Mabel Bush is a small community in the

Southland Southland may refer to: Places Canada * Dunbar–Southlands, Vancouver, British Columbia New Zealand * Southland Region, a region of New Zealand * Southland County, a former New Zealand county * Southland District, part of the wider Southland Reg ...

region of 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 ...

. The community has an estimated population of 127 people. The main building in the area is the Mabel Bush Hall, which consists of the hall and tennis courts. The Hall is mainly used for parties and community events.

Geography

Much of the surrounding area is farmland. Although the area is named Mabel Bush, only an approximate two hectares of the area is undeveloped native bush. Residents describe the area as a "happy medium" between hilly and flat. The closest city is

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 ...

, approximately twenty kilometres away. Nearby villages include Hedgehope to the north,

Grove Bush Grove Bush is a village in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the banks of the Makarewa River on the Southland Plains near the foothills of the Hokonui Hills. The village's main feature is its community hall ...

to the west,

Rakahouka Rakahouka is a community in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. It is located in a fertile farming area on the Southland Plains just south of the Makarewa River. The nearest major city, Invercargill, is approximately 15 km ...

to the southwest, and

Dacre Dacre may refer to: Places *Dacre, Cumbria, England **Dacre Castle *Dacre, North Yorkshire, England *Dacre, New Zealand, in the Southland Region * Dacre, Ontario, Canada People *Baron Dacre, an English hereditary title *Charlotte Dacre (1782–184 ...

to the southeast. The nearby

Makarewa River The Makarewa River is the largest tributary of the Ōreti River, and is in Southland, New Zealand. It flows for from its source in the Hokonui Hills, joining the Ōreti just north of Invercargill Invercargill ( , mi, Waihōpai is the sout ...

is sometimes visited by anglers, and holds numerous

brown trout The brown trout (''Salmo trutta'') is a European species of salmonid fish that has been widely introduced into suitable environments globally. It includes purely freshwater populations, referred to as the riverine ecotype, ''Salmo trutta'' morph ...

and, downstream,

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Percif ...

Wildlife

The area contains livestock such as sheep, cows and deer. Dogs are used to herd the livestock. Wildlife includes many of New Zealand's common birds, as well as the Australian masked lapwing and

hawk Hawks are bird of prey, birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. They are widely distributed and are found on all continents except Antarctica. * The subfamily Accipitrinae includes goshawks, sparrowhawks, sharp-shinned hawks and others. Th ...

Kiwi Kiwi most commonly refers to: * Kiwi (bird), a flightless bird native to New Zealand * Kiwi (nickname), a nickname for New Zealanders * Kiwifruit, an edible berry * Kiwi dollar or New Zealand dollar, a unit of currency Kiwi or KIWI may also refe ...

s can be found here as well.

Plantlife

There are many types of plant life in the Mabel Bush area, largely consisting of common New Zealand plants. There is a range of trees from introduced species such as pines and eucalyptus to native bush.

Climate

Mabel Bush has a temperate

oceanic climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

similar to that of the

British Isles The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...

. The mean daily temperature ranges from 5.2 °C in July to 14 °C in January. The yearly mean temperature is 9.9 °C. Rainfall averages 1112 mm annually, and measurable snowfall is occasionally seen during the winter months of June to September. It is the cloudiest centre of New Zealand with 1580 hours of sunshine per annum. The average temperature high ranges from 18.8 °C in February to 11 °C in August. Owing to its relatively high latitude (46° 42'), the city enjoys nearly 16 hours of daylight at the summer

solstice A solstice is an event that occurs when the Sun appears to reach its most northerly or southerly excursion relative to the celestial equator on the celestial sphere. Two solstices occur annually, around June 21 and December 21. In many countr ...

in late December.

References

{{Southland District, New Zealand Populated places in Southland, New Zealand