New Zealand - Ashburton - Tancred Street Scene - 1906 Period - Williams photo - Photo Postcard Format #t1128 Ashburton - A large town in the Canterbury Region - 85 kilometres south west of Christchurch - Ashburton township has a population of 19,600, with an additional 15,200 living in the wider district. - The town is the 27th largest urban area in New Zealand - Named by the surveyor Captain Joseph Thomas of the New Zealand Land Association - "Ashvegas", Ashburton's common nickname, is an ironic allusion to Las Vegas. Reference: Wikipedia