- Waterton, New Zealand
Location map
New Zealand
label=Waterton
lat=-44.0568
long=171.7314
position=right
width= 150
float=right
caption=Waterton is a former town in the Canterbury region of
New Zealand 'sSouth Island . It is still officially recognised as a locality.Land Information New Zealand, [http://www.linz.govt.nz/apps/placenames/index.html?p=18517 "Place Name Detail: Waterton"] , "New Zealand Geographic Placenames Database", accessed23 January 2008 .]Geography
Waterton is located on the
Canterbury Plains south of Ashburton on thePacific Ocean , between the Ashburton River andHinds River . Nearby localities include Ashton and Wheatstone to the northeast, Flemington to the north,Eiffelton to the northwest andLongbeach to the southwest.History
Waterton was founded in the second half of the 19th century as the Canterbury Plains were settled by European immigrants. By 1888, it had its own town hall. Catholics in the area of Longbeach and Waterton complained to the administration of the Ashburton parish that Mass had not been said in their area. Accordingly, Mass was held in the Waterton Hall, with an attendance of 60; it later was held in Eiffelton rather than Waterton.Catholic Diocese of Christchurch, [http://www.chch.catholic.org.nz/?sid=281 "Eiffelton"] , accessed
23 January 2008 .]At its height, Waterton was a service town for the immediately surrounding rural area. It was home to 235 people and had amenities such as a general store, post office, public library, hotel, and school. Economic activity was related to
agriculture , with an abbatoir and a flour mill both located in the town. [http://www.ashburtononline.co.nz/content/local-news/end-of-waterton-8.html "End of Waterton"] , "The Courier" (August 2006), accessed23 January 2008 .] However, during the later half of the 20th century, Waterton severely declined.Today
Waterton is effectively a ghost town. In the early 2000s, the land titles of the town's former lots were amalgamated by the owner and then divided into four new "lifestyle blocks" for development. The new owners appealled to the Ashburton District Council to revoke the designation of the town's former streets, which by that stage were merely unformed roads, so that they could be merged into the new properties. In August 2006, the Council granted this request and stopped the roads.
Few remnants of Waterton are now left apart from the remains of the town hall, and the local cemetery is not far from the site of the township. An Anglican church once located in Waterton has been transferred to the
Plains Vintage Railway in Tinwald.References
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