- Ashers
Location map
New Zealand
label=Ashers
lat=-46.4666
long=168.6569
position=right
width= 150
float=right
caption=Ashers is a locality in the
Southland Region ofNew Zealand 'sSouth Island . [Land Information New Zealand, [http://www.linz.govt.nz/apps/placenames/index.html?p=6641 "Place Name Detail: Ashers"] , "Geographic Placenames Database", accessed 17 November 2007.] It is situated east ofInvercargill on theSouthern Scenic Route as it runs between Kapuka andGorge Road . Other nearby settlements includeOteramika to the north andKapuka South to the south. Also south is theWaituna Lagoon andToetoes Bay .Economy
Ashers is in a rural area and thus
agriculture figures prominently. Significantlignite coal deposits are also located in the area. The Ashers-Waitunacoalfield contains roughly 746tonne s of recoverable coal. Exploratory work has been undertaken, but commercial mining has not yet taken place. [Ministry of Economic Development, [http://www.crownminerals.govt.nz/cms/pdf-library/coal-1/coal-resource-si-lignite.pdf "South Island Lignite"] , lasted updated 8 August 2007, accessed 17 November 2007.]Railway
On
1 March 1895 , an extension of the Seaward Bush Branch fromMokotua to Gorge Road was opened, with a station located in Ashers. ["New Zealand Railway and Tramway Atlas", fourth edition, edited by John Yonge (Essex: Quail Map Company, 1993), 30.] Trains operated from Invercargill and return only a couple of times a week until a further extension toWaimahaka opened in 1899. At this point, a dailymixed train from Waimahaka to Invercargill and return began operating. The line's profitability declined from the 1930s, and in 1951, the mixed train was cut to run just once a week as a cost-saving measure, with goods-only trains on other days. On1 June 1960 , all passenger services through Ashers were cancelled; freight also continued to remain at unprofitable levels, and the whole line closed on31 March 1966 . Some of the line's old formation can still be seen in the vicinity of Ashers. [David Leitch and Brian Scott, "Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways", revised edition (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998 [1995] ), 125-6.]References
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