Alexandra, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago
Central Otago
Central Otago is the inland part of the New Zealand region of Otago in the South Island. The area commonly known as Central Otago includes both the Central Otago District and the Queenstown-Lakes District to the west....

 district of the Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...

 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...

. It is located on the banks of the Clutha River
Clutha River
The Clutha River / Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand flowing south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of ,...

 (at the confluence of the Manuherikia River
Manuherikia River
The Manuherikia River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. It rises in the far north of the Maniototo, flowing southwest for 85 kilometres before its confluence with the Clutha River at Alexandra. During the 1860s the Manuherikia was one of the centres of the Central Otago Gold...

), on State Highway 8
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...

, 188 km by road from Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

 and 33 km south of Cromwell
Cromwell, New Zealand
Cromwell is a town in Central Otago in the Otago region of New Zealand.It is situated between State Highway 6 and State Highway 8 leading to the Lindis Pass, 75 km northeast, and Alexandra, 33 km south. The road to Alexandra winds through the Cromwell Gorge...

.

At the time of the 2006 census
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...

, the permanent population was 4,827, an increase of 423 since 2001. 23.1 per cent of the population (higher than the national average) was aged over 65.

History

The town was founded during the Central Otago goldrush in the 1860s, and was named after Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark
Alexandra of Denmark was the wife of Edward VII of the United Kingdom...

. It was known to miners of the day by several names: the "Lower Township", the "Junction Township", and "Manuherikia". (The "Upper Township" was Dunstan, now Clyde
Clyde, New Zealand
Clyde is a small town in Central Otago, New Zealand with a population of 918 in 2006. It is located on the Clutha River, between Cromwell and Alexandra....

.)

Many orchards were destroyed in the 1980s as a result of construction, 10 km upriver, of the Clyde High Dam
Clyde Dam
The Clyde Dam, New Zealand's third largest hydroelectric dam, is built on the Clutha River near the town of Clyde. It is owned and operated by Contact Energy.-History:...

, which is the country's third largest hydroelectric power station
Power station
A power station is an industrial facility for the generation of electric energy....

.

Geography

Alexandra is the service centre for a significant stone-fruit industry, which is celebrated by a blossom festival in the town each spring. Grape production
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...

 is another major industry in the Central Otago Wine Region
Central Otago Wine Region
At latitude 45° south, the Central Otago Wine Region is the most southerly wine producing region in the world. The vineyards are also the highest in New Zealand at 200 to 400 metres above sea level, on the floor of glacial valleys...

. Alexandra has the world's southernmost vineyard, Black Ridge.

The town is a popular holiday destination - during the holiday season the Otago Volts
Otago Volts
The Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....

 cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...

 team play many of their fixtures at Alexandra's Molyneux Park
Molyneux Park
Molneux Park is a cricket ground in Alexandra, Otago, New Zealand. The first recorded match held on the ground came in January 1961 when Central Otago played the touring Marylebone Cricket Club....

 rather than at their home base, Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...

's Carisbrook ground. Because of competing venues, this may not last much longer.

Alexandra is perhaps best known for its annual event, the Alexandra Blossom Festival
Alexandra Blossom Festival
The Alexandra Blossom Festival is an annual event that is held for 17 days each September in Alexandra, New Zealand that celebrates the advent of Spring. The Festival is the longest-running community event of its kind in New Zealand...

. The Alexandra Blossom Festival celebrates the advent of Spring in the Central Otago District as evidenced by the blooming of the fruit trees. In 2006 Alexandra celebrated its 50th Blossom Festival, which was held from 15 September to 1 October.

The Alexandra Aerodrome
Alexandra Aerodrome
Alexandra Aerodrome is an aerodrome 2 NM north northwest of Alexandra, New Zealand. The aerodrome saw South Pacific Airlines of New Zealand DC-3 services from December 1960 to February 1966, then Mount Cook Airlines Britten-Norman Islander services from 1969 to 1991 with Goldfields Air flying...

 is Alexandra's only airport. SPANZ, NAC
National Airways Corporation
National Airways Corporation was the national domestic airline of New Zealand from 1947 until 1978 when it amalgamated with New Zealand's international airline, Air New Zealand. The airline was headquartered in Wellington...

 and Mount Cook Airlines were main users of the airport till the 1980s. It is home to the Central Otago Flying Club, and gliding. It is reasonably quiet, with about two commercial flights a week from Mainland Air
Mainland Air
Mainland Air 2010 is a general aviation, flight training and charter airline operating out of Dunedin International Airport in New Zealand. Mainland Air has recently been taken over by Southair Aviation at Taieri Airfield.-Services:...

 of Dunedin.

Climate

Alexandra experiences a very dry oceanic climate
Oceanic climate
An oceanic climate, also called marine west coast climate, maritime climate, Cascadian climate and British climate for Köppen climate classification Cfb and subtropical highland for Köppen Cfb or Cwb, is a type of climate typically found along the west coasts at the middle latitudes of some of the...

 (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

 Cfb), so dry in fact, that it barely escapes being classified as a semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...

 BSk). The district is one of the farthest from a coastline in New Zealand and experiences cold winters and warm summers relative to the rest of the country. Temperatures regularly drop below zero in winter and can rise above thirty degrees Celsius in the summer months.

Radio stations

Independently owned Blue Skies FM was established in 2001 as a radio station to serve the local community, but went off the air at the end of September 2008. Its frequency was taken by The Breeze
The Breeze (New Zealand)
The Breeze is a group of New Zealand easy-listening radio stations owned by RadioWorks, a MediaWorks New Zealand company. The Breeze plays easy-listening music from the 1970s to the present day, aimed at a 35–54 year old female audience...

.

Alexandra also has its own local More FM
More FM
MORE FM is a New Zealand radio network playing adult contemporary music or Pop music. It is operated by MediaWorks New Zealand.MORE FM broadcasts in 22 centres throughout New Zealand with local programming in most markets between 6am and 1pm and networked programming the rest of the day...

 station with the studios being located in Alexandra. Previously this station was known as Radio Central. Central Otago's More FM broadcasts into Roxburgh
Roxburgh, New Zealand
Roxburgh is a small New Zealand town of about 600 people in Central Otago. It is in Teviot Valley on the banks of the Clutha River, 40 km south of Alexandra in the South Island. State Highway 8, which links Central Otago with Dunedin city, passes through the town...

, Clyde
Clyde, New Zealand
Clyde is a small town in Central Otago, New Zealand with a population of 918 in 2006. It is located on the Clutha River, between Cromwell and Alexandra....

 and Cromwell
Cromwell, New Zealand
Cromwell is a town in Central Otago in the Otago region of New Zealand.It is situated between State Highway 6 and State Highway 8 leading to the Lindis Pass, 75 km northeast, and Alexandra, 33 km south. The road to Alexandra winds through the Cromwell Gorge...

. Wanaka also has More FM but this is a relay of the Queenstown
Queenstown, New Zealand
Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand's South Island. It is built around an inlet called Queenstown Bay on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin Z-shaped lake formed by glacial processes, and has spectacular views of nearby mountains....

 More FM station (formerly known as Resort Radio
Resort Radio
Resort Radio was a radio station in Queenstown on 99.2FM, 100.0FM and 1359AM. Originally this station was owned by Radio Otago until Radio Otago was sold to RadioWorks in 1999. During the nineties programming during the evenings and nights was a simulcast of Foveaux FM in Southland with Southland...

).

Schools

Alexandra has three primary schools (Alexandra Primary School, Terrace Primary, and St Gerards). There is also one high school (Dunstan High School
Dunstan High School
Dunstan High School is a secondary school located in Alexandra, in the Central Otago district in the South Island of New Zealand.Dunstan High School also runs the , which is located in the old homestead in the East Matukituki Valley on the outskirts of the Mount Aspiring National Park.In 2009, the...

).

Mayors

This is a list of mayors of the former Alexandra Borough. Many streets in Alexandra are named after former mayors.
  • Robert Finlay 1867-1870 and 1886–1889
  • John Chapple 1871-1872
  • William Beresford 1872-1873
  • James Samson 1873-1877
  • James Rivers 1877-1879 and 1894–1896
  • George McDonald 1882-1884
  • JE Thompson 1884-1886
  • William Theyers 1890-1893 and 1895–1896
  • J Simmonds 1893-1984 and 1896–1897
  • James Kelman 1898-1899 and 1901–1903
  • Henry Symes 1900-1901
  • George Spencer 1903-1906
  • Henry Schaumann 1906-1910
  • J Gregg 1910-1911
  • Edward Marslin 1911-1915
  • Archibald Ashworth 1915-1917
  • William Black 1917-1927
  • William Bringans 1927-1940
  • Archibald McKellar 1940-1947
  • Bert Fox 1947-1953
  • George Campbell 1953-1959
  • Keith Blackmore 1959-1980
  • Ross Close 1980-1986
  • Russell Poole 1986-1989

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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