Aotearoa New Zealand’s curling capital may seem an unlikely title for Naseby, but this charming rural town offers a surprising array of adventures – both on and off the ice.
This small town in the mountain ranges of Otago – 2,000 feet above sea level, or “worry level”, as the town’s welcome sign says – is not your average rural town.
During the gold rush of the 1860s, the population swelled to 5,000, making it the region’s original hub. After being bypassed by the railway line a few decades later, many services relocated to nearby Ranfurly, leaving the town’s buildings to fall into disrepair – effectively timestamping Naseby and preserving its “wild west” charm.
Today, the town’s beautiful heritage buildings have been restored and repurposed: the former courthouse functions as a popular café and an old church has been turned into a library. Gilchrist and Sons General Store maintains its original layout, with goods displayed behind the counter. And while Eftpos is available, credit cards are yet to be accepted.
The town’s 140 residents have found plenty of other ways to put the town back on the map. Curling, which began as a nostalgic pastime for Scottish miners, is now a serious sport in Naseby, home to an Olympic-standard indoor curling rink. Naseby is also a playground for cyclists and mountain bikers, being a popular stop on the Otago Central Rail Tail and boasting more than 50 km of mountain biking tracks through Naseby Forest. And when it comes to luging, you have two options: ice or forest.
