#dailyat6am, Central Otago, Maniototo, Mount Ida, Naseby, Wild Horses

Mount Ida And The Snow of 1863

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Daily Photo – The Ida Range

The gold discovery in the Naseby area was made in 1863, and the rush was spectacular. The original prospectors discovered gold around the Hogburn, and within only a few days, more than 1,000 miners had arrived. By the end of July, there were over 2,000 men working around Naseby and the wider Mount Ida field. The rush happened so quickly in the essentially empty Maniototo countryside that towns popped up almost overnight, and Naseby was one of them.

Of course, getting several thousand gold-hungry men to the goldfields was one thing. Getting them back out again was another. In September 1863, Sergeant Ryan, stationed at Mount Ida, sent Constable Garvey and another policeman to investigate the new rush at Clarke’s, in the Mount Burster area. On the return journey, an over-confident Constable Garvey walked ahead of the others into a snowstorm. The constable and his companion, fearing they had become lost, took shelter beneath a rock while the weather closed in around them. When the storm had passed, the two men eventually staggered back to Mount Ida, badly frostbitten. Garvey didn’t make it. His body was later found, ravaged by the storm. It was a sobering reminder that beneath all the excitement of the gold rush, this was still a wild and unforgiving corner of the country, where a man could leave town in search of a few nuggets and simply disappear.

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#dailyat6am, Central Otago, Naseby, Travel, Travels in small-town New Zealand, Wild Horses

The Town of Naseby

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Daily Photo – I.N.P Hjorring Draper & Clothing

My final stop for the day was Naseby, another town that started life in the gold rush and has managed to survive thanks to holidaymakers looking for somewhere a little quieter, and considerably less expensive, than the tourist hotspots of Arrowtown, Frankton and Queenstown. I found the town covered in bathed in bright daylight and a chilly 2 degrees. The main road into town led me past row after row of cottages and the local reserve, which was filled with kids building snowmen, Dads throwing snowballs, and mothers wondering how on earth they were going to get everything dry! A few blocks further along, the streets were filled with cars parked on snow-covered sidewalks as people strolled around enjoying the wintry snow. People happily sat in the sun out front of the local hotel as pockets of snow slid off the roof and water from the melting snow trickled down the footpath.

At its peak, the population of the town had grown to around 4,000 miners, with the town featuring up to 14 hotels, two butchers, multiple bakeries, billiard rooms and banks, a courthouse, a warden’s court, a post and telegraph office, a police station and jail, a blacksmith and wheelwright shop, a hospital, a school, and numerous churches. All of this was there to service the miners who had swelled into the town. I strolled for a few blocks, looking at nothing in particular, before returning to my car and leaving the town of Naseby behind.

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Central Otago, Maniototo, Naseby, Travel, Wild Horses, Winter

Naseby

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Curling in Naseby 

By the time I arrived in Naseby the fog had cleared to reveal a beautiful, yet chilly winter’s day. Having taken a backroad as a shortcut, my first sight of the small town was of the Naseby Indoor Curling Rink and Adventure Park. A place that seemed incredibly busy for the middle of the week. Spotting a parking space, I squeezed my car in between two extremely large 4×4’s and proceeded to go for a wonder and find out just what attractions an Adventure Park on the Maniototo Plains holds. 

Across the road, in a stroke of what was simply dumb luck, I found a curling competition was taking place. Feeling rather pleased with my good fortune, I inquired with a few people who I assumed were locals if this was bonspiel? They quickly replied ‘no’ in between chuckles of laughter and explained that the ice wasn’t thick enough for that yet, however if the run of weather continued, they’d get close.  This, they went on to explain, was a local tournament. It was then that I sensed that I might be holding them up and as they seemed rather agitated and keen to get back to what was being referred to as the ‘ice’. Following them through a line of trees, I discovered a rather large gathering of people who were having the most wonderful time on a frozen outdoor pond. They were bundled up in winter gear, using brooms and curling stones on the ice. Nearby equipment and beverages were scattered along the edges of the pond, giving the whole scene a delightfully casual, community feel. I took some time to take in the surrounding landscape featuring tall trees and dry grass, while the light from the now clear sky cast long shadows across the ice. It really was the most peaceful, wintery atmosphere. And not one of them slipped over! A feat I was very impressed with.

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Central Otago, Maniototo, Naseby, Travel, Wild Horses, Winter

Curling In Naesby

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Curling in Naesby

In Naesby I found people curling which wasn’t really a surprise considering how cold it was. So, I decided to stay and watch a while. It was quite interesting really. Over the half hour I was there, I walked around and heard all sorts of terms I’d never heard before and didn’t really understand. But, I can say this, they seemed to be having a great deal of fun and what’s more, not one person slipped over while I was there. A feat I was rather impressed with.

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