Culverden

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Culverden is a small town in the Canterbury region of New Zealand's South Island. The 2001 New Zealand Census of Population and Dwellings gave its population as 396; 204 females and 192 males. This represented a decline of 0.8% or 3 people from the previous census in 1996.

Culverden is located on State Highway 7 and is roughly an hour north of Christchurch. It 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.