Windwhistle

View of Mt Hutt from Windwhistle
View of Mt Hutt from Windwhistle

Windwhistle is a small farming settlement in the Selwyn District of New Zealand. It is located on State Highway 77 near the Rakaia Gorge. Windwhistle is 81 kilometres drive to the west of Christchurch and 22 kilometres north of Methven. Windwhistle's name comes from the way the wind sounds when the Canterbury north west wind blows.

Windwhistle is located in New Zealand
Windwhistle
Windwhistle
class=notpageimage|
Location of Windwhistle in New Zealand

Washpen Falls

Washpen Falls, Canterbury, New Zealand

The Washpen Falls walk is located near Windwhistle on Washpen Road. It is a well maintained day walk to a waterfall on a private track.[1][2] The walk goes through a canyon which was formed by an extinct volcano. The track is surrounded by native bush and many native birds can be seen and heard.[3] Parts of the 2015 movie Z for Zachariah were filmed at Washpen Falls.[4]

Windwhistle School

Windwhistle School (October 2020)

Windwhistle school is a primary school that was established in 1935. It has a heated swimming pool. [5]

Windwhistle Winter Sports Club

The Windwhistle Winter Sports Club (WWSC) was founded in 1932.  Ice-skating at Lake Ida was their first endeavor. In 1948 the club started to develop Mount Olympus as a ski field. The rope tow was installed in 1952. The ski field has developed since then with plenty of voluntary contributions to build the accommodation and ski lodge on the mountain.[6] Other facilities include a hot tub and curling.[7] Mount Olympus Ski Field was unable to open in 2020.[8]

Terrace Downs

Terrace Downs golf resort is located 6 kilometres away from Windwhistle. The resort has an 18-hole golf course, restaurant, wedding and conference facilities and 52 apartments there are 26 free-standing chalet-style homes. The resort was for sale after the owner died of COVID-19 in April 2020. [9][10]

Climate

Climate data for Windwhistle (Snowdon Raws), elevation 560 m (1,840 ft), (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 21.5
(70.7) 		21.5
(70.7) 		19.1
(66.4) 		15.8
(60.4) 		13.0
(55.4) 		9.9
(49.8) 		9.4
(48.9) 		10.9
(51.6) 		13.2
(55.8) 		15.2
(59.4) 		17.3
(63.1) 		19.7
(67.5) 		15.5
(60.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 15.7
(60.3) 		15.5
(59.9) 		13.5
(56.3) 		10.6
(51.1) 		8.4
(47.1) 		5.6
(42.1) 		5.0
(41.0) 		6.3
(43.3) 		8.5
(47.3) 		10.1
(50.2) 		11.8
(53.2) 		14.0
(57.2) 		10.4
(50.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 9.9
(49.8) 		9.4
(48.9) 		7.9
(46.2) 		5.4
(41.7) 		3.7
(38.7) 		1.2
(34.2) 		0.6
(33.1) 		1.7
(35.1) 		3.7
(38.7) 		5.0
(41.0) 		6.3
(43.3) 		8.3
(46.9) 		5.3
(41.5)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 94.0
(3.70) 		61.1
(2.41) 		62.3
(2.45) 		82.8
(3.26) 		103
(4.1) 		92.1
(3.63) 		76.2
(3.00) 		101.2
(3.98) 		70.2
(2.76) 		100.7
(3.96) 		78.9
(3.11) 		77.3
(3.04) 		999.8
(39.4)
Source: NIWA[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ "8 easy walks in beautiful Mid-Canterbury". Stuff. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  2. ^ "Southern Stays: Hidden falls a special spot for Canterbury adventurer lovers". Stuff. 7 February 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  3. ^ "Washpen Falls on Selwyn Connect". Selwyn Connect. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  4. ^ "'Star Trek' star in Ashburton court next week". Otago Daily Times Online News. 13 March 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Windwhistle School". windwhistle.school.nz.
  6. ^ "Mt Olympus - Ski in the Playground of the Gods". Mt Olympus - Ski in the Playground of the Gods. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  7. ^ "GO NZ: An insider's guide to New Zealand's skifields". NZ Herald. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  8. ^ "The clubbies: Will New Zealand's club skifields survive?". Stuff. 2 October 2020. Retrieved 3 December 2020.
  9. ^ "Canterbury's Terrace Downs resort for sale after owner's Covid death". Stuff. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  10. ^ "About Us - Terrace Downs - Luxury Accommodation - Canterbury". Terrace Downs. Retrieved 10 October 2020.
  11. ^ "CliFlo – National Climate Database : Snowdon Raws". NIWA. Retrieved 19 May 2024.

43°30′54″S 171°42′29″E / 43.515°S 171.708°E / -43.515; 171.708


Stub icon

This Canterbury Region-related geography article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.