Maniototo is situated in Central Otago. Surrounded by velvet mountains with sharp rocky tors, with the clear, sharp air. Maniototo has this special sense of tranquility in it. That, of course, if you stay there for at least three days in order to absorb the atmosphere. The Taieri River meanders lazily through the area and provides places to explore, good fishing, kayaking and swimming. On it’s shores you will also find some nice places for picnic.You can find some great forest walks and excellent mountain biking in Naseby, which by many considered to be New Zealand’s mountain biking capital.

Heritage
Maori used the Maniototo as a route on their way to collect greenstone, but Maniototo’s most recent heritage is connected to the gold rush. Gold was first discovered at Naseby in 1863, and after that in Patearoa, Hamiltons and Kyeburn. As Gold mining declined, farming became more dominant.

Curling
The icon of the Maniototo is the unique winter sport of Curling. This ancient Scottish game suited the Maniototo because of the long, cold winters and the difficlty of working in the frozen countryside. Maniototo has become the home of Curling in New Zealand. The New Zealand Curling Council is based there, the traditional game is still played, and the establishment of the Maniototo Ice Rink at Naseby provides the certainty of ice for a full season’s Curling.

Fishing
One of the prime attractions in Maniototo is the great fishing. The Taieri River meanders slowly across the Plain, in the process creating some of the fines examples of ox bows in New Zealand, the Paerau wetlands. The river’s slow pace makes it suitable for most methods of fishing.

How to visit Maniototo
Situated in Central Otago, the Maniototo can be visited in the following ways:
A shuttle bus service from Dunedin to Wanaka travels through the Maniototo.
The track and Trail Bus Service from Queenstown to Pukerangi provides a daily service connecting with the Taieri Gorge Train.
Drive tims are as follows from:

Dunedin 1.5 hours
Queenstown 2 hours
Chirstchurch 5 hours
Alexandra 1 hour