Photographic prints and image files of the Maniototo, Otago New Zealand

Maniototo Region, Central Otago, New Zealand. This gallery includes images from Wedderburn, Poolburn, Middlemarch and the Ida Valley.

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 and 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. The region is sparsely populated, with the largest centres being Ranfurly, Naseby, and Omakau/Ophir. Part of the Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands the land surrounding the plain is hilly, with many outcrops of rock. During the 1860s the region was one of the sites of the Central Otago goldrush, and relics from that era can still be seen around the towns of Kyeburn, Naseby, and St. Bathans. Source, web.

Midddlemarch, Glenbrook Station, Strath Taierei.

Ranfurly, Central Otago

Nasbey. Kyeburn Diggings, Central Otago.
Naseby came into existence with the discovery of gold in the district in 1863. Like many other Central Otago settlements, its name changed from time to time. It was first called Parker's, then Hogburn and, for some years prior to 1874, Mt. Ida. Gold was won by hydraulic sluicing, the Government aiding the industry by building several miles of water race in 1875 and, later, reservoirs. Since the mid-1920s gold mining has steadily declined and has now ceased. Hydraulic sluicing has destroyed much land, but larch and other coniferous trees have been established on the old workings and have largely arrested the progressive erosion. The original function of Naseby as a centre for a mining community has long been lost and many of the main services of the town have been absorbed by Ranfurly. Source Encyclopaedia of New Zealand, 1966.

Wedderburn, Wedderburn Tavern, Central Otago.
Originally a coaching stop, Wedderburn became a terminus on the Otago Central Railway in 1921 and was the headquarters for the Public Works Department during construction of this section of the line. Following the closure of the railway, the Otago Excursion Train Trust and Dunedin City Council bought the track through the scenic Taieri Gorge up to Middlemarch to form the Taieri Gorge Railway Ltd. The remaining track was removed and this section became the 150 kilometres long Otago Central Rail Trail from Middlemarch to Clyde for recreational use by cyclists and walkers. This trail passes through Wedderburn and past the Wedderburn goods shed. Artist Grahame Sydney made the shed famous in his 1975 painting "July on the Maniototo". This depicted an austere landscape and represented the economic and social changes brought about by railways. The shed was subsequently removed to a site five kilometres away but later returned following public protest. The shed is now being conserved and has been restored to its recognisable green colour. Source; Wkipedia. 
The Wedderburn Tavern is, in parts, constructed of sun dried mud bricks and can be bitterly cold on winter mornings.  It has hosted multitudes of uproarious nights, a few of which I have been privileged to attend.

Home Hills Runs Road

In 2001 the artist Grahame Sydney painted the white stucco building seen here and titled the work "The Cookhouse".

Oturehua, Ida Valley, Central Otago
Oturehua lies beneath the Rough Ridge range of hills. The township was initially called Rough Ridge until about 1907. The area has changed little from then when it comprised a post and telegraph office, a store and a hotel near the railway. The Idaburn Dam, located 3km southwest of Oturehua along the Ida Valley Omakau Road is used for curling bonspiels when conditions permit. It is also the site of the annual mid-winter Brass Monkey motorcycle rally. Source: Wikipedia. (edited).

​Hayes Engineering Works, Ida Valley. Central Otago.
Hayes Engineering Works and Homestead is the legacy of English immigrants Ernest and Hannah Hayes, who settled in Central Otago in 1882. Ernest’s enterprise began when he started inventing tools to simplify work on his 150-acre farm near Oturehua. From rabbit bait cutters to windmills, Hayes’ labour-saving inventions quickly spread around the country and overseas.  Perhaps most well known tool is his refinement of J Reid's fencing wire strainer, perfected in 1924, and is still used around the world today. Hayes Engineering Works forms part of an industrious enclave that developed as demand for its products grew. Today, the rustic mud brick buildings and their contents are remarkably well preserved. The workshop – with its labyrinth of overhead shafts, belts and pulleys driving various lathes, drills and saws – was previously powered by windmill and then a water Pelton wheel. Source: Heritage New Zealand.

Moa Creek
"Once busy with gold miners and travellers on the Dunstan Trail, Moa Creek is the last stop before Poolburn Dam, and Lord of the Rings country". Source; Otago Central Rail Trial website. On my last visit to Moa Creek I was entertained with historical tales about the area by the owner of the Oturehua store, who also worked as the Ida Valley postman. To me Moa Creek looks and feels like a set from a Sergio Leone movie.

​Poolburn Reservoir,  Rough Ridge Range.
In 1929 a deputation was made to the Minister of Labour and Transport with a proposal for an irrigation dam to supply water to Ida Valley farmers. The Government approved the scheme, partially as an employment initiative during the Great Depression, and charged the Department of Public Works with its construction. It put £71,823 into the budget. Poolburn Reservoir was completed by late 1931. The reservoir is located on the Old Dunstan Road and the flooded area had five hotels. Source; Wikipedia. 
Poolburn is a Lord of the Rings Location. "The jewel of this otherworldly moonscape is Poolburn Reservoir, also known as Poolburn Dam. The lake is breathtakingly blue and marbled with incredible white swirls of ice. It’s easy to see why Peter Jackson chose this astounding location for the Rohirrim village, pillaged by Orcs in The Two Towers".  Source; Wayfarer, Top 40 Lord of the Rings Filming Locations in New Zealand.

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THE MANIOTOTO