Otira

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Otira
Geographical location
Otira (New Zealand)
Otira
Coordinates 42 ° 50 ′  S , 171 ° 34 ′  E Coordinates: 42 ° 50 ′  S , 171 ° 34 ′  E
Region ISO NZ-WTC
Country New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand
region West coast
District Westland District
Ward Northern Ward
Residents 54 (2013)
height 373 m
Post Code 7875
Telephone code +64 (0) 3
Photography of the place
Otira Hotel.JPG
Hotel in Otira
View from the train station to the tracks and mountains

Otira is a small settlement in the Westland District of the West Coast regionon the South Island of New Zealand .

geography

The settlement is located around 50 km southeast of Hokitika in the valley of the Otira River . The Arthur's Pass is located approximately 12.5 km south of the settlement. The mountains of the New Zealand Alps rise to over 1700  m and 1800  m to the west and east of the settlement .

climate

The mean annual rainfall is 5000 mm and snow falls on an average of four days a year, mainly between the beginning of June and mid-September.

history

The first hotel in Otira opened in 1864 , providing board and lodging to travelers who had crossed Arthur's Pass . In 1900 the settlement was connected to the rail network and in 1907 work began on the Otira railway tunnel not far from the settlement , which was completed in 1923. In 1920 between 600 and 700 people lived in the settlement. The population fluctuated at that time depending on where the workers for the maintenance of the bridge and roads were working and thus housed. The opening of the railway tunnel resulted in numerous tourists visiting the settlement. A tea room opened for passengers, there was a school and a heated swimming pool. In 1960 over 600 people lived in the settlement. In the 1980s, most of the passenger traffic was stopped, which had a direct impact on Otira . The station restaurant and school were closed and many residential buildings were demolished. During the construction of the Otira Viaduct, the population increased again for a short time. In 1997, the settlement's hotel was put up for sale and a year later was taken over by Chris and Bill Hennah , who also bought 17 houses, the town hall, the fire station and later the school building for a total of 80,000  New Zealand dollars (NZD). They renovated the hotel, opened a pub and refurbished some houses. In June 2010, for reasons of age , the Hennahs put their property up for sale again for 1.5 million NZD (approx. 845,000 euros).

population

In the 2013 census, the town had 54 inhabitants, 37.9% more than in the 2006 census.

Infrastructure

Road traffic

The New Zealand State Highway 73 , which connects the settlement with the west coast of the South Island and with the towns of the Canterbury region , runs through Otira .

Rail transport

The Midland Line railway connection also runs through Otira , on which the TranzAlpine stops in the settlement twice a day .

Events

On April 15, 1910, the Otira was badly devastated by a tornado.

Web links

Commons : Otira  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b 2013 Census QuickStats about a place : Otira . Statistics New Zealand , accessed September 14, 2017 .
  2. ↑ a b Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed September 14, 2017 .
  3. ^ A b Dorothy : Otira - a West Coast settlement with a fascinating history . NZine, New Zealands online magazine , May 6, 2005, accessed September 14, 2017 .
  4. ^ Dorothy : Otira - a West Coast settlement - 1923 till today . NZine, New Zealands online magazine , May 6, 2005, accessed September 14, 2017 .
  5. ↑ a b Bottom: Otira - to be given into loyal hands. Tagesschau, June 25, 2010, archived from the original on June 28, 2010 ; accessed on September 14, 2017 (English, original website no longer available).
  6. ↑ Want to own an entire town? . In: TVNZ CloseUp . TVNZ , May 6, 2005, accessed June 28, 2010 .
  7. ^ Anna Sarah Berger: Village for sale. In: Frankfurter Rundschau . Frankfurter Rundschau GmbH , May 6, 2005, accessed on September 14, 2017 (English).