Murchison (New Zealand)
| Murchison | ||
| Geographical location | ||
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| Coordinates | 41 ° 48 ′ S , 172 ° 20 ′ E | |
| Region ISO | NZ-TAS | |
| Country |
 New Zealand
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| region | Tasman | |
| District | Tasman District | |
| Ward | Lakes-Murchison Ward | |
| Residents | 492 (2013) | |
| height | 156 m | |
| Post Code | 7007 | |
| Telephone code | +64 (0) 3 | |
| Photography of the place | ||
 1978 aerial photo of Murchison |
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Murchison is a small town in the Tasman District on the South Island of New Zealand .
Origin of name
The place is named after the geologist Roderick Murchison .
geography
Murchison is located about 60 km east of Westport in the valley of the confluence of the Matakitaki River and the Matiti River in the Buller River . The wide valley, which branches into four side valleys of the rivers, consists of fertile alluvial land and is called "Four Rivers Plain". Murchison is surrounded by mountains that are up to 1000 m high.
history
The area around Murchison used to be characterized by gold mining. Lyell , once one of the largest gold rush settlements in the South Island, is nearby.
population
In the 2013 census, the town had 492 inhabitants, 1.8% less than in the 2006 census.
economy
Murchison is the service center for the surrounding agriculture. In addition to agriculture, the place is geared towards tourism. Options include fishing, rafting, hiking, white water kayaking, mountain biking and horse riding, and gold panning . A museum about local history, a golf course with 9 holes, a gas station, a hospital and a visitor center complete the offer.
Infrastructure
Road traffic
The New Zealand State Highway 6 runs through Murchison and connects the town with Westport in the west and Nelson in the northeast. About 10 km west of the village, the New Zealand State Highway 65 branches off from State Highway 6 to the south and after 70 km by road offers a shortening of the driving distance to the east-west running New Zealand State Highway 7 .
Education
Murchison owns a composite school . The Murchison Area School has classes from grades 0 to 15. In May 2015, the school had 127 students.
tourism
The place is " Whitewater Capital " ("white water capital") of New Zealand, as from here the Gowan River , Mangles River , Matiri River , Glenroy River , Matakitaki River , Maruria River and Buller River with whitewater stretches of classes 2 to 4 can be achieved. Brown trout can also be fished in the rivers . The place is close to the Kahurangi National Park and Nelson Lake National Park and therefore serves as a starting point for hikes.
Murchison earthquake
On June 17, 1929 at around 10:17 a.m. in the morning the earth shook in Murchison . The quake, the epicenter of which was near Murchison and became known as the Murchison earthquake , had a magnitude of 7.8 M S and caused a total of 17 deaths in addition to the greatest destruction. The property damage was estimated at NZ $ 236 million .
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place: Murchison . Statistics New Zealand , accessed July 15, 2016 .
- ↑ a b Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed August 11, 2017 .
- ↑ Homepage . Murchison Area School , accessed August 11, 2017 .
- ^ Murchison Area School . Education Review Office , accessed August 11, 2017 .
- ^ Murchison earthquake . Christchurch City Libraries , accessed August 11, 2017 .
- ↑ Inangahua quake left $ 39 million insurance bill - 05/24/1998 . GNS Science , January 12, 2010, accessed August 11, 2017 .