Waipiata

'Waipiata' is an historic place located on the Otago Central Rail Trail, in Central Otago, New Zealand.

* Waipiata is also the name of many New Zealand maritime Coastal Vessels, Steamers, Freighters, and Steamships. [http://www.nzmaritimeindex.org.nz/ixsearchvessels.asp?hit=1&name=WAIPIATA]

History

The first school opened in 1891. Waipiata became a thriving township as the Central Otago Railway line snaked into existence across the Maniototo Plain.The nearby village of Kokonga was the railway camp. In 1914 the Waipiata Sanatorium, a private facility, was constructed a few kilometres along the Waipiata/Patearoa road near the old Hamiltons gold field. Taken over by the [Hospital Board] in the early 1920's the substanial buildings that mostly still exist were built and in 1925 Waipiata Sanatorium began a long period of caring for those with TB. The Sanatorium closed in 1961 and immediately became a corrective and training centre for the Justice Department until 1979.The old Sanatorium is now a private Christian retreat, 'En Hakkore' (meaning the spring of him who calls on God).In 2008 Margaret Bradfield released a privately published personal history of the community called 'Building an Ark'."Building an Ark" - Margaret Bradfield ISBN 978-0-473-13572-0 ] . A factory, with 78 employees processed rabbits from 1901 at Coneys Creek (Green Bridge)until a new factory was built in Waipiata.This operated until a slump in prices closed it completely by the 1930's. The buildings were later used for a variety of purposes eg woolshed and concrete works.Waipiata today has an hotel,bowling green,tennis courts,domain, library and large public hall as well as a number of private and holiday homes. The iron bridge, known locally as the 'Green Bridge' was built in 1896. Timber from the original bridge was used for the side rails and decking and it is the only flood free road crossing of the Taieri River in the Maniototo.Considerable money has been spent rebuilding both the north and south abutments and it has recently been repainted in it's original green.The Central Otago District Plan Schedule 19.4.identifies the Green Bridge,the War Memorial the former Sanatorium {En Hakkore) and Hamiltons Cemetery on it's register of heritage Buildings,Place,Sites and Objects.The Hamiltons Cemetery has been restored and a memorial plaque put in place to record all those buried there.There is also an information kiosk on site.A book released in August 2008, "Old Waipiata" by Jim Sullivan "From Old Waipiata"- Jim Sullivan ISBN 978-0-473-13364-1 ] features pictures and stories from the Central Otago Railway Town up until about 1950.

Art

One of New Zealand's most successful landscape painters Grahame Sydney has long been captivated with the local landforms and visual feuds. [http://www.prints.co.nz/page/fine-art/PROD/Contemporary_NZ_Landscape/8126 Cook House] is an example, [http://www.prints.co.nz/page/fine-art/PROD/Artists_Sydney_Grahame/7867 Demolition at Waipiata] is another. [http://www.prints.co.nz/page/fine-art/PROD/Artists_Sydney_Grahame/7867]

Tourism

New Zealand domestic and International visitors cycling the Otago Central Rail Trail.

A moderate Rail trail experience benefits from preparation: bringing walking shoes, Cycle helmet, a puncture repair kit and pump, drinking water and food, and a hat, Warm clothes during the winter, Toilet paper for use in the toilets, Torch for use in the tunnels, camera and film/cards/batteries.

Special care is required in the summer as the temperatures can rise above 40'C degrees, (however the days can be cold and wet, therefore more suited to hard core bikers. Spring is often a windy time in Central and you still have a cold bite in the mornings. Late spring would be a better option. The summer has the other temperature extreme of very hot days, they are longer with possible biking in the cooler parts of the day to avoid the heat. Autumn would be the worst time with the weather more settled without the extremes in temperature, and forest fires of the other seasons. Late autumn colours are in mid to late April. That is the busiest time on the trail.

Geology

"The Miocene Waipiata Volcanic Field (WVF), New Zealand, is an eroded phreatomagmatic volcanic field. Pyroclastic rocks of most of the Waipiata vents record initial phreatomagmatic explosive activity fuelled by groundwater followed by Strombolian-style eruptions. The longest vent alignment, traceable in 30 km, coincides with and is parallel to the largest fault zone in the Otago region, the NW-SE trending Waihemo- fault zone." [http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/students/kn/pdf/KNemeth_thesis_abstract.pdf]

Geological examination of the Lherzolite xenolith bearing flows from the east Otago province with regard to the crystal fractionation of upper mantle magmas, results; "The limited data support the contention that the asthenosphere below southern New Zealand and western Antarctica is essentially homogeneous over a scale of hundreds of kilometres." Royal Society of New Zealand bulletin 23:344-365. [http://www.rsnz.org/publish/nzjgg/1991/39.php]

Taieri Lake lies near Waipiata in the Maniototo district.

Trout fishing

Maniototo - RUTHERFORD’S DAM (Above Waipiata, private property) Fishing site is an irrigation dam built to collect and store water for irrigation during the summer. All fishing methods may be used at all sites. [http://www.atoz-nz.com/fishing.asp Fishing]

Farming - Sheep breeding competition winners

NZ Sheepbreeders Association run an annual competition, the 2004 Rabobank New Zealand Ewe Hogget Competition. Local winners of the 'other breed' categories were: John & Sally Andrews, Waipiata, Ranfurly. Breed - Composite. [http://www.ras.org.nz/ewehogget.asp RAS]

Water quality

Register of Community Drinking-Water Supplies in New Zealand; » Waipiata Tavern Bore. [http://www.moh.govt.nz/moh.nsf/pagesmh/4139/$File/register-communitydrinkingwatersupplies2005-register-tables-19.pdf]

People

* Irish immigrant. Mary (Maria) MORONEY, Born 1857, Newmarket-on-Fergus, Co. Clare, arrived in 1877 at Wellington. Died 1927, Waipiata, Central Otago. [http://www.geocities.com/nziconnection/listm.htm]
* World War 1 roll of honour. Corporal William Henry URE, on October 4, 1917 number 28242, WIR, KIA, in France. Buried at TYNE COT CEMETERY, BELGIUM. William was the son of Mr. and Mrs. William H. Ure, of Waipiata, Central Otago.

Location map

* [http://www.zoomin.co.nz/nz/central+otago/waipiata/ Waipiata location map] For Waipiata topographic info see Map 260 H42 Waipiata - [http://www.linz.govt.nz/home/index.html LINZ]

Waipiata Community Development Committee

The local community have produced a Community Plan in 2008 [http://www.codc.govt.nz/assets/pdfs/documents2008/final_waipiata_community_plan_with_map_and_pic.pdf] setting development priorities for the area. The community sees roading, local history and water supplies as being key community issues.A regular newletter is produced which can be viewed at the community webpage. [http://www.waipiata.com/] .

Education

The local children are educated at Maniototo Area School [http://www.mas.school.nz/] in the nearby town of Ranfurly. Children catch a free school bus to the school which caters for students aged 5-18.

References

ee also

* Rock and Pillar Range
* Taieri River
* Maniototo
* Central Otago Gold Rush
* The Lord of the Rings film trilogy
* Manuherikia River

External links

* [http://www.waipiatahotel.co.nz Waipiata Historic Hotel]
* [http://www.fallingrain.com/world/NZ/0/Waipiata.html Waipiata weather station]
* [http://www.otago.ac.nz/geology/students/kn/pdf/KNemeth_thesis_abstract.pdf Waipiata Volcanic field]
* [http://www.atoz-nz.com/railtrail.asp Otago Central Rail]
* [http://www.atoz-nz.com/fishing.asp Fishing]
* [http://www.maniototo.co.nz/waipiata.htm Waipiata History]
* [http://www.teara.govt.nz/1966/T/TaieriRiver/TaieriRiver/en Taieri River]
* [http://www.trailjourneys.co.nz/faq_s.html Rail trail info]
* [http://www.prints.co.nz/page/fine-art/CTGY/Contemporary_NZ_Landscape Art Prints]