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Ashburton - great for travellers and the migrant

ASHBURTON is one of those smaller towns scattered throughout New Zealand which keep the local region provided with essential services and which offer the migrant family a pleasant lifestyle and good jobs.

Located just 90kms south of Christchurch it is far enough away to have its own identity but close enough for Ashburton's residents to easily reach the big city life.

Only a short distance from the ocean, the city's main attraction is the great ski-ing and winter sport at Mt. Hutt only 50kms inland.

This allows you easily to get in a full day's activity and be at your own fireside for dinner.

The area is mainly pastoral but Ashburton has some good industry.

The first impression of Ashburton is a pretty, well planted and cared-for town with many attractive outdoor features.

The famous and often admired town clock, a gift to the townsfolk from the rural community, dominates an attractively landscaped town square and commercial centre.

Streets reach out in orderly grid formation with the inner town area bounded by wide, tree-lined avenues.

The standard of residential housing is well above the national average, yet property prices are relatively low. The number of homes owned debt-free is also well above the national average.

Ashburton's streets are clean and safe and private gardens in both the town and rural areas are nationally recognised for their size and beauty.

A large park and gardens in the centre of Ashhurton town provides many beautiful walks and quiet places to enjoy, as well as fields for cricket, hockey, softball, and athletics.

Another beautiful location at the Tinwald Domain offers a picturesque lakeside meeting place for picnics and swimming.

Because the climate allows sport to be played outdoors all year round, many of the town's sports fields are floodlit including an all-weather hockey turf, and stunning new tennis centre.

Ashburton also has an indoor Olympic-sized swimming pool and skate board park for children.

For those who enjoy the sport of kings there are race tracks at both Methven and Ashburton, with an all weather surface and excellent covered grandstand facilities at Ashburton.

The District has five attractive golf courses, all with low membership fees. Two of these are situated in Ashburton and the other three, located in the rural communities of Methven, Mayfield and Rakaia, are just half an hour's drive from town.

Each course presents a character and challenge of its own providing pleasure for both locals and visiting players.

The cultural needs of the community are met with a fine library, gallery and museum of District importance.

Ashburton has one Marae at Hakatere, on the edge of the town, and Te Whare O TaWhaki in the grounds of Ashburton College, a significant place of learning for the young.

A large cinema, developed in the halcyon days of movie going, has been renovated to include small movie theatres and a centre for performing arts.

Community support is second to none and due in no-small way to the charitable work carried out by Ashburtonians themselves.

Hundreds of successful organisations are a testimony to a community of ideal size which works together and has great pride.

Since 1950, one of these forward thinking, progressive organisations has invested all of its profits into youth, education. arts, sports, welfare and cultural organisations. Known as the Ashburton Trust and the Charitable Foundation it operates within the hospitality industry in Ashburton.

A range of business operations including an international class hotel/conference centre, and a family restaurant outlet, plays a prominent part in the Trust's return of more than half a million dollars each year to the wider Ashburton community.

The District also offers a wide range of superior motel and bed and breakfast establishments and many exciting homestay experiences.