Waitahuna Explained

Waitahuna
Settlement Type:Hamlet
Pushpin Map:New Zealand
Coordinates:-45.9833°N 215°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:New Zealand
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Otago
Subdivision Type2:Territorial authority
Subdivision Name2:Clutha District
Timezone1:New Zealand Standard Time
Utc Offset1:+12
Timezone1 Dst:New Zealand Daylight Time
Utc Offset1 Dst:+13
Postal Code Type:Postcode
Postal Code:9532
Area Code:03
Blank Name:Local iwi
Blank Info:Ngāi Tahu

Waitahuna is a small rural hamlet in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It is from Lawrence.

In the 19th century, the town thrived after the discovery of gold. The Waitahuna Gully Miner's Monument commemorates this discovery and the miners who lived in the area. Another notable man-made feature is the Waitahuna River Suspension Bridge, built around 1905 or 1906.

The town was briefly a railway terminus, when a branch line from a junction in Clarksville with the Main South Line was opened to the town on 22 January 1877. A little over two months later, the line was opened beyond Waitahuna to Lawrence and it went on to become the Roxburgh Branch. Passenger trains served Waitahuna until 4 September 1936; from that date until the line's closure on 1 June 1968, the line was freight-only. Despite the line's closure, Waitahuna's goods shed and station building still stand at the site of the former railway yard, and are being restored by their owners.

Education

Waitahuna School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 6 students,[1] with a roll of as of .[2]

Notable people

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Waitahuna School Ministry of Education School Profile . educationcounts.govt.nz . Ministry of Education.
  2. Web site: Waitahuna School Education Review Office Report . ero.govt.nz . Education Review Office.