Tokanui, Southland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tokanui
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Village
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Tokanui in 1956
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| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Southland |
| District | Southland District |
| Ward | Oreti Ward |
| Community | Waihopai Toetoe |
| Electorates |
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| Elevation | 47 m (154 ft) |
| Population
(2013 Census)
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| • Territorial | 111 |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
Tokanui is a small community in the eastern part of Southland District, New Zealand. It is located on the Southern Scenic Route, a famous road for tourists. Tokanui is about 56 kilometers east of Invercargill and 107 kilometers southwest of Balclutha.
The Tokanui River flows just north of the village. Sometimes, the lower areas of Tokanui can flood, like when the railway yard flooded in 1935.
Tokanui has several important places for its community. These include a fire station, public halls, a school, a store, a garage, and a pub. There is also a recycling area and a Rugby Club. A mobile library visits the village once a month, bringing books to everyone.
Contents
Exploring Tokanui's Past
Tokanui has a long and interesting history. People have found old tools and items from the past along the coast south of Tokanui. One important find was an adze, a tool like an axe, at Quarry Hills. In the Māori language, an adze is called a toki.
Early Land Deals and Settlements
The land around Tokanui was part of a huge land deal in 1853. This deal was called the Murihiku purchases. The government bought about 6.9 million acres of land for £2,600. Later, it was agreed that this deal was unfair to the Ngāi Tahu Māori people. In 1998, the Ngāi Tahu Settlement was created to help correct these past wrongs.
In 1857, Peter Dalrymple started a sheep station (a large farm for sheep) in the area. He sold it in 1878. Around 1880, people began draining the wetlands, which were very wet areas. In 1883, a road was built to connect Fortrose and Waikawa. This made it easier for the government to sell land to new settlers (people moving to the area). However, the road was still very muddy in 1885.
A post office opened in Tokanui in 1887. A dairy factory started making butter and cream in 1897 but closed in 1945. A cemetery opened around 1891, and 22 graves are listed there. There were also flaxmills (factories that processed flax plants) in the area from at least 1899 to 1930. A police station opened in 1918. In 1926, the first petrol pump was installed by the Tokanui Motor Company. The Tokanui Medical Centre used to be the Golden Memorial Maternity Hospital, which opened around 1956. It was named after Thomas Golden, a member of the Southland Hospital Board.
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Sawmills and Timber
Tokanui had several sawmills that cut down trees like rimu for timber. One mill, Bauchop's, burned down in 1912 and almost caught fire again in 1917. By 1921, there were three timber mills in the area. Some of these sawmills used tramways (small railways) to move logs from the forest to the mills. These tramways were used between 1902 and 1925. One tramway stretched 2.5 kilometers from the railway station towards Waikawa.
In the 1980s, a woodchip mill started in Tokanui. It first used native trees like kāmahi and beech. From 1985 onwards, it switched to using locally grown eucalyptus trees instead of native ones.
Community Halls and Gatherings
Tokanui received money to build a large hall for the Coronation of King George V and Queen Mary. This hall, measuring 60 feet by 30 feet, opened on October 13, 1911. Sadly, it burned down in 1949.
A new Memorial Hall was built in 1954, but it was also destroyed by an arsonist (someone who deliberately sets fires) in 1965. The current hall is much larger, 12 meters by 20 meters, and was built on a different site. It opened in 1967. Tokanui also has a Lions Club, which started in 1979.
Tokanui Railway Station
Tokanui was the end point of the Tokanui Branch railway line. It was a flag station, meaning trains would only stop if someone signaled them or if passengers wanted to get off. The line ran from Invercargill, which was about 37 miles and 67 chains away.
The railway line was extended from Waimahaka to Tokanui, a distance of 8 miles and 11 chains. This part of the line had steep slopes, some as steep as 1 in 50. The official opening of the Tokanui section was on Wednesday, September 20, 1911. Initially, trains ran only on Saturdays and Tuesdays. Sometimes, trains ran daily, but mostly just a few days a week. In 1924, trains became faster, cutting the journey time to Invercargill to 2 hours and 25 minutes.
In 1910, a company won the contract to build the station buildings at Te Peka and Tokanui for £1827. These buildings were finished by August 1911. Tokanui station had a station building, a platform, a goods shed (30 feet by 20 feet), a loading bank, cattle yards, a coal shed, five sidings (extra tracks), and an engine shed. In 1912, a turntable was added to turn engines around. The engine shed closed on January 1, 1960. A Post Office operated at the station from 1953 to 1966.
Even though Tokanui got electricity in 1926, it took a while for the railway facilities to get power. The stockyards were lit by electricity in 1932, a railway house got electricity in 1936, and the station lighting was installed in 1946. There were three railway houses in 1912, and another was added in 1919. The Tokanui railway station closed to all traffic on Sunday, July 31, 1966. Today, only a large flat area and part of the platform remain of the station.
| Former adjoining stations | ||||
| Pukewao Line closed, station closed 3.85 km (2.39 mi) |
Tokanui Branch | Terminus |
Understanding Tokanui's Geology
The rocks in the Tokanui area are mostly from the early Middle Jurassic period. They belong to the Ferndale Group, which is part of the Murihiku Terrane. These rocks are mainly sandstone that formed in shallow water. There are also mudstone and conglomerate rocks. The river valleys in the area are made of recent alluvium, which is soil and sediment deposited by flowing water.
The Meaning of Tokanui
The name Tokanui comes from the Māori words "toka" (meaning rock) and "nui" (meaning large or many). So, Tokanui means "many rocks" or "large rock." This name is used for six other places in the North Island of New Zealand. For example, in Tokanui, Waikato, the name might have come from "tāiko nui," which means a large petrel (a type of seabird).
In 1912, there was a suggestion to change the railway station's name from Tokonui to Tokanui. For over 30 years, both names were often used.
Tokanui's Population
In 1911, Tokanui had a population of 119 people. By the 2013 Census, the population of the area known as meshblock 3096200 was 66, and meshblock 3096900 had 45 people. Old maps from 1944 and aerial photos from 1956 show that the main settlement was around the railway station and the dairy factory. Since then, buildings have been made bigger and changed, but the way the village is laid out is still similar.
Sewage Treatment in Tokanui
A sewage treatment plant was built west of Tokanui in 1972, next to the river. This plant treats up to 55 cubic meters of waste water each day before releasing it into the river. It is believed that this process has very little effect on the quality of the river water.
Learning at Tokanui School
Tokanui School opened around 1885. A temporary teacher was hired in 1886, and the school building itself was built in 1887. When it first opened, it had only 14 students. The school was made bigger in 1993 when Fortrose, Ōtara, and Quarry Hills schools closed down.
Today, Tokanui School is a co-educational primary school for students in years 1 to 8. It has 100 students as of August 2024. The Education Review Office report in 2018 stated there were 110 pupils then. Children travel to the school on four bus routes. These routes cover the south coast from Fortrose to Waikawa and north to Fortification. In 2009, there was a plan to move Fortrose students to Waimahaka School, but parents and Tokanui School disagreed with this idea. Waimahaka School closed in 2012.
Quarry Hills Settlement
Quarry Hills is a spread-out settlement located 9 kilometers east of Tokanui. In 2013, the meshblock 309671, which covers a large area up to Tokanui, had a population of 69. Meshblock 3096800, south of the main road, had 18 people.
In 1891, a post office opened in Quarry Hills. Waikawa Valley school opened in 1891 and was renamed Quarry Hills in 1893. A cemetery opened around 1895, and a public hall in 1928. The hall was closed between 1968 and 1976. The school closed in 1993 and is now a house. A war memorial was put up in 1920 to remember those who served. Quarrying (digging for stone) stopped around 1920 but restarted by 1970. The quarry is now closed.
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