Hector, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Hector and Ngakawau are two lightly populated settlements located at the mouth of the Ngakawau River
in the West Coast
region of New Zealand
. Both settlements are situated on State Highway 67
between Westport
and Karamea
. The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
found that Hector and Ngakawau have a combined population of 300, a drop of 16% or 57 people since the 1996 census.. This has dropped further in 2006 to 234 people . Despite a low population, many of the workers at New Zealand's largest open-cut coal mine at Stockton
choose to live at these places and shuttles frequently operate between the two places.
's mouth, and is the more populous of the two settlements.
Hector has adopted the endangered Hector's Dolphin
as a town icon and is involved in Department of Conservation projects to protect the dolphin. The dolphins often play just offshore from Hector and attract visitors. Another local attraction is a country music museum.
's mouth, and is the more economically important of the two settlements.
Ngakawau is also the current terminus of the Ngakawau Branch, which transports significant tonnages of coal from an aerial ropeway connecting Ngakawau to the Stockton Mine
to the port town of Lyttelton
on the east coast of New Zealand. The line was opened to Ngakawau on 12 September 1877 and an extension across the river through Hector to Mokihinui
was opened on 8 August 1893. The line ultimately opened to Seddonville
on 23 February 1895 and was known as the Seddonville Branch
. Passenger services through both settlements were provided by mixed train
s and they ceased to operate from 14 October 1946. Coal was almost the sole traffic from that stage, and as output from mines to the north declined, the line's maintenance costs outweighed revenue and it was closed beyond Ngakawau.
Ngakawau River
The Ngakawau River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows generally northwest, reaching the Tasman Sea at Hector....
in the West Coast
West Coast, New Zealand
The West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
region of New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. Both settlements are situated on State Highway 67
New Zealand State Highway 67
State Highway 67 is a New Zealand State Highway located in the northern parts of the South Island of New Zealand. It is 51.2 km long and connects State Highway 6 with the settlement of Mokihinui. It used to be 96 kilometres long and ran the entire length of the road to Karamea...
between Westport
Westport, New Zealand
-Economy:Economic activity is based around fishing, coal mining and dairy farming. Historically, gold mining was a major industry, and coal mining was much more extensive than today . However, the region still is home to New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation in Stockton...
and Karamea
Karamea
Karamea is a town on the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand.It is the northernmost settlement of any real size on the West Coast, and is located 96 kilometres north-east by road from Westport. There is no other connecting road to the town - the road north ends at the Kohaihai River some...
. The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings
The New Zealand government department Statistics New Zealand conducts a census of population and dwellings every five years. The census scheduled for 2011 was cancelled due to circumstances surrounding the February 2011 Christchurch earthquake, however, and legislation introduced to hold the next...
found that Hector and Ngakawau have a combined population of 300, a drop of 16% or 57 people since the 1996 census.. This has dropped further in 2006 to 234 people . Despite a low population, many of the workers at New Zealand's largest open-cut coal mine at Stockton
Stockton, New Zealand
Stockton is a former settlement in the northwestern South Island of New Zealand in the West Coast region. It is located in the Papahaua Ranges about 30 kilometres linear distance north east from Westport....
choose to live at these places and shuttles frequently operate between the two places.
Hector
Hector sits on the northern side of the Ngakawau RiverNgakawau River
The Ngakawau River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows generally northwest, reaching the Tasman Sea at Hector....
's mouth, and is the more populous of the two settlements.
Hector has adopted the endangered Hector's Dolphin
Hector's Dolphin
Hector's dolphin is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At about 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans....
as a town icon and is involved in Department of Conservation projects to protect the dolphin. The dolphins often play just offshore from Hector and attract visitors. Another local attraction is a country music museum.
Ngakawau
Ngakawau sits on the southern side of the Ngakawau RiverNgakawau River
The Ngakawau River is a river of the West Coast Region of New Zealand's South Island. It flows generally northwest, reaching the Tasman Sea at Hector....
's mouth, and is the more economically important of the two settlements.
Ngakawau is also the current terminus of the Ngakawau Branch, which transports significant tonnages of coal from an aerial ropeway connecting Ngakawau to the Stockton Mine
Stockton Mine
Stockton Mine, on the Stockton Coal Field, is New Zealand's largest opencast mining operation. The entrance to the mine is at the former settlement of Stockton....
to the port town of Lyttelton
Lyttelton, New Zealand
Lyttelton is a port town on the north shore of Lyttelton Harbour close to Banks Peninsula, a suburb of Christchurch on the eastern coast of the South Island of New Zealand....
on the east coast of New Zealand. The line was opened to Ngakawau on 12 September 1877 and an extension across the river through Hector to Mokihinui
Mokihinui
Mokihinui is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.Mokihinui is on the Tasman Sea coastline north of Westport and is on the southern side of the Mokihinui River's mouth...
was opened on 8 August 1893. The line ultimately opened to Seddonville
Seddonville
Seddonville is a lightly populated locality on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It is most famous for the historical role it played in New Zealand's coal mining industry.-Geography:...
on 23 February 1895 and was known as the Seddonville Branch
Seddonville Branch
The Seddonville Branch, now truncated and operating as the Ngakawau Branch, is a branch line railway in the West Coast region of New Zealand's South Island. Construction of the line began in 1874 and it reached its final terminus at the Mokihinui Mine just beyond Seddonville in 1895...
. Passenger services through both settlements were provided by mixed train
Mixed train
A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...
s and they ceased to operate from 14 October 1946. Coal was almost the sole traffic from that stage, and as output from mines to the north declined, the line's maintenance costs outweighed revenue and it was closed beyond Ngakawau.