Murchison, New Zealand

Murchison is a small town in the region in the South Island of New Zealand Tasman. It is located near the west end of the " Four Rivers Plain", an alluvial plain at the confluence of the Buller River and the Matakitaki River. The other two contributors to the plane rivers are the Mangles River and the Matiri River. The town is located on State Highway 6, halfway between Westport and Nelson. It is the service center for the surrounding agriculture.

The place itself looks " Whitewater Capital" ( " white water capital " ) of New Zealand, because from here the Gowan River, Mangles River, Matiri River, Glenroy River, Matakitaki River, Maruia River and Buller River with whitewater stretches of Classes 2 to can be achieved 4. The rivers also brown trout can be fished. The place is close to the Kahurangi National Park and Nelson Lakes National Park and therefore serves as a starting point for hikes.

Earlier, the area was dominated by gold mining. Lyell, once one of the largest gold mining settlements of the South Island, is located nearby. Murchison was the epicenter of the Murchison earthquake of 1929, which claimed 17 dead.

Today, the site is oriented in addition to agriculture to tourism, the deals include fishing, rafting, hiking, Wildwasserkayak, mountain bike and horse tours and gold panning. It has a museum dedicated to local history, a golf course with 9 holes, a gas station, a hospital and a visitor center. At the 2006 census counted 498 residents Murchison.

In Murchison the school is located for the surrounding area, the. Murchison Area School, a composite school for 1st to 15th class with 145 students and a decile rating of 4 in 2010