Twizel

Heavy machinery from building the hydroelectric schemes at the entrance to Twizel (2019)

The present town was built in 1968 by the Ministry of Works as a greenfields project to house workers constructing the Upper Waitaki hydroelectricity scheme.[2] The name comes from the nearby Twizel River, in turn named for Twizel Bridge in Northumberland by John Turnbull Thomson, Chief Surveyor of Otago in the mid-19th century.[3]

The Waitaki hydro scheme consisted of 50 kilometres (31 mi) of canals, two dams, and four powerhouses (Tekapo B, Ohau A, B and C), and the formation of Lake Ruataniwha, producing 848 MW of electricity.[4][5] At the height of the project in the 1970s, population peaked of around 6,000.[6]

The town was laid out in a 'Scandinavian' fashion, featuring looping roads and pedestrian ways, making it usually far more direct to walk than use a car. Shops, school, and recreational parkland formed a hub in the centre of the town, around which the residential area were built. A previous version of this layout had been tried at Otematata. Accommodation was highly segregated: in addition to single men's quarters in the middle of town, there was a series of different houses available, with the smallest for workers, staff houses for teachers and professionals, and the largest for engineers and other high-status residents.[6]

As the intention was for the town to revert to farmland, there were many temporary features. For example, instead of putting in kerbing, channels, and footpaths at the edge of the road, a single expanse of seal was contoured in a very flat 'W' shape: the seal was highest at the outer edge (footpath) and in the middle (centreline), with a lower area serving as a channel and delineation between the roadway and footpath. Likewise, most of the town's telephone local loop is strung above ground to save the task of burying and then removing the lines. Most houses were prefabricated, and intended to be portable. Some were brought from Otematata, and some were later moved to Clyde for the next hydroelectricity project. However, in 1983, as the hydroelectric project was winding up, residents successfully fought to save the town itself.[6]

The Twizel urban area had a usual resident population of 1,455 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 303 people (26.3%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 414 people (39.8%) since the 2006 census. There were 765 males and 687 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.11 males per female. Of the total population, 213 people (14.6%) were aged up to 15 years, 243 (16.7%) were 15 to 29, 681 (46.8%) were 30 to 64, and 318 (21.9%) were 65 or older.[7]

Ethnicities were 87.6% European/Pākehā, 9.1% Māori, 0.8% Pacific peoples, 8.0% Asian, and 3.5% other ethnicities (totals add to more than 100% since people could identify with multiple ethnicities).[7]

Two statues of black stilts (kakī) in the town centre, near the tourist information centre (background)

Twizel is now a service and tourist town for visitors. Nearby Lake Ruataniwha supports sailing, water skiing and prominent rowing events such as the Maadi Cup, while the Ohau Skifield and the Round Hill Ski Area attract winter tourists. Twizel is also on the route of the Alps to Ocean Cycle Trail.[8]

The area boasts one of the world's cleanest, driest, and darkest skies, and has long drawn astronomers to Twizel and the surrounding area, with several existing astro-tourism ventures, such as at Lake Tekapo and Omarama, catering to their needs during the development of two additional observatories in Twizel and at Mount Cook Village. Since 2012, Twizel has been a part of the Aoraki Mackenzie International Dark-Sky Reserve, one of sixteen (as of 2020) such reserves in the world recognised by the International Dark-Sky Association.[9]

State Highway 8 is the main highway serving the town, which is also served by the nearby Pukaki Airport.[12]

Twizel is served by InterCity coaches with regular service to Christchurch and Queenstown.[13] The Cook Connection bus service also provides connections to Mount Cook village from Twizel.[14]

Twizel Area School is the sole school in Twizel, catering for Year 1 to 13 students (ages 5 to 18). Established in 1986 following the merger of Twizel Primary School and Twizel High School, the co-educational school has a roll of 219 students as of March 2020.[15]

In the movie The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, the battle of the Pelennor Fields was filmed near Twizel[16] - as was a scene in The Hobbit trilogy of movies where Bilbo and the Dwarves are chased across the plains by Warg riders.[17]

• Sheridan, Marion (1995). Dam Dwellers – End of an Era. Twizel: Sheridan Press. pp. 392 pages. ISBN 0-473-03402-6.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Twizel.

• Official website