36-462: Otira is a small township fifteen kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the northern approach to the pass, a saddle between the Ōtira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps . A possible meaning of Otira is "o" (place of) and "tira" (the travellers). Another possible meaning is "Oti" (finished) and "ra" (Sun), because Otira Gorge
72-479: A chain failed and a pump fell on him. A plaque was installed in his memory in the base of the westernmost pier. Hokitika Valley-Otira statistical area covers 1,620.14 km (625.54 sq mi) and had an estimated population of 690 as of June 2024, with a population density of 0.43 people per km. Before the 2023 census, Hokitika Valley-Otira had a smaller boundary, covering 1,614.54 km (623.38 sq mi). Using that boundary, Hokitika Valley-Otira had
108-543: A landscape, usually by bridging a river valley or other eroded opening in an otherwise flat area. Often such valleys had roads descending either side (with a small bridge over the river, where necessary) that become inadequate for the traffic load, necessitating a viaduct for "through" traffic. Such bridges also lend themselves for use by rail traffic, which requires straighter and flatter routes. Some viaducts have more than one deck, such that one deck has vehicular traffic and another deck carries rail traffic. One example of this
144-652: A memorial came up. The Arthur Dudley Dobson memorial , a stone column of 25 feet (7.6 m) in height, was unveiled in April 1937 at the alpine pass that bears his name. State Highway 73 passes over Arthur's Pass and is the highest of only three roads crossing the Southern Alps, the other crossings being the Haast Pass and the Lewis Pass . However, Porters Pass , on the same road, is higher (at 939 m) than Arthur's Pass, but it
180-539: A pass at the head of the Bealey Valley, but was travelling alone and did not want to leave his horse unattended so "shirked investigation". In 1864 Arthur Dudley Dobson (1841–1934) along with his brother Edward were the first Europeans to cross the pass. In 1863 Dobson went to the mostly unexplored West Coast for seven months of survey work. His area of work extended from the Grey River to Abut Head , and inland up to
216-690: A population of 651 at the 2018 New Zealand census , an increase of 39 people (6.4%) since the 2013 census , and an increase of 15 people (2.4%) since the 2006 census . There were 240 households, comprising 333 males and 318 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.05 males per female. The median age was 36.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 180 people (27.6%) aged under 15 years, 96 (14.7%) aged 15 to 29, 294 (45.2%) aged 30 to 64, and 81 (12.4%) aged 65 or older. Ethnicities were 91.2% European/ Pākehā , 11.5% Māori , 0.9% Pasifika , 3.2% Asian , and 4.6% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity. The percentage of people born overseas
252-595: A repurposed rail viaduct provides a garden promenade on top and workspace for artisans below. The garden promenade is called the Coulée verte René-Dumont while the workspaces in the arches below are the Viaduc des Arts . The project was inaugurated in 1993. Manhattan's High Line , inaugurated in 2009, also uses an elevated train line as a linear urban park . In Indonesia viaducts are used for railways in Java and also for highways such as
288-425: A road was to be built between Christchurch and Hokitika, a distance of 156 miles (251 km), and Edward Dobson was put in charge of the project. The road was opened on 20 March 1866. The alpine pass became known as Arthur's Pass, with a nearby village and a later a national park also taking this name. Arthur Dobson had a long and distinguished career, was knighted in 1931, and after his death in 1934, calls for
324-516: A series of arches of roughly equal length. The longest viaduct in antiquity may have been the Pont Serme which crossed wide marshes in southern France. At its longest point, it measured 2,679 meters with a width of 22 meters. Viaducts are commonly used in many cities that are railroad hubs , such as Chicago, Birmingham, London and Manchester . These viaducts cross the large railroad yards that are needed for freight trains there, and also cross
360-512: A viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide valley, road, river, or other low-lying terrain features and obstacles. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via meaning "road", and ducere meaning "to lead". It is a 19th-century derivation from an analogy with ancient Roman aqueducts . Like the Roman aqueducts , many early viaducts comprised
396-500: Is built across land rather than water, the space below the arches may be used for businesses such as car parking, vehicle repairs, light industry, bars and nightclubs. In the United Kingdom, many railway lines in urban areas have been constructed on viaducts, and so the infrastructure owner Network Rail has an extensive property portfolio in arches under viaducts. In Berlin the space under the arches of elevated subway lines ( S-Bahn )
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#1732852338856432-462: Is not considered one of the alpine passes, as it is located in the Canterbury foothills not far away from Springfield . Previously prone to be blocked by landslides or avalanches, the road on the western side of the pass has seen extensive civil engineering work in the late 1990s. Most notably, the impressive Otira Viaduct , near the settlement of Otira and spanning 440 metres of unstable terrain,
468-883: Is the Prince Edward Viaduct in Toronto, Canada, that carries motor traffic on the top deck as Bloor Street , and metro as the Bloor-Danforth subway line on the lower deck, over the steep Don River valley . Others were built to span settled areas, crossing over roads beneath—the reason for many viaducts in London. Viaducts over water make use of islands or successive arches. They are often combined with other types of bridges or tunnels to cross navigable waters as viaduct sections, while less expensive to design and build than tunnels or bridges with larger spans, typically lack sufficient horizontal and vertical clearance for large ships. See
504-407: Is used for several different purposes, including small eateries or bars. Elevated expressways were built in major cities such as Boston ( Central Artery ), Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seoul , Tokyo and Toronto ( Gardiner Expressway ). Some were demolished because they were unappealing and divided the city. In other cases, viaducts were demolished because they were structurally unsafe, such as
540-530: Is usually in deep shadow. Otira was originally a stop on the Cobb and Co stagecoach from Canterbury to the West Coast . The Midland Line was extended from Stillwater to Jacksons in 1894 and then Otira in 1899, when the pass was navigated by coach from Otira until the railway tunnel opened in 1923. During the construction of the tunnel, Otira housed about 600 workers and their families. The Otira Railway Station
576-526: The Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel . The Millau Viaduct is a cable-stayed road-bridge that spans the valley of the river Tarn near Millau in southern France. It opened in 2004 and is the tallest vehicular bridge in the world, with one pier's summit at 343 metres (1,125 ft). The viaduct Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge in China was the longest bridge in the world as of 2011 . Where a viaduct
612-629: The Embarcadero Freeway in San Francisco, which was damaged by an earthquake in 1989. However, in developing nations such as Thailand ( Bang Na Expressway , the world's longest road bridge ), India ( Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway ), China, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Nicaragua, elevated expressways have been built and more are under construction to improve traffic flow, particularly as a workaround of land shortage when built atop surface roads. Other uses have been found for some viaducts. In Paris, France,
648-737: The Main Divide . His brother Edward, meanwhile, was clearing a rough track over Harper Pass. Arthur Dobson returned to Christchurch and reported his findings to the chief surveyor, Thomas Cass . Cass then commissioned Arthur Dobson in 1864 to find out whether there was a suitable pass from the Waimakariri watershed to the West Coast. George and Arthur Dobson set out in March 1864, later to be joined by their brother Edward at Craigieburn . While George surveyed road lines there, Edward and Arthur proceeded to explore
684-675: The West Coast of the South Island. By the time Europeans arrived, the only pass in regular use was the one now known as Harper Pass , north of Arthur's Pass. When Leonard Harper was led in 1857 by Māori guides across the pass which now bears his name, Tarapuhi, chief at the Māori settlement of Māwhera (now Greymouth ), told him about a route across the mountains at the head of the Ōtira River that had not been used in living memory. Bad weather prevented Harper from exploring it on his return journey. In 1860 writer and explorer Samuel Butler had seen
720-472: The 'John Burns Gallery of Modern Art'. The complex exhibits art which is a surprise to many visitors, housed as it is in the middle of the Southern Alps. The former postmaster's house also survives. Heading up the valley, there are a number of houses dotted along the highway. Rata Lodge Backpackers is situated near Goat Creek and provides alternative accommodation to the Otira Stagecoach Hotel. When
756-562: The West Coast. This involved building a transformer substation at Otira, along with a rectifier substation at the tunnel mouth. Staffing required at the Otira substation meant four houses were built, two of which still survive. The old power house has been demolished. Close to the town are two major feats of civil engineering : the Otira Tunnel , and the Otira Viaduct. The Otira Viaduct is to
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#1732852338856792-558: The boundary between the West Coast and Canterbury regions. Located 140 km from Christchurch and 95 km from Greymouth , the pass comprises part of a saddle between the valleys of the Ōtira River (a tributary of the Taramakau River in the west) and of the Bealey River (in the east). Arthur's Pass lies on the border of the Selwyn and Westland districts. A township of
828-470: The discovery of gold triggered the West Coast gold rush . The provincial engineer, their father Edward Dobson , was commissioned to examine every possible pass to the West Coast from the watersheds of the Waimakariri, Taramakau and Hurunui Rivers . After finishing his examination, he declared that "Arthur's pass" was by far the most suitable to get to the gold fields. The provincial government decided that
864-417: The end of 1990, with a peppercorn lease on the land. In 1998 the remaining 18 ex-railway houses (one has since burnt down) were sold to Chris and Bill Hennah, along with the large two-storeyed hotel, community hall and fire station. The 20-odd hectares of leased land included the school grounds. The Hennahs bought the old school building itself, and nearby indoors swimming pool in 2002. Love Brothers also built
900-409: The greatly-upscaled railway operation following the completion of the tunnel. Love Brothers from Port Chalmers had the contract to build 43 houses in the new village. A further house was built in 1951 at the bottom end of the village road. This survives today, along with 16 others from the former railway village. The New Zealand Railways Corporation sold the village houses to Glenstone Holdings around
936-573: The high country. On 13 March 1864 they found the pass mentioned by Tarapuhi to Harper, which steeply descended to what became known as Otira . They explored the gorge as far as the junction of the Rolleston River , but saw no good sheep country so retraced their steps. Arthur prepared a report, which included a sketch of the pass which he described as the "Arahura Saddle", thinking it led to the Arahura River , and presented it to Cass. Soon after,
972-515: The market. When advertised again in 2013 the sale price had dropped to NZ$ 1 million, and it sold the following year to Lester Rowntree for an undisclosed sum, although as at 2020 the Hennahs still own the ex-school building and swimming pool. Not far from the hotel (originally opened in 1902 but rebuilt following a fire in 1911) is the former post office which was built in 1952 to replace an earlier one. This has been refurbished into an art gallery known as
1008-412: The multi-track railroad lines that are needed for heavy rail traffic. These viaducts provide grade separation and keep highway and city street traffic from having to be continually interrupted by the train traffic. Likewise, some viaducts carry railroads over large valleys, or they carry railroads over cities with many cross-streets and avenues. Many viaducts over land connect points of similar height in
1044-554: The railway hostel for refreshment rooms staff, along with the refreshment rooms which were situated at the north end of the railway station. The 'Refresh', as it was known, closed in November 1987 with the commencement of the TranzAlpine service between Christchurch and Greymouth. Having paid $ 73,000 in 1998, the Hennahs put the village on the market in 2010 with an asking price of NZ$ 1.5 million. No bids were received but it remained on
1080-427: The same name ( Arthur's Pass ) lies about 5 km south of the mountain pass. The pass is named after Arthur Dudley Dobson and a memorial at the pass commemorates him. For hundreds of years Māori had crossed the Southern Alps by every pass free of snow in the summer months. The reason for making this difficult journey was greenstone ( pounamu ), highly prized both for its hardness and beauty and found only on
1116-499: The south of Otira, between Otira and the Arthur's Pass summit. Completed in 1999 by McConnell Smith Pty Ltd, the 440 metres (1,440 ft) four-span viaduct carries State Highway 73 over a stretch of unstable land, replacing a narrow, winding, dangerous section of road that was prone to avalanches, slips and closures. One person, Tony Western, 25, was killed during construction in July 1998 when
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1152-428: The tunnel opened in 1923, traction power for the Otira to Arthur's Pass electrified section was provided by a steam-driven generating station known as the 'Power House' — a large imposing building which included a big shed and repair workshop for the electric locomotives. The steam generating plant closed in July 1941, with the source of power then coming from the newly-constructed transmission line from Lake Coleridge to
1188-536: Was $ 28,500, compared with $ 31,800 nationally. 57 people (12.1%) earned over $ 70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 255 (54.1%) people were employed full-time, 96 (20.4%) were part-time, and 9 (1.9%) were unemployed. Arthur%27s Pass (mountain pass) Arthur's Pass is a mountain pass in the Southern Alps of the South Island of New Zealand. The pass sits 920 metres or 3,020 feet above sea level and marks part of
1224-423: Was 9.7, compared with 27.1% nationally. Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 55.3% had no religion, 33.2% were Christian , 0.9% had Māori religious beliefs , 0.5% were Muslim and 2.3% had other religions. Of those at least 15 years old, 54 (11.5%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 96 (20.4%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income
1260-544: Was completed in 1999. The Midland Line , connecting Christchurch and the West Coast, crosses the Main Divide by means of the Otira Tunnel , between Arthur's Pass township and Otira . When opened in 1923, the tunnel was the longest in the British Empire. Viaduct A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically
1296-594: Was opened on 13 November 1900 (ex-Goat Creek on 15 October 1900), and closed in February 1992. In the 1950s the town had a population of about 350, but this had dropped to 11 in 1988. While a small number of railway houses existed at the time the Otira Tunnel was being built, the vast majority were built in 1922 and 1923 as part of the Railways Department's Housing Scheme . They were needed to house staff required for
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