Makarewa
Encyclopedia
Makarewa is a small community north of Invercargill
(the southernmost city in the South Island
of New Zealand
).
Facilities include a primary school with a roll of about 130 children, two abandoned dairies, meeting rooms for clubs, a playcentre, country club, squash courts, lawn bowling club, and an indoor swimming pool on the school grounds.
Alliance Group Ltd operate a freezing works in Makarewa, originally the plant processed beef but after being downsized in the nineties is a venison
plant. The plant also provides water for the nearby Lorneville plant.
Makarewa was formerly the junction of two branch line
railways, where the Tuatapere Branch
diverged from the Kingston Branch. A third line, the Ohai Branch
, left the Tokanui Branch in Thornbury
. On 15 January 1978, the Tokanui Branch closed beyond Thornbury, and on 13 December 1982, the Kingston Branch closed beyond Makarewa. The line through Makarewa has since been incorporated into the Ohai Branch and only freight services operate.
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,...
(the southernmost city 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...
).
Facilities include a primary school with a roll of about 130 children, two abandoned dairies, meeting rooms for clubs, a playcentre, country club, squash courts, lawn bowling club, and an indoor swimming pool on the school grounds.
Alliance Group Ltd operate a freezing works in Makarewa, originally the plant processed beef but after being downsized in the nineties is a venison
Venison
Venison is the meat of a game animal, especially a deer but also other animals such as antelope, wild boar, etc.-Etymology:The word derives from the Latin vēnor...
plant. The plant also provides water for the nearby Lorneville plant.
Makarewa was formerly the junction of two 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...
railways, where the Tuatapere Branch
Tuatapere Branch
The Tuatapere Branch, including the Orawia Branch, was a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. Although the Tuatapere and Orawia Branches look like a single line, operationally they were considered separate lines. The first section opened to Riverton in 1879 and reached Tuatapere three...
diverged from the Kingston Branch. A third line, the Ohai Branch
Wairio Branch
The Wairio Branch, now incorporating the Ohai Industrial Line, is a branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. It opened in 1882 and is the sole remaining branch line in Southland, and one of only a few in the entire country...
, left the Tokanui Branch in Thornbury
Thornbury, New Zealand
Thornbury is a small township on the east bank of the lower Aparima River, in western Southland, New Zealand. It is approximately 10km northeast of Riverton, and 31km northwest of Invercargill. It is mainly a farming service community...
. On 15 January 1978, the Tokanui Branch closed beyond Thornbury, and on 13 December 1982, the Kingston Branch closed beyond Makarewa. The line through Makarewa has since been incorporated into the Ohai Branch and only freight services operate.