Ever heard of Naseby? Probably not, but if you’re keen on winter sports, make a note of the name. It’s a former gold-rush town (now a village) in that fabbest of New Zealand provinces, Central Otago. The heart of Naseby looks like a Victorian time-warp; Kiwis love it for its quaint buildings, and its peace and quiet. It's bitterly cold in winter; probably one of the coldest inhabited places in the country, although I think that honour goes to nearby Ophir.
Anyway, as far as Naseby is concerned, the colder things get, the better, because the town is the “curling capital” of New Zealand, and – since the other day – the sole place in the Southern Hemisphere with a natural ice luge. Three hundred and sixty metres long, with ten scream-producing curves, this new attraction can be tackled on steerable ski snow sleds with brakes, or on self-steering rubber bobsleds (no brakes, no steering wheel). If you know what you’re doing, you can reach reach speeds of up to 70kph. But I'm wondering if you might not reach these speeds even more readily if you don't know what you're doing; especially in the brake-less model...
Photo by TooFarNorth
If you’re not game to whizz down a frozen shute at 70kph, you might like to do something more sedate in Naseby: ice skating, for example, in a beautiful outdoor setting (skate all day for just NZ$20 including skate hire, or half a day for NZ$10) or try your hand at curling. It looks like a lot of fun – providing you can stand up straight on a pair of skates. Unfortunately, I can’t. The season lasts until the end of August, so time is of the essence.
Naseby is in a remote part of Central Otago known as the Maniototo (that's a typical Maniototo road pictured on the right). It's 125km from Dunedin (takes about an hour and a half by car), and around 15km from the nearest sizeable place, which is Ranfurly. From Queenstown, it’s around two hours’ drive. There are some transport services in this area, but they’re not big-time ones. Try checking out travel options on Tourism Central Otago. Hiring a car is really advisable, as this is one fantastic part of New Zealand. You’ll be able to explore the places that most people miss out on seeing, such as haunted St Bathan’s (population 5) and remote Dansey’s Pass (a memorable drive, if ever there was one).
Photo by PhillipC
More Central Otago info coming very soon – keep your eyes peeled for the words “rail" and "trail”. And start working on your fitness levels.