Te Moana is a locality in the
Canterbury Region
Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of
The region in its current fo ...
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 ...
of New Zealand. It is located about west of
Geraldine
Geraldine may refer to:
People
* Geraldine (name), the feminine form of the first name Gerald, with list of people thus named.
* The Geraldines, Irish dynasty descended from the Anglo-Norman Gerald FitzWalter de Windsor
* Geraldine of Albania, th ...
and bordered by
Gapes Valley
Gapes Valley is a valley in the Canterbury Region in the South Island of New Zealand. It is about west of Geraldine and located on the Geraldine Fairlie Highway. The valley is nestled between the Waitohi Hill and the Rocky Ridges and is descri ...
and
Pleasant Valley to the south and Four Peaks to the north. The south branch of the
Hae Hae Te Moana River
The Hae Hae Te Moana River is a river in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It originates in the Four Peaks Range of the Southern Alps, with a North Branch and South Branch merging to the north of Pleasant Valley. The river runs south-east to ...
runs through the area.
The nearby scenic reserve and
gorge
A canyon (from ; archaic British English spelling: ''cañon''), or gorge, is a deep cleft between escarpments or cliffs resulting from weathering and the erosion, erosive activity of a river over geologic time scales. Rivers have a natural tenden ...
is well known by locals and in addition to being a popular
camping site
A campsite, also known as a campground or camping pitch, is a place used for overnight stay in an outdoor area. In British English, a ''campsite'' is an area, usually divided into a number of pitches, where people can camp overnight using ten ...
is home to a
waterfall
A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf.
Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...
and deep
swimming hole.
The New Zealand
Ministry for Culture and Heritage
The Ministry for Culture and Heritage (MCH; ) is the department of the New Zealand Government responsible for supporting the arts, culture, built heritage, sport and recreation, and broadcasting sectors in New Zealand and advising government on ...
gives a translation of "the sea" for .
History
The area was settled in the 1850s and was originally known as Rhubarb Flat.
Farming was the economic driver in the area, however, a health resort was built in 1905 by Tom Gunnion.
The Te Moana School was built in 1891 with an average roll of 33, the first teacher was Miss R. McBeth from Pleasant Valley School.
The new school was built on the site in 1975 with a combination of Education Board money and the hard work of local residents.
The school would celebrate its centenary in 1992, however, like many rural schools declining numbers saw the school close its doors in 2004.
The building remains today.
Te Moana was not connected with electricity until autumn of 1959.
Notable people
*
George Jobberns
George Jobberns (2 June 1895 – 30 August 1974) was a New Zealand geographer and educator.
Born in 1895 at Te Moana near Geraldine in the foothills of South Canterbury, New Zealand, Jobberns taught the first Geography I course at Canterbury Un ...
(1895–1974), geographer and educator born and educated in the area
References
{{coord, 44, 04, S, 171, 08, E, display=title, region:NZ_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki
Timaru District
Populated places in Canterbury, New Zealand