schools were constructed in the area. Kakahu School was opened in 1875 but was renamed in Hilton School in 1884 when the nearby Kakahu Bush School was opened. Kakahu Bush School was consolidated with Pleasant Point School in 1938. In 1910 St Aidan's

Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of th ...

Church was constructed which would remain open up until 1964 when diminishing numbers saw the building relocated to Marchwiel.

Notable landmarks

Kakahu Lime Kiln

The Hall Road Kiln, the remaining

kiln A kiln is a thermally insulated chamber, a type of oven, that produces temperatures sufficient to complete some process, such as hardening, drying, or chemical changes. Kilns have been used for millennia to turn objects made from clay int ...

in the area was built in 1876 for or by Alexander Fergusson. The kiln can be seen from the road and is where the Kakahu Bush track commences. The kiln was used intermittently until the end of the twentieth century.

Kakahu Bush

Kakahu Bush is a large area of native bush in the Kakahu area. Within the bush a walking track follows the remains of an old tramway which brought

chips down from the

through the gorge. The track then passes through an opening where a number of English trees were planted in 1900 for a planned sanitarium for

tuberculosis Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...

patients. The bush is well known for its native bush and wildlife, as well as its unique geological features.

Escarpment

Across the road from the Kakahu Bush car park is an impressive limestone

escarpment An escarpment is a steep slope or long cliff that forms as a result of faulting or erosion and separates two relatively level areas having different elevations. The terms ''scarp'' and ''scarp face'' are often used interchangeably with ''escar ...

with cultural and geological significance.

References

{{Coord, 44, 9, 18.18, S, 171, 5, 50.84, E, display=title Timaru District Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand