Pleasant Point, New Zealand
| Pleasant Point "The name that says it all" | |
|---|---|
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Canterbury |
| Territorial authority | Timaru District |
| Population (2013) | |
| • Total | 1,310 |
| Time zone | New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12) |
| • Summer (DST) | New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13) |
| Postcode | 7903 |
Pleasant Point is a small country town in southern Canterbury, New Zealand, some 19 km inland from Timaru, on State Highway 8. A service town for the surrounding farming district, it has a population of 1,310 and one of its main attractions is the heritage railway, the Pleasant Point Museum and Railway, which operates steam locomotives and one of only two Model T Ford railcar replicas in the world. It attracts about 10,000 people a year. For almost one hundred years, the Fairlie branch line railway passed through the town. It closed on 2 March 1968, and the heritage line utilises 2.5 km of track along the branch's old route.
Pleasant Point is also known for glassblowing, taxidermy and blacksmithing, and Māori rock art can be viewed nearby. Vineyards have also been established in the area. It also has two primary schools a preschool and play centre. It has two rivers nearby the Opihi and the TeNgawai. The two rivers meet each other just to the north of the town.
Pleasant Point Railway In 1967, New Zealand Government Railways announced the Fairlie branch line was to close. The line had been losing $43,000 a year and like many other lines around the country, could not compete against road transport.
[1]It was to be a great loss to the region and to the many small communities, which were formed - and would die - because of it.
After 93 years of service to Pleasant Point and 84 years of service to the Mackenzie Country, the Fairlie Flyer was no more. Once the line was shut, Bill Timmings approached the businessman's association in Pleasant Point with an idea of having a memorial to the much-loved line. Fairlie had already turned down the idea of a memorial in their centre and Pleasant Point took the chance. A decision was made to secure the former railway station and find money to purchase a locomotive. The closure of the line co-incided with the demise of steam. Locomotives were being sold for scrap, and after raising $600 from an extravaganza at Sutherlands, two members brought a 46-year-old locomotive – Ab 699. While an attempt was made to secure one of the two locomotives which pulled the final train, New Zealand Railways would not release them and stated one of them was still used for steam heating and the other had bad bearings. Ab 718 and 798 were later scrapped.
On November 28, 1970, '699 was pushed by a diesel locomotive into its final resting place in front of the vandalised Pleasant Point railway station. As soon as the locomotive was uncoupled, contractors lifting the tracks of the Fairlie branch line moved in swiftly before the speeches were over. This left a sour taste in the mouths of many of the 700 who turned up to see the event. The locomotive stood proud in the centre of the town, with a new veranda over it to protect it from the weather. At this time, no-one ever believed it would be steamed again. To prevent the locomotive from becoming a rusting hulk, as some people had feared, members brought out barrels of used oil to put into the boiler to try and preserve it. It was a day to be remembered when a small team put the first fire in – something that may never have happened had a plan to put concrete in the boiler gone ahead. As years progressed, and its popularity grew, the small society started relaying track. As the new line snaked its way along the old formation, more and more people came to see it. The line may only be a shadow of its former self – one and a half miles relaid from the original 38 – but each year it draws 10,000 people to the small rural town.
References
http://www.pleasantpointrail.org.nz/
External links
- Pleasant Point at the Timaru District Council
- Pleasant Point at Central South Island Tourism
Coordinates: 44°16′S 171°08′E / 44.267°S 171.133°E
| ||||||||||||||