Little River Rail Trail
Encyclopedia
Banks Peninsula
Banks Peninsula is a peninsula of volcanic origin on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It has an area of approximately and encompasses two large harbours and many smaller bays and coves...
in the Canterbury
Canterbury, New Zealand
The New Zealand region of Canterbury is mainly composed of the Canterbury Plains and the surrounding mountains. Its main city, Christchurch, hosts the main office of the Christchurch City Council, the Canterbury Regional Council - called Environment Canterbury - and the University of Canterbury.-...
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...
'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...
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Location
The rail trailRail trail
A rail trail is the conversion of a disused railway easement into a multi-use path, typically for walking, cycling and sometimes horse riding. The characteristics of former tracks—flat, long, frequently running through historical areas—are appealing for various development. The term sometimes also...
utilises the 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....
of the Little River Branch railway, which ran from a junction with the Southbridge Branch from Hornby
Hornby, New Zealand
Hornby is a major residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand.-Naming and history:Hornby was apparently named by Frederick William Delamain, who came to Christchurch from England in 1852. The name reportedly refers to Hornby-with-Farleton in Lancashire...
via Lincoln
Lincoln, New Zealand
Lincoln is a town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, New Zealand. The town has a population of 2,727.-Location:It is located on the Canterbury Plains to the west of Banks Peninsula, 22 kilometres south of Christchurch.-History:...
to Little River
Little River, New Zealand
Little River is a town in New Zealand on Banks Peninsula in the Canterbury district.-Location:Little River is approximately 30 minutes drive from Akaroa on Banks Peninsula, a major South Island tourist destination, and 45 minutes drive from Christchurch. It is on State Highway 75, which links...
. The railway closed on 30 June 1962 and the formation had remained largely undisturbed until the early 2000s, when a trust was formed to revitalise it for public use.
Rail trail history
On 28 May 2006 the first section of the rail trail was opened, between Motukarara and Catons Bay Reserve. It has since been extended, first to the Little River hotel, and then to Wairewa Pa Road, some 500 m short of the restored Little River station, which has preserved ex-New Zealand RailwaysNew Zealand Railways Department
The New Zealand Railways Department, NZR or NZGR and often known as the "Railways", was a government department charged with owning and maintaining New Zealand's railway infrastructure and operating the railway system. The Department was created in 1880 and was reformed in 1981 into the New...
freight wagons and a craft centre.
The second section between Prebbleton
Prebbleton
Prebbleton is a small town in the Canterbury region of New Zealand. It is 11 km southwest of the centre of Christchurch and about 2 km south of the outlying industrial suburb of Hornby....
and Lincoln (7 km) opened on 30 November 2006. This section is an offroad track adjacent to the old railway line that runs alongside Birchs Road.
The third section between Hornby
Hornby, New Zealand
Hornby is a major residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand.-Naming and history:Hornby was apparently named by Frederick William Delamain, who came to Christchurch from England in 1852. The name reportedly refers to Hornby-with-Farleton in Lancashire...
and Prebbleton (3.6 km) opened on 20 September 2009. This section is an offroad track adjacent to Shands Road and Marshs Road. Between Marshs Road and Springs Road, the track is located within the old railway corridor. This extension thus incorporates part of the also closed Southbridge Branch's formation, as that was the line that linked the Little River Branch to the Main South Line
Main South Line
The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...
in Hornby
Hornby, New Zealand
Hornby is a major residential and retail suburb at the western edge of Christchurch, New Zealand.-Naming and history:Hornby was apparently named by Frederick William Delamain, who came to Christchurch from England in 1852. The name reportedly refers to Hornby-with-Farleton in Lancashire...
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Awards
The Little River Rail Trail was awarded a Cycle Friendly AwardCycle Friendly Awards
The New Zealand Cycle Friendly Awards were devised by the Cycling Advocates' Network in 2003. The purpose of the awards is to acknowledge and celebrate some of the most notable achievements in the country that are helping to promote cycling and to create a cycle-friendly environment.- History and...
in 2006 for the best cycle facility project in New Zealand by Cycling Advocates' Network
Cycling Advocates' Network
Cycling Advocates' Network is a national cycling advocacy group founded in November 1996 in Wellington, New Zealand. It aims to achieve a better cycling environment for cycling as transport and tourism...
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External links
- Christchurch-Little River RailTrail official website
- Patrick Dunford's Railways of New Zealand - Little River Branch: contains pictures of the rail trail.