things to do, places to go
There’s plenty to discover, right on the doorstep (and a little beyond).
HIRE A BIKE
Ophir is just off the Otago Rail Trail and is ideally located to explore the tunnels and gorges of Central. Bikes can be hired locally from She Bikes He Bikes in Omakau.
Buy a knife
Lorimer Knives are used by chefs who care about their craft. His workshop is in Omakau, and knives can be ordered online at lorimer.co.nz
ophir pool
Built in 1921 for the school, and now maintained by the community and open over summer holidays, the pool is a great way to cool down after a day on the Rail Trail.
explore
We’re surrounded by great driving (and riding) roads and tracks, and you’re never too far from a refreshment stop, though in summer it’s always worth carrying plenty of water.
Gilchrists Store, Oturehua
Part museum, part store, Gilchrists Store in Oturehua, in the Ida Valley, is a real gem. Grab an ice cream while checking out the old packets of gorse seed (yes, really) and embrace a shop interior that hasn’t changed much in 100 years, before bright lights and musak.
Hayes Engineering
Ernest Hayes was the original Kiwi innovator, backyard boffin and all-round No 8 wire Einstein. The Hayes complex, which includes stables and a dairy in addition to the works and homestead, is set well back from the Ida Valley-Omakau Rd, backdropped by low hills. As hubs of industry go, it’s very pastoral. Rail-trailers, who in recent years have adopted the site as a prime stop on the multi-day cycling route, often describe it as an oasis.
More info here
Curl at Naseby
Naseby is an easy 40 minute drive along State Highway 85, and is in itself a pretty neat historic village. They also have an indoor curling rink that is open all year round, along with some great mountain biking tracks through forest.
Poolburn Dam
Used for some LOTR locations, Poolburn Dam is an other-worldly landscape.
Golf in Omakau
The Omakau Golf Course is a delightful nine-hole country paradise situated in Omakau. It is not a flat course but, equally, there are no steep climbs. Every hole offers a new challenge and beautiful panoramas of the surrounding countryside, which includes the famous outcrops of schist rocks, peculiar to Central Otago.
Central Stories
Museum and gallery in Alexandra, open year-round.
21 Centennial Avenue, Alexandra
St Bathans
The northernmost gold mining settlement in the valley, 61 km north-east of Alexandra, with just a handful of permanent residents. Historic buildings include a bank and gold office dating from 1864 and the Vulcan (formerly Ballarat) hotel, built in 1882. The Blue Lake is close by and has a walking track around it.
Highlands Park, Cromwell
Highlands is a racetrack, go cart circuit and museum all in one. Do a fast lap in a Ferrari or Porsche GT3. Only 40 minutes from Ophir.