Otanomomo is a locality in the South Otago

South Otago

South Otago lies in the south east of the South Island of New Zealand. As the name suggests, it forms the southernmost part of the geographical region of Otago....

 region of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

's South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

. It is situated on the banks of the Clutha River

Clutha River

The Clutha River / Mata-Au is the second longest river in New Zealand flowing south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wanaka in the Southern Alps to the Pacific Ocean, south west of Dunedin. It is the highest volume river in New Zealand, and the swiftest, with a catchment of ,...

, roughly 6 km south of Balclutha

Balclutha, New Zealand

Balclutha is a town in Otago, it lies towards the end of the Clutha River on the east coast of the South Island of New Zealand. It is about halfway between Dunedin and Invercargill on the Main South Line railway, State Highway 1 and the Southern Scenic Route...

. Nearby settlements include Finegand

Finegand, New Zealand

Finegand is a locality in the South Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. Named after Finegand, Scotland, it is situated on the Clutha River south of Balclutha. Other nearby settlements include Otanomomo and Waitepeka to the south and Kakapuaka to the northwest.- Economy :Finegand is...

 to the north, Paretai, Puerua, and Romahapa

Romahapa

Romahapa is a locality in the Catlins region of Otago in New Zealand's South Island. It is located between the towns of Balclutha and Owaka.- Education :...

 to the south, and Waitepeka to the west.

Education

A polytechnic

Institute of technology

Institute of technology is a designation employed in a wide range of learning institutions awarding different types of degrees and operating often at variable levels of the educational system...

 is located in Otanomomo. Named Telford Rural Polytechnic

Telford Rural Polytechnic

Telford Rural Polytechnic is a public Tertiary Education Institution. Its campus is in Otanomomo, just south of Balclutha, South Otago in the South Island of New Zealand.In 2010, a merger of the Polytechnic with Lincoln University was proposed...

, it is based on land donated by the Telfords, an early pioneering family in the area.

Environment

A 37 hectare

Hectare

The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...

 reserve, Otanomomo Scientific Reserve, is located in the Otanomomo area. It protects the remnants of a larger podocarp

Podocarpaceae

Podocarpaceae is a large family of mainly Southern Hemisphere conifers, comprising about 156 species of evergreen trees and shrubs. It contains 19 genera if Phyllocladus is included and if Manoao and Sundacarpus are recognized....

 coastal forest and a number of rare species of plants. In the early 2000s, the Department of Conservation

New Zealand Department of Conservation

The Department of Conservation , commonly known by its acronym, "DOC", is the state sector organisation which deals with the conservation of New Zealand’s natural and historic heritage...

 and volunteers from community groups conducted a programme to eliminate weeds in the reserve and encourage the growth of native foliage.

Protective works along the banks of the Clutha River have also been undertaken. Works undertaken at the start of the 1920s led to special legislation to allow the Otanomomo River Board to pay back the costs to the Ministry of Works

New Zealand Ministry of Works

The New Zealand Ministry of Works, formerly the Department of Public Works and sometimes referred to as the Public Works Department or PWD, was founded in 1876 and disestablished and privatised in 1988...

.

Transport

Otanomomo is located on the Southern Scenic Route

Southern Scenic Route

The Southern Scenic Route is a tourist highway in New Zealand linking Queenstown, Fiordland, Te Anau and the iconic Milford Road to Dunedin via, Riverton, Invercargill and The Catlins...

 road, which joins State Highway 1

State Highway 1 (New Zealand)

State Highway 1 is the longest and most significant road in the New Zealand roading network, running the length of both main islands. It appears on road maps as SH 1 and on road signs as a white number 1 on a red shield, but it has the official designations SH 1N in the North Island, SH 1S in the...

 in Balclutha.

On 15 December 1885, the first section of the Catlins River Branch

Catlins River Branch

The Catlins River Branch was a branch line railway that formed part of New Zealand's national rail network. It ran through the Catlins region in southwestern Otago and was built in sections between 1879 and 1915. It closed in 1971 except for the first four kilometres, which remain open as the...

 railway opened through Otanomomo. This branch line

Branch line

A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...

 ultimately terminated in Tahakopa

Tahakopa

Tahakopa is a small settlement in The Catlins, an area of the southern South Island of New Zealand. It is located 25 kilometres northeast of Waikawa on the Tahakopa River. On 17 February 1915, Tahakopa became the terminus of the Catlins River Branch railway and retained this status until the...

, with the Otanomomo station 6.46 km from the junction with the Main South Line

Main South Line

The Main South Line, sometimes referred to as part of the South Island Main Trunk Railway, is a railroad line that runs north and south from Lyttelton in New Zealand through Christchurch and along the east coast of the South Island to Invercargill via Dunedin...

 in Balclutha. At its peak in the first half of the 20th century, up to sixteen trains per week would pass through Otanomomo, primarily mixed train

Mixed train

A mixed train is a train that hauls both passenger and freight cars or wagons. In the early days of railways they were quite common, but by the 20th century they were largely confined to branch lines with little traffic. As the trains provided passengers with very slow service, mixed trains have...

s. However, the line's profitability declined after World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 and it closed on 27 February 1971. At the site of the former Otanomomo station, a loading bank remains in place, and the line's old formation

Track bed

A track bed or trackbed is the term used to describe the groundwork onto which a railway track is laid. Trackbeds of disused railways are sometimes used for recreational paths or new light rail links....

can be seen in the surrounding area.