Karamea

Karamea is a municipality in the West Coast region on the South Island of New Zealand. It is the northernmost major settlement of the West Coast and is located 96 kilometers by road northeast of Westport. From there, the only connection via an extension of State Highway 67 leading to the city. The road winds a few kilometers above Caldervale north to end at Kohaihai River close to the western end of the Heaphy Track.

At the 2006 census the town had 423 residents, a decrease of 18 since 2001. Karamea The name comes from the Maori language and is either " red ocher " mean or a corruption of Kakarataramea, " smell of spear grass leaves " his.

The Karamea River passes through the city to the south and empties into the Karamea Bight, one of Cape Foul wind about 100 km to the north reaching the Tasman Bay. The river forms at its mouth a large lagoon, the dry falls at low tide.

The Oparara River flows north of the town. The Oparara Basin Arches, large naturally formed river tunnels, are a tourist Sehenswürdigkleit. Tourism in the region is, however, less developed in relation to other New Zealand regions.

Karamea is a grocery store, supermarket, gas station, information center, cafe, hotel, campground, motels and a shop for arts and crafts as a local service center.

The region's climate is characterized by mild, frost-free microclimate.

History

The Maori seem to have just visited the area temporarily. The first Europeans and Chinese were gold miners in the 1860s. The first settlement in 1874; then who at the time still good harbor was the only link with the outside world. This first settlement was located on the South Terrace, but poor soil forced the inhabitants to move down in the river valley. Agriculture soon became an important economic factor, were added logging, processing flax and gold mining. The Murchison earthquake of 1929 led to the silting up of the harbor and also cut the road connecting the village from two years.

Today, dairy farming is a major industry, added recovery of Sphagnum, fishing, furniture manufacture, cultivation of tomato and tamarillo and a nursery. In the service sector, only a quarter of the workforce is employed.

Education

The Karamea Area School is a coeducational composite school for 1st to 15th class with a decile rating of 5 and 89 students in 2010.

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