Ashburton Forks is a farming district within the county of Ashburton. It is sixty-seven miles from Christchurch, with which it has postal communication three times a week. The nearest telegraph office is at Mount Somers, ten miles distant. The distance from the town of Ashburton to Ashburton Forks is twenty miles, and visitors can travel by the mail coach on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.