Summerlea, New Zealand facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Summerlea
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 Summerlea
Location in West Coast
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | West Coast |
| District | Buller District |
| Electorates | West Coast-Tasman Te Tai Tonga |
Summerlea is a small, quiet place located on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island. It's a beautiful area with a rich history, especially linked to railways and coal mining. Even though it's not a big city, Summerlea has interesting stories about how people lived and worked there in the past.
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Where is Summerlea?
Summerlea is right on the coast of the Tasman Sea. To its east, you can see the Glasgow Range mountains. Just north of Summerlea is a nearby town called Mokihinui and the mouth of the Mōkihinui River.
A main road, State Highway 67, goes through Summerlea. This road connects different towns and areas. Summerlea is part of the Mokihinui area, which is how New Zealand counts its population. In 2013, the Mokihinui area had 186 people living there. This was a small increase of 15 people since 2006.
Summerlea's Railway History
Summerlea has an interesting connection to New Zealand's railway past.
The Seddonville Branch Line
In the early 1890s, a special railway line was built. It started from Westport and went right through Summerlea. This line reached a town called Seddonville on February 23, 1895. Because it went to Seddonville, it became known as the Seddonville Branch railway line.
Trains for People and Goods
At first, trains on this line carried both people and goods. These were called "mixed trains." People could travel to Summerlea by train until October 14, 1946. After that date, the railway line was only used for carrying goods, not passengers.
Coal and the Railway's End
For many years, the main thing carried on the Seddonville Branch line was coal. Coal mining was very important in this area. However, in the 1970s, coal mining started to slow down. This meant there was less coal to transport.
Because of this, it became too expensive to keep the railway line working. The cost of maintaining the tracks was more than the money earned from carrying coal. So, on May 3, 1981, the railway line closed beyond a place called Ngakawau. Today, you can still see parts of the old railway path, or "formation," as it winds through the countryside around Summerlea. It's a reminder of the area's mining and transport history.
