Kumara (New Zealand)
| Kumara | ||
| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 42 ° 38 ′ S , 171 ° 11 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-WTC | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| region | West coast | |
| District | Westland District | |
| Ward | Northern Ward | |
| Local foundation | 1876 | |
| Residents | 309 (2013) | |
| height | 83 m | |
| Post Code | 7832 | |
| Telephone code | +64 (0) 3 | |
Kumara is a small settlement in the Westland District of the West Coast regionon the South Island of New Zealand .
Origin of name
The name of the place may have originated from the local name of the field bindweed ( Convolvulus arvensis ) and has nothing to do with the sweet potato of the same name . In the language of the Māori Kohimara called, was probably over time Kumara . Another assumption is that the name is taken from kohe mara , the flower of Bush Lawyer or Tataramoa , a New Zealand blackberry plant.
geography
The settlement is located around 30 km south of Greymouth and around 20 km northeast of Hokitika . It is just under 9 km to the coast. Kumara Junction and Dillmanstown are two of the closest settlements to Kumara . The Taramakau River meanders north of the settlement and around 4 km south there are three contiguous water reservoirs.
history
In the vicinity of the settlement gold was mined in the second half of the 19th century, especially from 1864 at the confluence of the Greenstone River in the Taramakau River . Kumara's establishment and rise to one of the most important gold rushing centers in New Zealand followed the discovery of gold at Dillmanstown, about three kilometers to the west, in 1876.
A road connection between the west coast and Canterbury was already established in 1866. The freight railway line from Greymouth to Paroa was extended to Kumara in 1877 .
In October 1877 Kumara had 4220 inhabitants. In the same year the place received the status of a borough and in 1881 a hospital, which was operated into the 20th century. In 1882 a volunteer fire brigade was founded.
From 1926 the gold discoveries fell sharply and the mining stopped at the end of the 1930s. A last attempt at industrial mining took place in 1956, when a gold excavator was transported from another mining area to Kumara and operated for a short time because the yield was too low.
The place once had 80 hotels, a mining school and a daily newspaper. In June 2009, the last pub, the Empire Hotel, was revoked by the Liquor Licensing Authority . The gas station closed and in 2010 the last shop is about to close due to the low population. The last hope for a renewed economic upswing lies in tourism, as it is hoped one of the new New Zealand Cycle Trail bike paths through the city could lead to a revival.
population
In the 2013 census, the town had 309 inhabitants, 1.9% less than in the 2006 census.
economy
The surrounding area is today characterized by agriculture and forestry. Only the spoil heaps remain from the active gold mining in the area.
Education
The Kumara School is a primary school and had 30 students in January 2011.
Sports
The annual all-around race " Coast to Coast " starts in Kumara .
Personalities
- Richard Seddon (1845–2006), politician, was mayor of the town in 1877 and Prime Minister of New Zealand 13 years later .
literature
- Edward Stewart Dollimore : Kumara . In: Alexander Hare McLintock (Ed.): An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . Wellington 1966 ( online [accessed June 29, 2017]).
- Helga Neubauer: Kumara . In: The New Zealand Book . NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 697 .
- Anna Rogers : Illustrated History of the West Coast . Ed .: Reed Books . Auckland 2005, ISBN 0-7900-1022-4 .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Kumara . Statistics New Zealand , accessed June 29, 2017 .
- ↑ a b c d e Neubauer: Kumara . In: The New Zealand Book . 2003, p. 697 .
- ^ A b Dollimore : Kumara . In: An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand . 1966.
- ↑ Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed June 29, 2017 .
- ↑ Kumara Hospital . In: West Coast Times . Issue 3847 . Hokitika August 6, 1881 (English).
- ^ Rogers : Illustrated History of the West Coast . 2005, p. 115 .
- ^ Residents angry after town's only pub shut down . New Zealand Herald , June 11, 2009; archived from the original on September 5, 2012 ; accessed on June 29, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Hope rests on cycleway . In: The Press . Fairfax Media , March 18, 2010, accessed June 29, 2017 .
- ^ School database of the New Zealand Ministry of Education
- ↑ Kumara . Archived from the original on October 14, 2007 ; accessed on June 29, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ^ Rogers : Illustrated History of the West Coast . 2005, p. 71 f .