Castle Hill is a location and a high country

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

in New Zealand's

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

. It is located at an altitude of 700 metres, close to State Highway 73 between Springfield and

Arthur's Pass Arthur's Pass, previously called Camping Flat then Bealey Flats, and for some time officially Arthurs Pass, is a township in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand, located in the Selwyn district. It is a popular base for explori ...

. It is private property and located within the Kura Tawhiti Conservation Area. The hill was so named because of the imposing array of limestone boulders in the area reminiscent of an old, run-down stone castle. The front of

ChristChurch Cathedral Christ Church Cathedral, also called ChristChurch Cathedral and (rarely) Cathedral Church of Christ, is a deconsecration, deconsecrated Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the central city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It was built between 1864 ...

in Christchurch was made from Castle Hill limestone. The station was established by the Porter brothers, and later owned by brothers John and Charles Enys. John Enys was a noted

entomologist Entomology (from Ancient Greek ἔντομον (''éntomon''), meaning "insect", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study") is the branch of zoology that focuses on insects. Those who study entomology are known as entomologists. In ...

, and friend of novelist Samuel Butler. It is widely considered to be the epitome of New Zealand's South Island climbing scene, where on any given day one can find rock climbers

bouldering Bouldering is a form of rock climbing that is performed on small rock formations or Climbing wall, artificial rock walls without the use of ropes or Climbing harness, harnesses. While bouldering can be done without any equipment, most climbers ...

the unique limestone outcroppings. This area has recently seen more visitors, as nearby Flock Hill station was used for the filming of the climactic battle scenes of the 2005 movie, '' The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe''. Flock Hill also has a huge number of climbable limestone boulders though access requires a short certification procedure via the internet, unlike Kura Tawhiti which, as a conservation area, allows free access at all times.

Castle Hill Village

The nearby Castle Hill Village, located just north of Thomas River on State Highway 73, has a small number of permanent residents along with a number of

holiday homes A holiday cottage, holiday home, vacation home, or vacation property is accommodation used for holiday vacations, corporate travel, and temporary housing often for less than 30 days. Such properties are typically small homes, such as cottage ...

(used extensively during the winter

ski Skis are runners, attached to the user's feet, designed to glide over snow. Typically employed in pairs, skis are attached to ski boots with ski bindings, with either a free, lockable, or partially secured heel. For climbing slopes, ski skins c ...

season) but no public facilities other than a public toilet at the

village hall A village hall is a public building in a rural or suburban community which functions as a community centre without a religious affiliation. United Kingdom In the United Kingdom, a village hall is a building which is owned by a local gover ...

and a children's

playground A playground, playpark, or play area is a place designed to provide an environment for children that facilitates play, typically outdoors. While a playground is usually designed for children, some are designed for other age groups, or people wi ...

. The village was started by the then-owner of Castle Hill Station, John Reid, in 1982.

References

External links

Castle Hill
{{Selwyn District, New Zealand Selwyn District Climbing areas of New Zealand High Country stations Limestone Rock formations of the Canterbury Region