Ashburton is a town and district in the Canterbury region on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is the third-largest centre in Canterbury, after Christchurch and Timaru. The Māori name for the town/area is Hakatere. The area around Ashburton is frequently referred to as Mid Canterbury, which is also the name of the district's representative sports teams.

Ashburton is on State Highway 1 86 km south of Christchurch. The Main South Line runs through the centre of town, but passenger trains ceased on 10 February 2002. The town is the centre of a rich agricultural and pastoral farming district, part of the Canterbury Plains. It has one large suburb, Tinwald, south of the town and the Ashburton River. Tinwald was the junction for the now-closed Mount Somers Branch railway line.

Prominent residents have included the town's former Member of Parliament and Prime Minister of New Zealand, Jenny Shipley, international operatic tenor Simon O'Neill and New Zealand television and radio personality Simon Barnett.

Ashburton was named by the surveyor Captain Joseph Thomas of the New Zealand Land Association, after Francis Baring, 3rd Baron Ashburton, who was a member of the Canterbury Association. The town is laid out around two central squares either side of the railway line and main highway, Baring Square East and Baring Square West.

A common nickname for Ashburton is 'Ashvegas', an ironic allusion to Las Vegas. This may be due to the perceived respectability, and conservatism of the residents, and the notable lack of nightlife within the town, coupled with it being the bright lights in the middle of the desert (Las Vegas) or plains (Ashburton).

Economy

Much of Ashburton's industry is oriented towards servicing the surrounding farmland, but it is also home to several unusual businesses: Designline , New Zealand's only bus manufacturer; Ashford Handicrafts , the world's largest producer of spinning wheels; and Peter Lynn Kites who produce and design and export giant inflatable display kites and power kites for kite surfing.

Ashburton has a daily newspaper, the Ashburton Guardian; AshburtonOnline, a Mid Canterbury district website; a weekly free community newspaper, The Courier; and a radio station, Port FM-local. The town also has local versions of Newstalk ZB and Classic Hits ZEFM that broadcast on the frequencies previously used by local station 3ZE.

Schooling

There are many primary schools in and around Ashburton, such as Allenton, Hampstead, St. Joseph's, Borough inc. Lagmhor and Tinwald schools. There are also Ashburton Intermediate School and Ashburton College.

Recreation

Opportunities within the town itself are limited to the kind of activities that could be expected for a town of its size, such as movie theatre and swimming pool). There are also two local golf courses. There is a walking track for some distance, coastwards along the northern side of the river from SH1. This was overgrown for many years, but has now been restored and is in excellent condition.

Slightly further afield, the number of opportunities rises dramatically. The beaches adjacent to Ashburton are steep and shingly with a strong undertow, making them unswimmable. In part to rectify the limitations imposed by the lack of recreational waterways, Lake Hood was constructed just south-east of Tinwald. It provides rowing, swimming, and water-skiing opportunities. The Ashburton, Rakaia, and Rangitata Rivers offer good fishing. Upper reaches of the Rangitata are frequently kayaked and rafted, reaching Grades 3-4. The Rakaia is known for jet-boating. The Ashburton Lakes (Lake Heron, Lake Camp, Lake Clearwater, and a number of smaller lakes) are around an hour and a half inland, and offer water sport and fishing opportunities. On the road to these lake are Mount Somers and the Mount Somers walkway.

Mount Hutt is a prominent South Island skifield an hour inland, just past Methven.

References

• Reed, A. W. (2002). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Auckland: Reed Books. ISBN 0-7900-0761-4.

External links

• Ashburton District Council
• AshburtonOnline
• The Ashburton Guardian
• Enterprise Ashburton Economic Development Agency
• Mid Canterbury Landscape Photography
• Ashburton Street Map