1 Taking a break along the Otago Central Rail Trail at Ranfurly are (from left) Caroline, Merrily (11), Logan (7) and Doug Sowerby, all of Taupo. The 152km trail, which goes from Clyde to Middlemarch, is on track to have its busiest year ever, trust representatives say. On February 23-24, the trail will host the 20th annual rail trail duathlon.
2 Cait Shaw-Ryan (11, left), of Dunedin, and Sasha Murray (14), of Dunedin, have fun at the Naseby swimming dam. The dam is in the Naseby Recreational Area, which sits in the Ernslaw One-owned Naseby Forest. The company has an "open-forest-policy" that allows the public to use the forest recreation area, which is especially popular for mountain biking. During periods of extreme fire danger, the forest is patrolled by Ernslaw One staff.
3 Maniototo Rodeo Club president Jeremy Hore enjoys the Maniototo Rodeo at Waipiata this summer. As well as the rodeo this season visitors and locals have enjoyed old-fashioned activities and events such as a family fun day, auction, book sale and duck race, in Naseby; the annual Maniototo Garden Tour in the Gimmerburn, Wedderburn and White Sow Valley area; and various pre-Christmas community events. Maniototo events still to come are the Burn 729 Ranfurly Pool Party, on January 12; and the St Bathans Fete, on January 13.
4 The Waipiata cenotaph stands as guardian over the tiny Maniototo community, which is about 11km from Ranfurly. Once a busy railway camp, the town also used to have a rabbit factory and a sanatorium for patients with tuberculosis. Waipiata is now part of the Otago Central Rail Trail, international and domestic visitors also seeking out the Waipiata Domain, which has camping and sporting facilities, and the swimming spot at the well known "Green Bridge", which crosses the Taieri River. Old churches, a manse, and a well-used community library and country hotel remain in the historic town. Nearby is the Hamiltons goldfield and the recently restored historical Hamiltons Cemetery.
5 The new owners of the Ranfurly Holiday Park, Shelley Johnson-Lowe and Nigel Lowe and their children Madison (7) and Riley (11) Lowe, embrace their new lives in Maniototo. The family bought the holiday park and moved to Ranfurly from Auckland in August last year, seeking a change of lifestyle and a new career after many years working as teachers.
"We had come down to Ranfurly to take a look and it felt like a good community," Mr Lowe said.
"It will just be really nice to bring our kids up in a really safe place."
