Waikouaiti

Waikouaiti is a small town on the South Island in New Zealand's Otago region. It belongs administratively to the Ward Waihemo the Waitaki District. At the 2006 census it had 1,095 inhabitants.

Geography

The place is right on the Pacific Ocean about 40 km north of Dunedin. The Waikouaiti Waikouaiti River flows near the sea.

Traffic

State Highway 1 connects Dunedin and Waikouaiti in the south with Oamaru and Christchurch in the north.

The village lies on the railway Main South Line on which the passenger of the Southerners was discontinued in 2002, however. On the route but still runs regularly the freight.

History

The Matanaka farm near the town is considered the first farm on the South Island. It was built around 1840 on the coast Waikouaiti 's, was Western-style and ideas. The remaining until today building on the farm land are considered the oldest surviving farm buildings in New Zealand. For this reason, the farm on 11 December 2009 has been adopted as worthy of protection place in category I by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust.