Waikawa, Southland
Encyclopedia
Waikawa is the name of a small settlement in Southland, New Zealand, at the southwestern edge of The Catlins
.
The township is now a small fishing settlement, but at one time in the late 19th century was a major port, shipping timber from the sawmills of the Catlins north to help build the new town of Dunedin
. Originally a small Maori community, the first European settlers to the area set up sawmills in the late 1830s.
Unfortunately for Waikawa, the port facilities were prone to silting, and the nearby township of Fortrose
became the more prominent port. It too fell prey to the arrival of the Tokanui Branch
railway, and to a lesser extent the Catlins River Branch
, in the late 1890s.
Today Waikawa hosts a museum, community centre, a popular fish and chip wagon and numerous accommodations and holiday homes because of its close proximity to Curio Bay
.
The Waikawa Museum and Information Centre was formed from two old school buildings, one from the former Waikawa School, and is run by volunteers also offering information to tourists who visit the area.
Most of the township faces the Waikawa estuary. This estuary is home to flounder
, or flatfish, which can be fished out of the water by trawling nets.
The Catlins
The Catlins comprises an area in the southeastern corner of the South Island of New Zealand. The area lies between Balclutha and Invercargill, straddling the boundary between the Otago and Southland regions...
.
The township is now a small fishing settlement, but at one time in the late 19th century was a major port, shipping timber from the sawmills of the Catlins north to help build the new town of 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...
. Originally a small Maori community, the first European settlers to the area set up sawmills in the late 1830s.
Unfortunately for Waikawa, the port facilities were prone to silting, and the nearby township of Fortrose
Fortrose, New Zealand
Fortrose is a locality on the southernmost coast of the South Island of New Zealand in the Southland region. It is situated on Toetoes Bay at the mouth of the Mataura River, and is on the far western edge of the Catlins...
became the more prominent port. It too fell prey to the arrival of the Tokanui Branch
Tokanui Branch
The Tokanui Branch, also known as the Seaward Bush Branch, was a branch line railway located in Southland, New Zealand. It diverged from the Bluff Branch south of the main railway station in Invercargill and ran for 54 kilometres in a southeasterly direction...
railway, and to a lesser extent the Catlins River Branch
Catlins River Branch
The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. It closed in 1971 except for the first four kilometres, which remain open as the...
, in the late 1890s.
Today Waikawa hosts a museum, community centre, a popular fish and chip wagon and numerous accommodations and holiday homes because of its close proximity to Curio Bay
Curio Bay
Located near the southern end of New Zealand's South Island, Curio Bay is a coastal embayment best known as the site of a petrified forest some 180 million years old. It also hosts a yellow-eyed penguin colony, arguably the rarest of penguin species, with approximately 1600 breeding pairs in the...
.
The Waikawa Museum and Information Centre was formed from two old school buildings, one from the former Waikawa School, and is run by volunteers also offering information to tourists who visit the area.
Most of the township faces the Waikawa estuary. This estuary is home to flounder
New Zealand flounder
The New Zealand flounder, Rhombosolea plebeia, is a righteye flounder of the genus Rhombosolea, found around New Zealand in shallow waters down to depths of 100 m. Their length is from 25 to 45 cm.-References:...
, or flatfish, which can be fished out of the water by trawling nets.