Naseby - Central Otago

Naseby is a tranquil alpine village tucked away at the edge of an exotic forest in Central Otago.

When we visited Naseby it was hard to believe that once this little town had a population of around 4,000 when gold mining was in full swing.
Today the population of this delightful township is around 120, however during summer months it increases to around three thousand, as people visit their cribs (holiday homes) and visitors arrive for a holiday.  

Many of the town's historical buildings are in excellent condition. The day we visited Naseby the temperature had plummeted and we weren't dressed for it, so instead of leisurely strolling around the village, we stayed in the warm car and drove around to check out the sights. 
The main road through Naseby has a two story post office which is also used as an information centre.

Below is a photo of the Royal Hotel which was first opened in 1863 and almost destroyed by a storm two years later. It was one of Naseby's 22 hotels in the height of the gold rush! It has two entrances. - one of the entrances is for the ladies so they don't have to walk through the public bar.

Across the road from the hotel is the Chronicle Office.

It was great seeing so many historical buildings in such excellent condition.

There are a couple of walks around Naseby, but it was icy cold so we gave them a miss. Beside the camping ground is a popular swimming dam, which is also used as a reservior for fire fighting. A diving board at one end provided lots of entertainment and fun for kids.

New Zealand's first International and Olympic standard, indoor curling rink can be found in Naseby. The old Scottish game 'Curling' that was traditionally played outside on ice, has become popular in central Otago because of the long cold winters. Naseby has the only indoor curling rink in the southern hemisphere and is open 7 days a week, all year round.

On the outskirts of Naseby is Coalpit dam. It's part of the network of Maniototo dams that were built to store water for gold recovery in the gold-mining era. Since then Fish and Game have stocked Coalpit dam with trout.

The short gravel road leading to the dam, wound it's way through a beautiful forest, with lots of rabbits hopping about.