Springfield, New Zealand

Springfield
"Tawera"
Village
Springfield wakes up to several inches of snow
Springfield
Coordinates: 43°20′S 171°55′E / 43.333°S 171.917°E / -43.333; 171.917Coordinates: 43°20′S 171°55′E / 43.333°S 171.917°E / -43.333; 171.917
Country New Zealand
Region Canterbury
Territorial authority Selwyn District
Time zone UTC+12 (New Zealand Standard Time)
 • Summer (DST) UTC+13 (New Zealand Daylight Time)
Postcode 7681
Area code(s) 03

Springfield (until 1880 Kowai Pass) is a small town in the Selwyn District of Canterbury, in the South Island, of New Zealand. The Maori name for Springfield is Tawera. In 2001 it had a population of 219. At the foot of the Southern Alps, 65 kilometres (40 mi) west of Christchurch, it is the most westerly town of the central Canterbury Plains. Springfield has a long association with the Midland railway line.

Springfield is situated in the foothills, less than an hour from the center of Christchurch on State Highway 73 (The Great Alpine Highway).

The town has a Gothic Revival architecture church dedicated to Saint Peter, designed by the architect Cyril Mountfort. It was the birthplace of Rewi Alley, notable for his work in China in the mid 20th century. There is an extensive memorial dedicated to him, located in a small reserve off the main road. It includes a large stone carving and a number of panels giving details of his life.

On 15 July 2007, a statue of a giant pink doughnut was erected to promote the upcoming movie, The Simpsons Movie. It was subsequently set alight and destroyed by an arsonist on 25 September 2009. A tyre painted pink was used as a substitute until it was replaced with a concrete version unveiled on 1 July 2012.[1][2]

In 2016 a new road was built next to Queen and King St with a link to Victoria St. The new street is called Princes Street and is also known as the Alpine View Estate.

Springfield is a significant stop on the TranzAlpine train journey across the Southern Alps on the Midland Line. The town also home to the Midland Rail Heritage Trust a rail preservation group that has established a base in the former NZR locomotive depot opposite the railway station.[3]


References

  1. ↑ Eleven, Beck (28 September 2009). "D'oh! Springfield's giant Simpsons doughnut gets toasted". The Press. Retrieved 22 November 2009. News related to Doughnut on display in Springfield, New Zealand at Wikinews
  2. ↑ "New doughnut for Springfield". The Press. 1 July 2012. Retrieved 8 January 2013.
  3. ↑ "Midland Rail Heritage Trust Website".

Media related to Springfield, New Zealand at Wikimedia Commons


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.