Inangahua Junction

Inangahua Junction
New Zealand State Highway 6 passing through Inangahua Junction
Inangahua Junction
Coordinates: 41°51′27″S 171°57′8″E / 41.85750°S 171.95222°E / -41.85750; 171.95222
Country	New Zealand
Region	West Coast
District	Buller District
Population (2006)
• Total	159

Inangahua Junction is a small town in the northwest of New Zealand's South Island. It is located at the confluence of the Inangahua and Buller Rivers, 34 kilometres (21 mi) north of Reefton and 46 kilometres (29 mi) southeast of Westport. Murchison is 52 kilometres (32 mi) to the east. The town of Inangahua is just to the east of the junction. The town's main industries include forestry, coal, farming and sawmilling. There is a small primary school, shops, fire station and earthquake museum. The population was 159 in the 2006 Census, an increase of 9 people from 2001. The name of the town refers to inanga, the Māori word for whitebait. Inangahua Junction was formerly known as Christies Junction.

The town was substantially affected by an earthquake on Friday, 24 May 1968. At 5:24am, the earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck the town, and many landslides and aftershocks followed. The entire population of around 100 was temporarily evacuated. Two people were killed, and another three died later when a helicopter evacuating survivors crashed.

Inangahua Junction is located on the Stillwater - Westport Line railway, and was intended to be the junction of this line with the never-completed Nelson Section. In 1914, the railway was opened to Inangahua Junction from its former terminus in Cronadun, but subsequent progress through the Buller Gorge was slow. In July 1942, trains began running the full length of the line between Stillwater and Westport, but the line was not officially opened until 5 December 1943. With the commencement of through services, passenger trains were operated by RM class Vulcan railcars, which connected in Stillwater with services that ran along the Midland Line between Greymouth and Christchurch. In 1967, the passenger services ceased, and today, the primary traffic is coal, with multiple coal trains passing through Inangahua Junction daily. Today the town is served by the daily inter city bus between Nelson and Westport.