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Contact
Ron E Bishop
General Manager
Timaru Tourist Promotions Limited
132 Gleniti Rd, Timaru
Phone: 03 686 1271
Mobile: 027 228 4756
Email Me
CONTACT
Ron E Bishop
General Manager
Timaru Tourist Promotions Limited
132 Gleniti Rd, Timaru
Phone: 03 686 1271
Mobile: 027 228 4756
Email Me
Greetings
from the Township of Tinwald
Rt Hon William Massey former NZ Prime Minister
Tinwald's History:
Tinwald was originally the only settlement within
10 kilometres when the European settlers arrived. Thesettlers finally
managed to cross the Ashburton river, thus forming the next settlement
of Ashburton. Prominent former citizens of Tinwald include William
Massey, who was Prime Minister of New Zealand from 1912 to 1925. For
more information about Tinwald's history
click here.
Tinwald Statistics taken in 2001:
The Population is 2703 and there are 135 business
locations
Average Annual Income $16,800
Tinwald compared to $18,400 Ashburton and $18,500 in NZ
There are 1047 Tinwald households and 50% are occupied by couples
without children
84% homes don’t have a mortgage
and 97.5% of the population are European
Plains Museum - Ashburton Railway & Preservation Society Established 1970
It was the middle of winter when I visited the Plains Museum housed on the Tinwald
domain. John French and Murray Oakley were on duty and they were only to willing to show
me around. These are just a few of the many things I saw.
Members John French and Murray
Oakley proudly stand alongside
the JA 1260. Both men have a
wealth of knowledge about these
engines and the museum.
Ashburton County Traction Engine.
Museum's
Town Clock
Dental
clinic chair and tooth drill more commonly known as 'the murder house'.
The
J A1260 Steam engine weighs 109 tone. It was made in Dunedin and is the
last passenger steam train to run from Christchurch to Oamaru. The Museum's
other locomotive is a K88 built in New Jersey in 1878.
It was the first
rail express train to run from Christchurch to Dunedin in 1878. After
50 years of service it was dumped in the Oreti river. It was rescued
from the river in 1973 after some men had a bet that they could not get
it out of the river. The bet was either lost or won and it finished up
in the hands of Bob Anderson of Ashburton who restored it and had it
running by 1980.
The boiler then failed and it sat idle for 10 years
until a Trust was formed and enough money was raised to rebuild the boiler
unit. The Countdown supermarket was transported from Timaru and is now
the home of both steam engines.
There are many restored traction engines
around but this one is unique. It’s a 8 HP McLaren that has only ever had one
owner. It was purchased new by the Ashburton County
Council in 1925 and the then NZ Prime
Minister Rt Hon Sid Holland personally drove
it from Christchurch to Ashburton to deliver it
to it new owners.
The museum grounds are now the new
home of the Waterton Anglican Church
which was built in 1878. The Church was
designed by B W Mountford who also
designed the Christchurch cathedral.
Former Timaru Countdown Supermarket now home of the steam engines.
The museum has a replica of Ashburton's first accommodation house in Ashburton opened by William Turton, on the riverside.
Showcase your Business and People Profile
Online
If you own a business or are in sales for a business in the Tinwald
area then we want to showcase your business and profile on this page
of the Ashburton Directory.
This a great opportunity for you and your business to become noticed
on Ashburton’s fastest growing website. A site that is currently receiving
over 50,000 hits a month and climbing.
Don’t let Oamaru, Timaru and Christchurch take all your business
find out more; click here to » email
us now
Read about business success stories from Tinwald » page
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