Mount Somers ( mi, Te Kiekie) is a small town in
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.
...
, New Zealand, nestled in the foothills of the
Southern Alps
The Southern Alps (; officially Southern Alps / Kā Tiritiri o te Moana) is a mountain range extending along much of the length of New Zealand's South Island, reaching its greatest elevations near the range's western side. The name "Southern ...
. The population in the 2001 census was 2,307. Due to its scenic location, it has seen growth in the number of holiday homes.
Unlike many country towns in New Zealand, Mount Somers' economy has not been solely agricultural. Coal, clay, sand, and limestone have been mined in the hills behind the town, and from 1885 until 1968 the community and its industries were served by the
Mount Somers Branch
The Mount Somers Branch, sometimes known as the Springburn Branch, was a branch line railway in the region of Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury, New Zealand. The line was built in stages from 1878, reaching Mount Somers in 1885. A further s ...
railway from the
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railway line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Inverca ...
. From 1889 to 1957 an extension ran to Springburn, and the branch was sometimes known as the Springburn Branch. From Mount Somers railway station a private
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 ar ...
ran into the hills behind the town, providing access to the various industrial operations there. Relics of both the railway and tramway are still visible today.
Mount Somers is famous amongst the international
experimental
An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...
and
underground
Underground most commonly refers to:
* Subterranea (geography), the regions beneath the surface of the Earth
Underground may also refer to:
Places
* The Underground (Boston), a music club in the Allston neighborhood of Boston
* The Underground (S ...
music communities as it is the home of Peter King and his lathe cut record business. Peter hand cuts records onto
polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
plastic one at a time using an old
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
and also home made record cutting heads.
Mount Somers is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement, and covers .
.
. There were 63 households. There were 75 males and 72 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.04 males per female. The median age was 45.4 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 33 people (22.4%) aged under 15 years, 15 (10.2%) aged 15 to 29, 72 (49.0%) aged 30 to 64, and 27 (18.4%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 95.9% European/Pākehā, 8.2% Māori, and 2.0% Pacific peoples (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).
Although some people objected to giving their religion, 53.1% had no religion, 38.8% were Christian and 2.0% were Buddhist.
Of those at least 15 years old, 15 (13.2%) people had a bachelor or higher degree, and 27 (23.7%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $24,600, compared with $31,800 nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 57 (50.0%) people were employed full-time, 21 (18.4%) were part-time, and 3 (2.6%) were unemployed.
Mt Somers Springburn School is a full primary school catering for years 1 to 8. It has students as of The school opened in 1876.