Naseby
Destination
During the gold rush of the 1860s close to 4,000 had flocked to Naesby's for the promise of gold . By 1980 this had shrunk to only around 100 as the Otago Central Railway was routed through newly established Ranfurly only 15km away instead of Naseby. While this is still a sour point among many locals it has alo made for one laid back friendly town, "2,000 feet above worry level" as the slogan says.
In 1898 local prision inmates began an intensive tree planting exercise to cover the land so heavily scarred by mining. This was accelerated in the 1930's when a government sponsored programme was instigated to create jobs during the depression. More recently wilding pines have swelled the forest’s boundaries and a network of mountain biking trails make this one of the regions best riding areas.
As gold mining settlements go, Naseby sprang up overnight in 1863 when the Parker brothers discovered gold there. Within a month 2000 miners had descended on Naseby’s diggings. Today many of the original buildings are still in-situ, some beautifully restored.
Naseby is also home to an international level curling rink and New Zealand's only ice luge.
