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Twizel - History
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A large part of the mid South Island was surveyed by John Turnball Thompson
at the end of the 19th century. The local area reminded him of his homeland
in Northumberland, England. He saw a particular resemblance to the area at
Twizell Bridge, which spans the river Till, a tributary to the Tweed river.
The name Twizell in England comes from the old English form of Twislan,
meaning at the fork or junction of two streams. Our bridge over the Twizel
River (note it is spelt with only one "l") is just downstream from the
junction of the Frazer Stream and Twizel River. |
How the town began
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A new town had to be built when it was decided to continue the power
development at the top of the Waitaki Valley. After extensive investigations
into the weather and availability of land, an area on Ruataniwha Station was
chosen. Now the town needed a name; what better name than to use the same
one as the river bordering the site. So Twizel was named.
The town was to supply accommodation for the hundreds of workers required to
build the Upper Waitaki Power Scheme. Work was started at Tekapo A with the
beginning of a canal system. It continued with:
Tekapo B Power Station (on the shore of Lake Pukaki),
a high dam at Lake Pukaki,
Ohau A Power Station,
a canal built from Lake Ohau to Ohau A,
a dam structure to form Lake Ruataniwha,
Ohau B Power Station
and finally Ohau C Power Station.
These were all linked by a series of canals.
This was a mammoth task. The main administration office, construction
headquarters and laboratory were in Twizel. The workers and materials were
ferried out daily.
In 1969 the site was opened and the machinery moved in to form the new town.
There were 1300 sections to be developed along with 24kms of roads to be
sealed. This was a huge task. The first house was moved onto its foundations
on April 29th, 1969.
A large number of the original residents worked on the Aviemore and Benmore
dams and lived at Otematata - 35 miles (56km) down the valley. With the help
of the Ministry of Works these families were shifted into their new homes.
It was great moving into a much bigger house with a good fire and
insulation. There was even a garage and fences, which were not supplied in
Otematata.
By 1975 the population of the town had risen to 6000 residents. To cope with
this number of people there were two schools, a community hall complex,
approximately 19 shops, a petrol station, motel and hotel. Flowing on from
Otematata there were approximately 90 clubs and organisations. Plenty of
activities for the locals. |
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