Maniototo

The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand.[1] 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.

Looking southwest across the Maniototo towards Rough Ridge from near Ranfurly
The Kakanui Range dominates the eastern horizon of the Maniototo

The region is sparsely populated, with the largest centres being Ranfurly, Naseby, Wedderburn and Oturehua.

Part of the Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands the land surrounding the plain is hilly, with many outcrops of rock which also break up the plain in places. The scenery between Omakau and Ranfurly appeared in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as the location for many of the scenes set in Rohan.

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.

Sheep farming is the major source of income. The area is closely associated with the sport of curling. Naseby has the only indoor curling rink and the only natural luge track in the Southern Hemisphere.

See also

References
  1. "Place name detail: Maniototo Plain". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 15 November 2009.

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