Hedgehope, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Hedgehope is a locality in the central Southland region of New Zealand
's South Island
. Located in the Hokonui Hills
, Winton
is to the west, Mataura
to the east, and Mabel Bush
to the south .The nearest city is Invercargill
, over 25 km to the southwest. State Highway 96
passes through Hedgehope as it travels between Springhills
and Glencoe
.
Hedgehope was also once the terminus of the Hedgehope Branch railway. On 17 July 1899, a branch line
diverging from the Kingston Branch in Winton was opened to Hedgehope and it served the town for over half a century. Due to low demand, passengers always had to travel in carriages attached to slow freight services; these were known as mixed train
s. The rise of private car ownership in the 1920s caused the quantity of passengers to slip to levels unsustainable for even mixed trains, and accordingly passenger provisions were cancelled from 9 February 1931. Freight quantities also steadily declined, and in the early 1950s, the decision was taken to close over half the branch. On 24 December 1953, the branch was truncated to Browns
and Hedgehope's railway service fully ceased. Today, there is little evidence left of the railway's existence apart from some of its former formation
.
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...
's South Island
South Island
The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...
. Located in the Hokonui Hills
Hokonui Hills
The Hokonui Hills, also known as The Hokonui Mountains or simply The Hokonui, are a range of hills in northern Southland, New Zealand. They rise to 600 metres above the surrounding Southland Plains, of which the hills mark a northern extremity....
, Winton
Winton, New Zealand
Winton is a town in Southland, New Zealand. It is located close to the east bank of the Oreti River, 30 kilometres north of Invercargill and 50 kilometres south of Lumsden. It is named after Thomas Winton, a local stockman who lived in the area in the 1850s...
is to the west, Mataura
Mataura
Mataura is a town in the Southland region of the South Island of New Zealand. Mataura has a meat processing plant, and until 2000 it was the site of a large pulp and paper mill....
to the east, and Mabel Bush
Mabel Bush
- Introduction :Mabel Bush is a small community in the Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. The community has an estimated population of 127 people. The main building in the area is the Mabel Bush Hall, which consists of the hall and tennis courts...
to the south .The nearest city is Invercargill
Invercargill
Invercargill is the southernmost and westernmost city in New Zealand, and one of the southernmost cities in the world. It is the commercial centre of the Southland region. It lies in the heart of the wide expanse of the Southland Plains on the Oreti or New River some 18 km north of Bluff,...
, over 25 km to the southwest. State Highway 96
New Zealand State Highway network
The New Zealand State Highway network is the major national highway network in New Zealand. Just under 100 roads in both the North and South Islands are State Highways...
passes through Hedgehope as it travels between Springhills
Springhills
Springhills is a locality in the central Southland region of New Zealand's South Island. Situated in a gap between Forest Hill and the Hokonui Hills, it is located on State Highway 96 29 kilometres west of State Highway 1 near Mataura and 15 kilometres east of State Highway 6 at Winton.From 1899...
and Glencoe
Glencoe, New Zealand
Glencoe is a locality in the central Southland Region of New Zealand's South Island. Named after Glen Coe in Scotland, it is situated in the Hokonui Hills on the route of State Highway 96 as it travels between Hedgehope and Waitane...
.
Hedgehope was also once the terminus of the Hedgehope Branch railway. On 17 July 1899, a branch line
Branch line
A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...
diverging from the Kingston Branch in Winton was opened to Hedgehope and it served the town for over half a century. Due to low demand, passengers always had to travel in carriages attached to slow freight services; these were known as 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. The rise of private car ownership in the 1920s caused the quantity of passengers to slip to levels unsustainable for even mixed trains, and accordingly passenger provisions were cancelled from 9 February 1931. Freight quantities also steadily declined, and in the early 1950s, the decision was taken to close over half the branch. On 24 December 1953, the branch was truncated to Browns
Browns, New Zealand
Browns is a locality in central Southland in New Zealand's South Island. It is just to the east of the town of Winton in the southwestern reaches of the Hokonui Hills. State Highway 96 passes through the town on its route between Winton and Springhills....
and Hedgehope's railway service fully ceased. Today, there is little evidence left of the railway's existence apart from some of its former formation
Track bed
A track bed or trackbed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links....
.