Mossburn is a small town in the northern Southland region of New Zealand.

[5] The town's main industry is agriculture, with many dairy, cattle, deer, and sheep farms nearby.

In the 1890s Mossburn farmer George Chewings developed a successful grass seed for the district’s infertile soil.

This was spurred on by the high venison prices at the time and the near epidemic population levels of red deer in the wild after their introduction earlier in the century.

Mossburn's greatest increase in economic activity came as a result of the construction of the Manapouri Power Station.

Previously, the line had been served by two mixed trains of both passengers and freight per week (only freight after 4 October 1937) from Lumsden on the Kingston Branch, but with the commencement of the Manapouri project as well as other government development programmes such as agricultural expansion, one and sometimes two trains would arrive daily from Invercargill.

Stage One was opened by Deputy Prime Minister, Bill English, in a ceremony at nearby Lumsden on 1 November 2014.

The trail begins in Kingston utilising old railway lines past Garston, Athol, Lumsden and Mossburn to then travels past the Mavora Lakes to end at Walter Peak.

The wind farm was officially opened by the Prime Minister of New Zealand, Helen Clark, on 8 June 2007.

This project has been greatly supported by the local community and created interest in New Zealand as an example of an alternative energy resource.