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Ruatapu, New Zealand

Coordinates: 42°48′21″S 170°53′20″E / 42.80583°S 170.88889°E / -42.80583; 170.88889
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Ruatapu
Ruatapu, with Lake Mahinapua shown in the foreground, and the Tasman Sea in the background.
Ruatapu, with Lake Mahinapua shown in the foreground, and the Tasman Sea in the background.
Ruatapu is located in West Coast
Ruatapu
Ruatapu
Coordinates: 42°48′21″S 170°53′20″E / 42.80583°S 170.88889°E / -42.80583; 170.88889
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWest Coast
DistrictWestland District
ElectoratesWest Coast-Tasman
Te Tai Tonga
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode
7883
Area code03
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

Ruatapu is a small town in the Westland District in the West Coast region of the South Island of New Zealand. The town's name stems from Ruatapu, a figure in Māori mythology. The town is located on a narrow strip of land between the Tasman Sea and Lake Mahinapua, a shallow lake that was originally a coastal lagoon. State Highway 6 runs through Ruatapu, connecting it to the nearby towns of Hokitika and Ross. The town's economy is based upon agriculture, as well as a large sawmill, operated by Westco Lagan, which mills Radiata Pine for further processing in Christchurch.[1]

History

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Railway

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On 9 November 1906, the Midland railway line, running from Greymouth to Hokitika, extended a branch line to Ruatapu. Ruatapu acted as the terminus of the railway until 1 April 1909, when it was opened to Ross, and became known as the Ross Branch. Passenger services ceased on 9 October 1972 and the line closed to all traffic on 24 November 1980. Some of the track bed near Ruatapu can now be driven.[2]

Sawmill and tramway

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Joseph Butler bought 28,000 acres (11,000 ha) of rimu, matai and kahikatea bush, between Ruatapu and Ross, for £28,000 in 1907. With his brother William, he formed Butler Brothers Ltd, with the Kauri Timber Co as a major shareholder. A large steam-powered sawmill worked from 1911.[3] A large storm in October 1915 ripped the roof off the sawmill, demolished a hut, and shifted another house from its foundations.[4] An electric-powered mill was built in 1955 after the original had burnt down in 1952 and was rebuilt again after another fire in the early 1980s.[3]

Fletcher Holdings took over the mill in 1961, sold it to Henderson & Pollard Ltd in 1979 and they became part of Carter Holt Harvey in 1987. In 1988 the mill was sold to Westco Lagan Ltd.[3]

Tramways ran up to 20 km (12 mi) south from the mill until replaced by logging trucks in 1960.[3]

References

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  1. ^ Operations – Westco Lagan Limited. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
  2. ^ David Leitch and Brian Scott, Exploring New Zealand's Ghost Railways, revised edition (Wellington: Grantham House, 1998 [1995]), 60-1.
  3. ^ a b c d Carter, Graeme (February 2019). "The enterprising Butler brothers". NZ Railway Observer: 245–253.
  4. ^ STORM IN NEW ZEALAND TOWN.Warrnambool Standard. Published 21 October 1915. Retrieved 18 June 2012.
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