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Waipara is a small town in north Canterbury, on the banks of the Waipara River. Its name translates to "Muddy Water", wai meaning water and para meaning mud.
Map of Waipara 7483, New Zealand
It is at the junction of state highways 1 and 7, 60 kilometres north of Christchurch. It is also situated on the Main North Line railway.
Waipara lies at one of the points of the Alpine Pacific Triangle, which also includes the major tourist centers of Hanmer Springs and Kaikoura.
The Weka Pass Railway has its base in Waipara, and runs on 12 kilometres of track between there and Waikari over the former route of the Waiau Branch, a branch line railway that diverged from the Main North Line and ran to Waiau.
The Waipara region has a reputation as a premium area for the production of Pinot noir, Riesling and Chardonnay. Waipara has the highest summer temperatures and the lowest rainfall of any of the New Zealand wine regions. Because of this, Waipara has over 26 wineries and 80 vineyards within the valley, which collectively produce around 100,000 cases of award-winning wine in an average year.