Springfield (New Zealand)

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Springfield
Geographical location
Springfield (New Zealand)
Springfield
Coordinates 43 ° 20 ′  S , 171 ° 56 ′  E Coordinates: 43 ° 20 ′  S , 171 ° 56 ′  E
Region ISO NZ-CAN
Country New ZealandNew Zealand New Zealand
region Canterbury
District Selwyn District
Ward Malvern Ward
Residents 300 (2014)
height 390 m
Post Code 7681
Telephone code +64 (0) 3
Photography of the place
Springfield NZ Main Street 001.JPG
State Highway 73 , which runs through the town
Donut sculpture

Springfield is a small village in the Selwyn District of Canterbury on the South Island of New Zealand .

geography

The place is located about 68 miles west of Christchurch in the Canterbury Plains on the eastern foothills of the Russell Range . Leading in a semicircle from southwest to northeast around the place, the Big Ben Range with the 1655 m high Ben More , the Torlesse Range with the 1998 m high Castle Hill Peak and the mountains of the Oxford Forest with the 1364 m high Mt. Oxford . Springfield itself is located in the valley level of the Waimakariri River , which has created its river bed 5 km east. The Kowai River flows through Springfield and flows eastward into the Waimakariri River .

In terms of transport, Springfield is connected via the New Zealand State Highway 73 with Christchurch in the east and via Arthur's Pass leading to the West Coast in the west. The TranzAlpine railway also runs through the town and connects Springfield with Greymouth on the west coast and Christchurch on the east coast.

history

Springfield was originally called Kowai Pass when the site was founded around 1860. Gold discoveries on the west coast made the place an important stop on the more than a day long journey across the South Island. In 1865 the company Cassidy and Co opened a coach service, called Cobb and Co Stage coach , which traveled twice a week after the road to the west was completed on March 8, 1866.

When the railway line from Sheffield was extended to Kowai Pass in 1880 , the place was named Springfield for postal reasons . By renaming, one wanted to avoid confusion with the then Kowai District in Amberley , through which a river called the Kowai River also flowed.

The discovery of coal in the Springfield area quickly made it one of the most important mining locations in the area until the 1890s. One of the largest mining companies of its time, the Springfield Collery Company , had its headquarters here. The largest customer for coal production was the pottery, which also made Springfield famous . The place also gained importance through the construction of the railway. In the 1880s, Springfield was still the terminus of the railway line, but the line was continuously expanded until it was completed in 1923. The last section was started with the construction of the Otira tunnel in 1907 and completed in 1923. The connection of the place to the power grid of the hydroelectric power station of Lake Coleridge took place from 1926.

population

The place has around 300 inhabitants.

economy

Today the place lives mainly from sheep breeding and from travelers who make a short stopover on their journey between Christchurch and the alpine mountain regions , as well as the west coast. Together with the Selwyn District Council , Springfield tries to develop the tourism sector for itself and to make the place and the surrounding area attractive for holidaymakers and sports enthusiasts.

Donut sculpture

The American film company 20th Century Fox donated an oversized, bitten-in donut made of fiberglass-reinforced plastic to the small town of Springfield to help and support the promotion of The Simpsons' film release in July 2007 . In 2009 the sculpture was victim of an arson attack, then dismantled and after three years replaced by a donut weighing over six tons on July 1, 2012. The new sculpture has a height of around 4 m and was constructed from concrete and steel.

Springfield Fault

The Springfield Fault , which was discovered in 1924, is a hitherto largely unexplored fault that runs southwest of Springfield over the Russell Range across the valley of the Hawkins River in a south-westerly direction. Together with the more southerly almost parallel Kowai Fault , the Springfield Fault belongs to the fault system that formed to the west and north around the Canterbury Plains and determines the topology of the mountain ranges there. The Springfield Fault is 27 miles long and poses in a southwesterly direction.

So far, the Springfield Fault has not appeared in relation to major activity. The last activity was 28 January 2011 with a magnitude of 3.7  M w measured.

literature

  • Helga Neubauer: Springfield . In: The New Zealand Book . 1st edition. NZ Visitor Publications , Nelson 2003, ISBN 1-877339-00-8 , pp. 706 .

Web links

  • History . Springfield Township Committee, archived from the original onDecember 17, 2014; accessed on May 15, 2019(English, original website no longer available).

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Topo250 maps . Land Information New Zealand , accessed October 1, 2017 .
  2. ↑ Local History . Station73 Cafe & Springfield Visitor Information Bureau , archived from the original January 13, 2015 ; accessed on January 6, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
  3. ↑ a b History . Springfield Township Committee , archived from the original on December 17, 2014 ; accessed on May 15, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  4. ↑ a b Springfield Tourist Information . Springfield Visitor Information Center , archived from the original on Aug. 11, 2016 ; accessed on October 1, 2017 (English, original website no longer available).
  5. ↑ Sensational Selwyn - Official Visitors Guide . (PDF 6.8 MB) Selwyn District Council , archived from the original on December 22, 2014 ; accessed on May 15, 2019 (English, original website no longer available).
  6. ↑ The Simpson's donate giant donut to Springfield NZ . (Video 1:33 min.) Youtube , accessed on December 17, 2014 (English).
  7. ↑ 'Giant Donut' returns to Canterbury's Springfield . TVNZ - One News , June 20, 2012, accessed December 17, 2014 .
  8. ^ New donut for Springfield . stuff.co.nz , July 1, 2012, accessed December 17, 2014 .
  9. ↑ Jeff Hampton : Canterbury township unveils new donut . 3 News , July 1, 2012, accessed December 17, 2014 .
  10. ^ M Stirling, N Litchfield, W. Smith, P. Barnes, M Gerstenberger, G. McVerry, J. Pettinga: GNS Science Consultancy Report 2007/232 - ECan Report Number U06 / 6 . Ed .: GNS Science . Christchurch August 2007 (English, Online [PDF; 2.6 MB ; accessed on May 15, 2019]).
  11. ↑ Stewart Thomas Evans : Paleoseismic Analysis of the Springfield Fault, Central Canterbury . Ed .: University of Canterbury . Christchurch July 2000 (English, Online [PDF; 5.1  MB ; accessed on December 17, 2014]).
  12. ↑ Graeme Haynes McVerry : Before the Hearings Commissioners at Rangiora . Ed .: Chapman Tripp . Christchurch June 3, 2014 (English, Online [PDF; 1.5  MB ; accessed on May 15, 2019]).