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Overview

Ashburton sits between the Rakaia and Rangitata Rivers. The long and thin town of Ashburton lies 87km southeast of Christchurch, perched on the north bank of the Ashburton River, with an extension, Tinwald, across the bridge on the opposite bank. Built on a long defunct ceramics industry and maintained as a service town for the local farms. Extensive irrigation schemes have transformed the land, and the story of Ashburton’s triumph over drought is told at the town’s main museums. There are six museums in Ashburton, including a vintage railway museum, aviation museum and car museum.