Culverden

Culverden
town
Mountainview Road (New Zealand State Highway 7) in Culverden
Culverden
Coordinates: 42°46′S 172°51′E / 42.767°S 172.850°E / -42.767; 172.850
Country	New Zealand
Region	Canterbury
Territorial authority	Hurunui District
Area
• Total	22.85 km2 (8.82 sq mi)
Elevation	179 m (587 ft)
Population (2013 census)
• Total	426
• Density	19/km2 (48/sq mi)
Time zone	New Zealand Standard Time (UTC+12)
• Summer (DST)	New Zealand Daylight Time (UTC+13)
Postcode	7392

Culverden is a small town in the northern Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. In the 2013 census, the town had a usually resident population of 426.

When provincial government was abolished in 1876, Culverden became the main centre for the newly established Amuri County. Counties were abolished in the 1989 local government reforms, and since then, Culverden has belonged to the Hurunui District.

State Highway 7 passes through Culverden, forming the town's main street.

Culvenden was also once an important railway terminus, with the railway line extended from Medbury across the Hurunui River to Culverden on 8 February 1886. It was envisaged that this route would become the Main North Line to Nelson and Blenheim, but a coastal route via Parnassus and Kaikoura was chosen instead. Nonetheless, the branch line to Culverden was extended beyond the town to Waiau in 1919 and it became known as the Waiau Branch. At the line's peak, when it was considered to be part of the Main North Line, multiple trains ran daily between Culverden and Christchurch, including the Culverden Express and a number of slower mixed trains that carried both freight and passengers. However, regular passenger services were replaced by buses on 29 January 1939 and after becoming uneconomic, the railway through Culverden was closed entirely on 15 January 1978. Little now remains of the town's railway except a loading bank at the site of the old station.