Ashvegas

English

Alternative forms

• Ash-vegas, Ash Vegas, AshVegas

Etymology

Blend of Ashburton +‎ Vegas.

Proper noun

Ashvegas

1. (informal, humorous) A nickname for Ashburton, New Zealand.
   • 2001, Bernadette Hall, “Shelter-Belt”, in Settler Dreaming, Victoria University Press, page 64:

     Crossed the Rakaia,
     heading down to Ash-vegas, […]

   • 2012 August 30, Sue Newman, “'Ashvegas' hits back at northern rival”, in The New Zealand Herald‎^[1], archived from the original on 2024-12-31:

     'Ashvegas' has hit back at its northern rival - trading jibes with Rotorua over the provincial towns' tongue in cheek nicknames.

   • 2023 June 15, Lorna Thornber, “Four of New Zealand's most underrated small towns”, in Stuff‎^[2], archived from the original on 2023-06-15:

     Ironically named “Ashvegas”, this Canterbury town is sometimes described as a haven for retired farmers.

Related terms

• Rotovegas