Renowned for gold, cold

The small former gold-mining settlement of Ophir sits on the bank of the Manuherika River and has a population of 50 residents. It also holds the record for New Zealand’s coldest winter temperature at -21°C. In the background is Omakau, an old farming town that found a new lease of life when the railway was built in 1905. Relaxed and rural, Omakau features historic buildings including the Old Stone Stable at the back of the Omakau Commercial Hotel, which was originally the first homestead, built in 1898. Omakau grew when the Otago Central Railway was opened in 1904. Today Omakau has a population of about 250.