Hundalee Hills
Encyclopedia
The Hundalee Hills are located close to the borders of Hurunui District
and Kaikoura District in Canterbury
in the South Island
of New Zealand
.
Located 40 kilometres (24.85 mi) to the south of Kaikoura
, Hundalee Hills are known largely for a notorious stretch of State Highway 1
between Kaikoura
and Christchurch
. The road winds sharply around the edge of several hills, as does the Conway River
, which reaches the Pacific Ocean
close to the Hundalees.
Within the Hundalee Hills is the rural locality of Hundalee
. This was briefly a terminus of the Main North Line railway that winds its way through the Hundalee Hills, and it was also the home of World War II
hero Charles Upham
after he returned from combat.
Hurunui District
The Hurunui District is a political district on the east coast of New Zealand's South Island, north of Christchurch, New Zealand. It forms part of the Canterbury region and stretches from the east coast to the main divide. Its land area is ....
and Kaikoura District in 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.-...
in the 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...
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...
.
Located 40 kilometres (24.85 mi) to the south of Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
, Hundalee Hills are known largely for a notorious stretch of State Highway 1
State Highway 1 (New Zealand)
State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...
between Kaikoura
Kaikoura
Kaikoura is a town on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 1 180 km north of Christchurch.Kaikoura became the first local authority to reach the Green Globe tourism certification standard....
and Christchurch
Christchurch
Christchurch is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the country's second-largest urban area after Auckland. It lies one third of the way down the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula which itself, since 2006, lies within the formal limits of...
. The road winds sharply around the edge of several hills, as does the Conway River
Conway River, New Zealand
The Conway River is part of the traditional boundary between the Canterbury and Marlborough regions in the South Island of New Zealand.It arises in the Amuri Range near Palmer Saddle and runs for thirty kilometres south-east through the Hundalee Hills at the south end of the Seaward Kaikoura...
, which reaches the Pacific Ocean
Pacific Ocean
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
close to the Hundalees.
Within the Hundalee Hills is the rural locality of Hundalee
Hundalee
Hundalee is a rural locality in the Hurunui District of the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. It straddles the Conway River, the traditional boundary between Canterbury and Marlborough and is in the Hundalee Hills....
. This was briefly a terminus of the Main North Line railway that winds its way through the Hundalee Hills, and it was also the home of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
hero Charles Upham
Charles Upham
Captain Charles Hazlitt Upham VC and Bar was a New Zealand soldier who earned the Victoria Cross twice during the Second World War: in Crete in May 1941, and at Ruweisat Ridge, Egypt, in July 1942...
after he returned from combat.