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What's so great about Ophir, what to see and best things to do

  • 3 minutes

Otago, South Island

Central Otago, Maniototo District where to go

Ophir there are plenty of things to do. Ophir, Maniototo district Central Otago is a detour where the 19th century is captured in the streetscape of a town that once had over a thousand inhabitants. Now tourism is the mainstay of the area. The picturesque town, nestled in the tussock country of Central Otago is a glorious snapshot of why we travel. The slow lane exploring culture, heritage and history of an area is a very good reason to stop and savour the colour of spring hollyhocks in Ophir.

BEST TIME TO GO TO OPHIR

Year round, although in winter invest in woollen layers and gloves, Check road conditions before departing from the warmth of Dunedin

Ophir Daniel O’Connell suspension bridge, Otago, New Zealand
Ophir Daniel O’Connell suspension bridge, Otago

WHAT TO DO IN OPHIR, HIGHLIGHTS

  • The Daniel O’Connell bridge is a majestic statement bridge entrance to Ophir. Take a walk from town to obtain intimate views
  • Post a letter and get it franked at the Post Office (you will need to check beforehand opening hours)
  • Town walk following heritage trail
  • Rose and hollyhock garden fans visit in spring to observe the Ophir Rose in full bloom in local gardens
  • Winter hoar frost is a photographer’s dream

For cemetery fans the nearby Drybread cemetery is worth a visit. Graves are over 140 years old with local sheep on mowing duties. The ground is uneven, take care walking.

The instagram famous bridge is one of Central Otago’s few remaining suspension bridges over  the Manuherikia River. Built in 1880 and named after Daniel O’Connell, an Irish hero for local Irish Catholic immigrants, the bridge was originally made from wood then rebuilt with prefabricated steel shipped out from the UK. The one-lane bridge has one end extending through solid rock.

Pitches General Grocery store, now a luxury stay accommodation, was the home and business of local notables, Mr and Mrs Pitches. Mrs Pitches, wife of Councillor Pitchers opened the Daniel O’Connor Suspension bridge with a christening ceremony of champagne.

Ophir once had a post office, courthouse, police station, hospital, school, two hotels and two churches. Bypassed by the railway the forgotten settlement’s buildings stand as a testament to the heyday of gold mining.

Ophir Historic Bridge, New Zealand
Ophir Historic Bridge

OPHIR’S FAME

  • Freezing cold in winter, the coldest recorded temperatures in New Zealand with -20c a regular occurrence
  • Picture perfect heritage town
@Pitches Store
@Pitches Store

FALLEN IN LOVE IN OPHIR

  • Stay at Pitches Store: Central Otago Accommodation. Pitches Store provides luxury accommodation – perfect as Otago Central Rail Trail accommodation, a foodie destination, romantic getaways or corporate travellers. The accommodation in Central Otago reflects contemporary luxury combined with hints of its unique 135-year history with six rooms and an onsite restaurant.

WHERE TO TAKE THE BEST SELFIE IN OPHIR

  • Spoiled for choice from heritage buildings, blooming flowers or crisp winter days

WHAT TO DO WITH THE KIDS IN OPHIR

  • Offer them a job bridge building, no equipment required, pick and shovel only for minimum wages, example Ophir’s schist bridge
  • Write a postcard to Nana (minimum sentence length to be decided by parents) and stamp in heritage post office
  • For the hard work while on holiday promise an exciting heritage town walk!

FESTIVALS IN OPHIR

1982 stamp shows Post Office, Ophir, New Zealand
1982 stamp shows Post Office, Ophir
Ophir, Otago Central Omakau Station, Department of Conservation Sign

OPHIR’S SOCIAL MEDIA

  • Promote Dunstan is a small group of volunteers promoting the area from Earnscleugh and Clyde to the Manuherikia. It is a non-profit incorporated society with members developing and encouraging various activities and events which promote the area to the benefit of residents, businesses, and visitors. Within the group’s area of interest are three of the most authentically preserved and significant gold rush settlements in New Zealand – Ophir, St Bathans and Clyde. The Group is becoming more involved in the identification and preservation of heritage sites and is working alongside other agencies to achieve this by promotion, fund-raising, purchase, and management before these sites are lost to future generations.
TIP
  • Adore old photographs from the nineteenth century onwards of settlers, gold prospectors then check out Promote Dunstan gallery it is a gem.

OPHIR’S POPULATION

  • Between 45 – 50 (depending on whose is counting)

WHO TURNED UP AND NAMED OPHIR?

  • Ophir was previously known as Blacks, after Charles Black – a landowner who came good when gold was discovered in his backyard.
Winter hoar frost, Ida Valley Ophir suspension bridge, New Zealand
Ida Valley Ophir suspension bridge
INTERESTING FACT

The name of the town was changed to Ophir in 1875 after the biblical land where the Queen of Sheba gave gold to King Solomon.

Getting to Ophir



TRAVEL PACK INFORMATION

Every town adds to the richness of things to do and see. For more details about the region check Dunedin & Otago Region nearby attractions and events.

The Dunstan: Introduction

The area known as The Dunstan stretches from Clyde into the Manuherikia Valley and was one of New Zealand’s richest gold fields. It was visited by Maori, who camped by rivers in summer and the earliest European settlers were sheep farmers whose runs extended over thousands of hectares. The discovery of gold at Lawrence in 1861 heralded a huge rush as more fields, yielding enormous quantities of gold, were found throughout Central Otago. Thousands of miners were lured here despite the extremely harsh climate and environment.

Many stayed to establish permanent townships on the sites of calico (cloth) settlements. The remains of those places and the scars left by mining operations still can be seen. Clyde, Ophir, and St Bathans are the most authentically preserved and significant gold rush settlements in New Zealand; little remains of many other settlements apart from their names and some ruins. Others have survived with a few permanent residents and old cottages now used as holiday homes. Some old buildings have become part of local farms. Gold prospectors and mining companies still search for gold in the district.

It is an area rich in the early European history of New Zealand.

Source ‘Promote Dunstan’ Social Media page

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