Mesopotamia is an area of land at the head of the Rangitata River, east of the Southern Alps and inland from

Peel Forest Peel Forest is a small community in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It is located near the Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve and about north of Geraldine. The town features a Cafe & Bar, a camping ground and an outdoor recreation facility. ...

. The area is home to the well known

Mesopotamia Station Mesopotamia Station is a high-country station in New Zealand's South Island. Known mainly for one of its first owners, the novelist Samuel Butler, it is probably the country's best known station. Despite popular belief, Butler was not the statio ...

which was established by influential novelist Samuel Butler in 1860 after arriving from

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The name Mesopotamia means "between two rivers." Much of the station is now managed by the

Department of Conservation An environmental ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for the environment and/or natural resources. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of the Environment ...

. Local activities include hunting, tramping, safaris, four wheel driving and jet boating. The area was used as a backdrop for the film series ''

The Lord of the Rings ''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's boo ...

''.

History

Mesopotamia Station

While many attribute the formation of the station with Butler, most parts of the station had been allotted several years before to various individuals. Butler arrived 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 ...

in 1860 and after taking several trips into 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. ...

High Country finally settled on and successfully applied for Run No. 367 in this area. He spent the following winter on the run with his stock, constructing his hut several miles up Forest Creek. The location of where the hut was situated is marked by a plaque today. Butler expanded his holdings over the following years by acquiring neighboring runs and establishing the station. Butler ran the station for approximately four years before selling and returning to England with double his initial investment (£8,000). The station was sold on numerous occasions to various owners including William Parkerson, Michael and General J. R. Campbell, George McMillan, George Gerard,

William Nosworthy Sir William Nosworthy (18 October 1867 – 26 September 1946) was a New Zealand politician. He briefly served as Minister of Finance and then Minister of External Affairs in the Reform Government. Biography Nosworthy stood in the el ...

. Mesopotamia Station was placed under tenure review in 2003, with 20,863 hectares out of the present 26,115 hectares becoming public conservation land. The remaining land (5,252 hectares) was freeholded to the leaseholder. The current holders of the pastoral lease is the Prouting family who have held it since 1945.

Dr. Andrew Sinclair

Notable

botanist Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...

and Colonial Secretary to New Zealand, Doctor Andrew Sinclair drowned while crossing the Rangitata River in 1861. Sinclair is buried on Mesopotamia Station in a marked grave near the river.

War memorial

Located at the station is a memorial to members of Mesopotamia Station who fought in the Great War. At the break out of the war the farm manager, the

mustering Muster may refer to: Military terminology * Muster (military), a process or event for the accounting for members in a military unit * Muster list, list of the functions for team members * A mustering, in military terminology, is a specialised for ...

gang and one of the wagoneers left with only two of the eight returning.

Buildings

A school was constructed at the station in 1956 but closed in 1999. The remains of Butler's cob cottage can be found beside the former school. Throughout the area are numerous private and public huts, as well as the remnants of past huts.

Climate

References

{{Coord, 43, 38, 26.65, S, 170, 53, 48.13, E, display=title Timaru District High Country stations Populated places in the Canterbury Region