Town 22 km south-west from Christchurch. It was once a small railway junction, where the West Coast railway line leaves the main line. A 1972–74 plan for a substantial ‘new town’ was abandoned, but Rolleston has since grown. Rolleston was close to the epicentre of a major earthquake in 2010, but suffered relatively low damage due to the stable rock on which it was built. The town’s population has expanded rapidly since the earthquakes.
Meaning of place name
Named for Canterbury’s last provincial superintendent, William Rolleston.
