|
Our Region
Central Otago boasts
New Zealand’s first dedicated
cycle
Rail Trail which travels the route of
the old Otago Central Railway line.
It is also the home of curling in
New Zealand and is fast becoming world-renowned for the production of
the incomparable pinot noir grapes and wines.
 Apart from
cycling the Rail Trail, curling and wine, make time to explore
the vast, spectacular tussock-covered sheep runs that were established
in the 1850s, and to visit the heritage sites of
New Zealand’s gold rush of the 1860s.
Central Otago is unlike any other place in
New Zealand ... the gardens with brightly coloured flowers in the
spring; the plains, dry and parched in the extreme summer heat; trees
with brilliant red, orange and yellow leaves in the autumn and the
sparkling frosts and mountain snow in the winter.
Central Otago has a near continental climate and yet no part of it is more
than 250 km from the sea.
This unusual climate is due to the mountains and high plateau which act
as a barrier to the prevailing south westerly winds that dump most of
their moisture on the mountains of the
South Island’s west coast.
This makes
Central Otago one of the driest parts of
New Zealand with the lowest rainfall and it’s also one of the
sunniest.
Nowhere in
Central Otago
is the landscape quite like it is in the Maniototo. This
inland plain is surrounded by rugged, tussock covered mountains some
with stunning, sculptured rocky tors.
The big sky and light changes constantly, adding to the dramatic
landscape. The
Taieri
River
has its source in the mountains at the south end of the plain and then
it flows lazily as it ‘scrolls’ through the Maniototo.
Naseby lies bene ath the stunning
Ida
Range at the other end
of the plain and is often referred to as
‘The Jewel of the Maniototo’ because it still retains much of the
character and prestige it held when it was the main town in the district
during the mid to late 1800s.
Many visitors to the town compare it with Arrowtown as it was forty years
ago, before it became a ‘suburb’ of Queenstown.
Naseby is about halfway between
Clyde and Middlemarch,
which are at
respective ends of the Otago Central Rail Trail.
It is also close to McKay’s Crossing near Latitude 45 South, the
highest point of the Rail Trail at 618m above sea level.
So, it’s the ideal place to stop off for 1-2 days rest and an
ideal base from which to explore the Maniototo, the
Ida
Valley and the
Manuherikia
Valley in the heart of
Central Otago.
Take your time to experience all that
this wonderful land and its people have to offer and you will be justly
rewarded with an unforgettable experience.
|
