Ranfurly, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Ranfurly is the largest settlement in the Maniototo
district of Otago
, New Zealand
. Located 110 kilometres north of Dunedin
, it lies in dry rough country at a moderately high altitude (around 430 metres above sea level) close to a small tributary of the Taieri River
. It is a service town for the local farming community. The town was formerly known as Eweburn, one of the "farmyard" names bestowed by former Otago Chief Surveyor John Turnbull Thomson
on many small streams and locations in the district. The modern name is for the Fifth Earl of Ranfurly
, who was Governor-General of New Zealand
at the time of the extension of the Otago Central Railway to the area.
in general, and the Maniototo in particular, has one of New Zealand's very few continental climate
zones, with large daily and seasonal temperature extremes. Summers and winters are both fierce: temperatures in the high 30s Celsius are not uncommon in summer, and the lowest temperature on record in New Zealand (-25.6°C) was recorded at Ranfurly in 1903. Heavy frosts are common throughout winter.
The town is sheltered from the prevailing rain patterns by the mountains to the west. The Nor'wester
foehn wind is thus a frequent weather pattern, and annual rainfall is only in the region of 300-400mm.
, close to the southwestern face of the Kakanui Range
.
After the gold rush faded Ranfurly grew at the expense of Naseby spurred by the arrival of the railway in 1898. The rail line was closed in 1989 and the track removed, but its course is now used for a major walking and cycling route, the Otago Central Rail Trail
, which attracts tourists. The former railway station is now a museum and display centre.
The town became an important service centre for the rural community, experiencing a building boom in the 1930s. It is recognised for the large proportion of rural Art Deco
buildings which have been preserved from that time. An annual festival commemorating Ranfurly's Art Deco heritage is held each February. The current population is around 1000.
The nearby Ida Valley was used as one of the locations for Peter Jackson
's 2001–03 Lord of the Rings film trilogy, representing the wide plains of Rohan
.
(finishing tenth, seventh and eighth respectively), as well as providing members for the New Zealand 2006 Winter Olympics curling
team.
Surprisingly for such a small town, Ranfurly has also been the birthplace of several recent members of the New Zealand women's (field) hockey team.
Maniototo
The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand. The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to the north and the Rock and Pillar Range to the southeast...
district of Otago
Otago
Otago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. The region covers an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. The population of Otago is...
, 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...
. Located 110 kilometres north of Dunedin
Dunedin
Dunedin is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the Otago Region. It is considered to be one of the four main urban centres of New Zealand for historic, cultural, and geographic reasons. Dunedin was the largest city by territorial land area until...
, it lies in dry rough country at a moderately high altitude (around 430 metres above sea level) close to a small tributary of the Taieri River
Taieri River
The Taieri River is the fourth-longest river in New Zealand and is located in Otago in the South Island. Rising in the Lammerlaw ranges, it initially flows north, then east around the Rock and Pillar range before turning southeast, reaching the sea 30 km south of Dunedin.The upper reaches meander...
. It is a service town for the local farming community. The town was formerly known as Eweburn, one of the "farmyard" names bestowed by former Otago Chief Surveyor John Turnbull Thomson
John Turnbull Thomson
John Turnbull Thomson was a British civil engineer and artist who played an instrumental role in the development of the early infrastructure of nineteenth century Singapore and New Zealand. -Biography:...
on many small streams and locations in the district. The modern name is for the Fifth Earl of Ranfurly
Uchter Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly
Uchter John Mark Knox, 5th Earl of Ranfurly GCMG, PC was a British politician and colonial governor. He was Governor-General of New Zealand from 1897 to 1904.-Early life:...
, who was Governor-General of New Zealand
Governor-General of New Zealand
The Governor-General of New Zealand is the representative of the monarch of New Zealand . The Governor-General acts as the Queen's vice-regal representative in New Zealand and is often viewed as the de facto head of state....
at the time of the extension of the Otago Central Railway to the area.
Climate
Central OtagoCentral Otago
Central Otago is the inland part of the New Zealand region of Otago in the South Island. The area commonly known as Central Otago includes both the Central Otago District and the Queenstown-Lakes District to the west....
in general, and the Maniototo in particular, has one of New Zealand's very few continental climate
Continental climate
Continental climate is a climate characterized by important annual variation in temperature due to the lack of significant bodies of water nearby...
zones, with large daily and seasonal temperature extremes. Summers and winters are both fierce: temperatures in the high 30s Celsius are not uncommon in summer, and the lowest temperature on record in New Zealand (-25.6°C) was recorded at Ranfurly in 1903. Heavy frosts are common throughout winter.
The town is sheltered from the prevailing rain patterns by the mountains to the west. The Nor'wester
Nor'west arch
The Nor'west arch is a weather pattern peculiar to the east coast of New Zealand's South Island. For this reason, it is also often referred to as the Canterbury arch. It is shown in an apparent arch of high white cloud in an otherwise clear blue sky over the Southern Alps, and is accompanied by a...
foehn wind is thus a frequent weather pattern, and annual rainfall is only in the region of 300-400mm.
History
During the Central Otago goldrush of the 1860s, several important deposits of the precious metal were found near Ranfurly, notably at Kyeburn and NasebyNaseby, New Zealand
Naseby is a small town, formerly a borough, in the Maniototo area of Central Otago, New Zealand. It is named after a village in Northamptonshire, England....
, close to the southwestern face of the Kakanui Range
Kakanui Range
The Kakanui Range is a range of high hills located inland from Oamaru in the South Island of New Zealand. The range forms a boundary between the valley of the Waitaki River to the north and the high plateau known as the Maniototo to the southwest. The highest point in the Kakanuis is Mt...
.
After the gold rush faded Ranfurly grew at the expense of Naseby spurred by the arrival of the railway in 1898. The rail line was closed in 1989 and the track removed, but its course is now used for a major walking and cycling route, the Otago Central Rail Trail
Otago Central Rail Trail
The Otago Central Rail Trail is a 150-kilometre walking, cycling and horse riding track in the South Island of New Zealand. It runs in an arc between Middlemarch and Clyde, along the route of the former Otago Central Railway...
, which attracts tourists. The former railway station is now a museum and display centre.
The town became an important service centre for the rural community, experiencing a building boom in the 1930s. It is recognised for the large proportion of rural Art Deco
Art Deco
Art deco , or deco, is an eclectic artistic and design style that began in Paris in the 1920s and flourished internationally throughout the 1930s, into the World War II era. The style influenced all areas of design, including architecture and interior design, industrial design, fashion and...
buildings which have been preserved from that time. An annual festival commemorating Ranfurly's Art Deco heritage is held each February. The current population is around 1000.
The nearby Ida Valley was used as one of the locations for Peter Jackson
Peter Jackson
Sir Peter Robert Jackson, KNZM is a New Zealand film director, producer, actor, and screenwriter, known for his The Lord of the Rings film trilogy , adapted from the novel by J. R. R...
's 2001–03 Lord of the Rings film trilogy, representing the wide plains of Rohan
Rohan
Rohan is a realm in J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy era of Middle-earth. It is a grassland which lies north of its ally Gondor and north-west of Mordor, the realm of Sauron, their enemy . It is inhabited by the Rohirrim, a people of herdsmen and farmers who are well-known for their horses and cavalry....
.
Sport
Ranfurly lies close to the heart of New Zealand's curling-playing region, and the local club have represented New Zealand at the 1999, 2004, and 2005 World Championships2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship
-Draw 2:April 2, 18:30-Draw 3:April 3, 09:30-Draw 4:April 3, 14:00-Draw 5:April 3, 18:30-Draw 6:April 4, 09:00-Draw 7:April 4, 15:00-Draw 8:April 4, 19:30-Draw 9:April 5, 09:00...
(finishing tenth, seventh and eighth respectively), as well as providing members for the New Zealand 2006 Winter Olympics curling
Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics
Curling at the 2006 Winter Olympics was held in the town of Pinerolo, Italy from February 13 to February 24. It proved to be the sleeper hit in terms of television ratings in Italy. According to a CBC feature, curling at the 2006 Winter Games drew 5 million viewers, eclipsing ice hockey and figure...
team.
Surprisingly for such a small town, Ranfurly has also been the birthplace of several recent members of the New Zealand women's (field) hockey team.
Notable people
- Sean BeckerSean BeckerSean Peter Becker is a New Zealand curler.-Career:Becker was the skip for New Zealand teams which won three Pacific Curling Championships in 1998, 2003, and 2004. He also skipped for the New Zealand team in the 2004 and 2005 Ford World Men's Curling Championship, finishing in 8th place with a 5-6...
- curlerCurlingCurling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a... - Shane Collins - field hockeyField hockeyField Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
player - Andrew HoreAndrew HoreFor the rugby union coach from New Zealand see Andrew Hore Andrew Hore is a rugby union player who plays for Taranaki in the ITM Cup. He has played for the All Blacks since 2002, in which time he has played 48 tests. His position is hooker...
- All Black - Robert LoganRobert LoganRobert F. Logan, Jr. is an American actor who has appeared in numerous films and television programs, the most notable of which were a very successful series of family adventure movies in the 1970s....
- military leader and politician - Warren McSkimmingWarren McSkimmingWarren Charles McSkimming is a member of the Otago cricket team, competing in the State Championship, State Shield and State Twenty20 competitions....
- cricketCricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er - Peter PetherickPeter PetherickPeter James Petherick is a former off-spinner who represented New Zealand in cricket. He is one of two New Zealand bowlers to achieve a hat-trick in Test matches. He is one of only three players, along with Maurice Allom and Damien Fleming, to have taken a hat-trick on Test debut...
- cricketer and lawn bowls player - Mandy Smith - field hockey player
- Isobel ThomsonIsobel ThomsonIsobel Rowena Thomson is a retired field hockey player from New Zealand, who was a member of the national team that finished sixth at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California.-References:*...
- field hockey player