Hawkins is a rural settlement located in the
Selwyn District
Selwyn District is a predominantly rural district in central Canterbury, on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is named after the Selwyn River / Waikirikiri, which is in turn named after Bishop George Selwyn, the first Anglican b ...
of the
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, in the county of Kent, England; it was a county borough until 1974. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour. The city has a mild oceanic climat ...
region of 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 on
State Highway 77, and is west from
Darfield and east of
Glentunnel.
Rata Lovell-Smith's most famous painting, ''Hawkins'', painted in 1933, was of the railway station here. The painting is now owned by the
Christchurch Art Gallery
The Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, commonly known as the Christchurch Art Gallery, is the public art gallery of the city of Christchurch, New Zealand. It has its own substantial art collection and also presents a programme of New ...
, having purchased it in 1981.
The
Hawkins River traverses through the western end of the settlement. However, the river does not flow here, only doing so during periods of heavy rain and flooding.
Hawkins is part of the
Glentunnel statistical area.
History
Hawkins was served by the
Whitecliffs Branch
The Whitecliffs Branch was an long branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's Rail transport in New Zealand, national rail network in the Canterbury, New Zealand, Canterbury region of the South Island. It was more industrial than the ...
, a
branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line. Branch lines may serve one or more industries, or a city or town not located ...
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
, from the line's opening on 3 November 1875 through to its closure on 31 March 1962. Apart from
embankments around the
Hawkins River, no evidence of the railway remains.
Facilities
Bangor Estate
Named after
Viscount Bangor
Viscount Bangor, of Castle Ward, in County Down, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland.
History
The title was created in January 1781 for Bernard Ward, 1st Baron Bangor, who had previously represented County Down in the Irish House of Commons. ...
, the estate was established in the 1850s. It now hosts a wedding venue and function centre in a separate building.
The original
wooden homestead is still occupied, having recently been renovated and modelled on
Castle Ward
Castle Ward is an 18th-century National Trust property located near the village of Strangford, in County Down, Northern Ireland, in the townland of the same name. It overlooks Strangford Lough and is 7 miles from Downpatrick and 1.5 miles fro ...
. The estate also boasts large 160-year old oak forests.
Hawkins Pit
The Selwyn District Council operate a waste pit, which is open periodically to the public to dump certain materials.
References
{{Selwyn District, New Zealand
Selwyn District
Populated places in the Canterbury Region