Naseby is a small town, formerly a borough, in the Maniototo area of Central Otago, New Zealand. It is named after a village in Northamptonshire, England, which was the site of a major battle during the English Civil War. Previous names of the township were Parker's, Hogburn and Mt Ida.[3] The town catch phrase is "2000 feet above worry level" indicating its altitude.[4] Naseby is 395km (5 hours drive) from Christchurch and 143km (1 hour 45 minutes drive) from Dunedin.
An important township during the gold rush of the 1860s, Gold was discovered in the Hogburn in 1863.[5] Much of the town has been preserved from this time and has something of the air of a working museum. At its peak, the population of the town was around 4,000 miners. Eighteen stores, 14 hotels, two butchers and a hospital had also been built to service the miners.[5] In 1898, a railway line was constructed 12km away in Ranfurly and as a result services gradually moved away from Naseby to Ranfurly. By the time administrative boundaries were changed in the 1980s, it had become New Zealand's smallest borough, with a population of only around 100. The Population swells to around 3000 during the summer holiday season.[4]
The local newspaper, the Mount Ida Chronicle was produced from 1869 until 1924 and the Chronicle Office is now part of the local Naseby Museum and open to visitors.
Winters in Naseby are very harsh for New Zealand with a mean average high temperature of 6 degrees Celsius and a mean average low temperature of 0 degrees Celsius in July.[6]
Naseby is one of New Zealand's principal curling venues. The town also has an ice rink and New Zealand's only ice luge track (360m long).[7]
Since 1900 Douglas fir, Larch, and Corsican pine have been planted on the former gold fields and these mature trees form the Naseby forest. Mountain biking is very popular in the forest with 52km of tracks present. A swimming dam just above the township is a popular spot in summer and often freezes over in winter.[8] Walking is also popular in the Naseby forest
The Mount Ida Water Race was built beginning in 1873. The water originates from the Manuherikia River. It winds its way along the Hawkdun Range, and collects water running off the streams as it flows towards Naseby. It was originally designed to feed the gold sluices. It now provides much needed irrigation to farmers in the upper Maniototo area. A track follows the course of the race through the forest and provides pleasant mountain biking and walking opportunities.[9]
Demographics
Ranfurly is described by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement. It covers 0.86km2 (0.33sqmi)[1] and had an estimated population of 140 as of June 2024,[2] with a population density of 163 people per km2. It is part of the much larger Maniototo statistical area.[10]
Naseby AthenǽumSign with the Naseby's phrase on it
Naseby had a population of 123 at the 2018 New Zealand census, an increase of 3 people (2.5%) since the 2013 census, and an increase of 9 people (7.9%) since the 2006 census. There were 63 households, comprising 69 males and 54 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.28 males per female. The median age was 55.6 years (compared with 37.4 years nationally), with 12 people (9.8%) aged under 15 years, 9 (7.3%) aged 15 to 29, 60 (48.8%) aged 30 to 64, and 42 (34.1%) aged 65 or older.
Ethnicities were 95.1% European/Pākehā, 7.3% Māori, and 4.9% other ethnicities. People may identify with more than one ethnicity.
Although some people chose not to answer the census's question about religious affiliation, 56.1% had no religion, 24.4% were Christian and 4.9% had other religions.
Of those at least 15 years old, 12 (10.8%) people had a bachelor's or higher degree, and 21 (18.9%) people had no formal qualifications. The median income was $24,800, compared with $31,800 nationally. 12 people (10.8%) earned over $70,000 compared to 17.2% nationally. The employment status of those at least 15 was that 45 (40.5%) people were employed full-time, and 24 (21.6%) were part-time.[11]
Curling
Mt Ida Curling Club late 19th Century
The Naseby Indoor Curling Rink was opened in 2006 providing year round curling to enthusiasts and tourists willing to try the sport. The rink is now part of the Maniototo Adventure park and in addition to Indoor Curling, the centre also offers Outdoor Curling, an Ice Luge, Ice Skating and Ice Hockey.[12]
Education
Naseby Public School opened in 1865 and closed in 1994. In the early 20th century it included a district high school.[13] The nearest schools are now at Ranfurly.[14]
Tourism and Recreation
Naseby is a popular tourist destination offering visitors a range of experiences. The Naseby forest and recreation area is popular for mountain biking, orienteering and walking with many tracks available throughout the forest. Visitors can follow the Goldfields Heritage Trail making their way through historic goldmining sites and buildings.
There are a range of accommodation options available for visitors to stay including lodges, holiday homes, historic hotels and a holiday park which includes two original miners cottages built in 1893.
Naseby Night Sky Tours also offers visitors a chance to view through telescopes the incredible sights of night sky.
Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago district of the South Island of New Zealand. It is on the banks of the Clutha River, on State Highway 8, 188 kilometres (117 mi) by road from Dunedin and 33 kilometres (21 mi) south of Cromwell. The nearest towns to Alexandra via state highway 8 are Clyde seven kilometres to the northwest and Roxburgh forty kilometres to the south. State highway 85 also connects Alexandra to Omakau, Lauder, Oturehua, Ranfurly and on to Palmerston on the East Otago coast.
Middlemarch is a small town in the Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It lies at the foot of the Rock and Pillar Range of hills in the broad Strath-Taieri valley, through which flows the middle reaches of the Taieri River. Since local government reorganisation in the late 1980s, Middlemarch and much of the Strath-Taieri has been administered as part of Dunedin city, the centre of which lies some 80 km to the southeast. Middlemarch is part of the Taieri electorate, and is currently represented in parliament by Ingrid Leary. Middlemarch has reticulated sewerage but no reticulated water supply. A description of 1903, that "[T]he summer seasons are warm, but not enervating, and the winters cold, but dry" is still true today.
The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to the north and the Rock and Pillar Range to the southeast. It has a harsh, dry climate, ranging from over 30 °C in mid-summer to -15 °C in mid-winter.
Ranfurly is a town in the Central Otago District of Otago, New Zealand. Located 110 kilometres north of Dunedin, it lies in the dry rough plain of Maniototo at a moderately high altitude close to a small tributary of the Taieri River. It operates as a service town for the local farming community. The town was formerly known as Eweburn, one of the "farmyard" names bestowed by former Otago Chief Surveyor John Turnbull Thomson on many small streams and locations in the district. The modern name honours the Fifth Earl of Ranfurly, who served as Governor of New Zealand (1897–1904) at the time of the extension of the Otago Central Railway to the area. Ranfurly is well known for its Art Deco buildings, such as its hotel and the dairy.
The Otago Central Rail Trail is a 150-kilometre walking, cycling and horse riding track in the South Island of New Zealand. A pioneering project for New Zealand, the successful rail trail joined the New Zealand Cycle Trail umbrella organisation in 2012, having been one of the inspirations for it.
A bonspiel is a curling tournament, consisting of several games, often held on a weekend. Until the 20th century most bonspiels were held outdoors, on a frozen freshwater loch. Today almost all bonspiels are held indoors on specially prepared artificial ice.
Central Otago District is local government district in New Zealand. It is administered by the Central Otago District Council, and it is in the Otago region, the top tier of local government in New Zealand. The major towns in the district are Alexandra, Cromwell, Roxburgh, Clyde and Ranfurly. The district covers 9,968 km2 (3,849 sq mi), making it the fourth-largest district in New Zealand by area, and is home to 26,500 people as of June 2024.
Danseys Pass is a mountain pass located in the Kakanui Range in the South Island of New Zealand.
Omakau is a settlement in Central Otago, New Zealand, located between Alexandra and Ranfurly on the northwest bank of the Manuherikia River. The smaller settlement of Ophir is located on the opposite bank, three kilometres to the southeast.
Hyde is a locality in Otago, New Zealand, located in the Strath-Taieri. It is close to the northern end of the Rock and Pillar Range on State Highway 87 between Middlemarch and Ranfurly. Hyde is best known as the site of the Hyde railway disaster of 4 June 1943, in which 21 people were killed when an express train on the Otago Central Railway derailed at high speed in a cutting near the town. At the time, it was the worst railway accident in New Zealand's history; it has only been passed by the Tangiwai disaster of 24 December 1953, which claimed the lives of 151 people. The site of the Hyde disaster can now be walked as part of the Otago Central Rail Trail and a monument, a 2.5 m high cairn, stands as a memorial to the victims.
Waipiata is an historic place on the Otago Central Rail Trail, in Central Otago, New Zealand. Waipiata is also the name of many New Zealand coastal vessels, steamers, freighters and steamships.
The township of Oturehua is in the Ida Valley of the Maniototo, in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand.
Ophir is a small settlement in Central Otago, New Zealand, located between Alexandra and Ranfurly close to the east bank of the Manuherikia River. The settlement of Omakau is located on the opposite bank, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the northwest.
The 2009 New Zealand Winter Games was a multi-sport event that was held in the Otago region of New Zealand. It was the inaugural New Zealand Winter Games and was organised by the Winter Games New Zealand Trust. Approximately 816 athletes from 41 nations participated in 51 event in seven disciplines.
The curling competition of the 2009 New Zealand Winter Games was held at the Maniototo Curling Rink in Naseby, New Zealand. Both the men's and women's competitions concluded on 29 August 2009. In the men's event Australia won gold after defeating China in the final, while in the women's event Japan won the gold, also beating China in the final.
Lauder is a small settlement in the Otago Region of the South Island of New Zealand. It is located in Central Otago, 8 km northeast of Omakau, on the main route between Alexandra and Ranfurly, State Highway 85. The settlement was named after the town of the same name in southern Scotland, one of many Otago sites to be named after places in the Scottish borders by John Turnbull Thomson.
The Baxter Cup is the oldest New Zealand trophy in the sport of curling. First contested in 1884, it is thought to be the second oldest still-contested New Zealand sporting trophy.
The 2014 Australian Mixed Doubles Curling Championships were held from October 2 to 5, 2014 at the Maniototo's Curling Ice rink in Naseby, New Zealand. The winners of this championship represented Australia at the 2015 World Mixed Doubles Curling Championship.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
