Ophir | |
|---|---|
Rural locality | |
 Ophir Post and Telegraph Office | |
 | |
| Coordinates: 45°07′S 169°36′E / 45.117°S 169.600°E | |
| Country | New Zealand |
| Region | Otago |
| Territorial authority | Central Otago District |
| Ward | Vincent Ward |
| Government | |
| • Local authority | Central Otago District Council |
| • Regional council | Otago Regional Council |
| Time zone | UTC+12 (NZST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+13 (NZDT) |
| Local iwi | Ngāi Tahu |
Ophir is a small settlement in Central Otago, New Zealand, located 23 km (14 mi) northeast of Alexandra, close to the east bank of the Manuherikia River.[1] The settlement of Omakau is located on the opposite bank, 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) to the northwest.
Ophir was originally known as Blacks,[2] when gold was discovered in Central Otago in 1861.[3][4] Ophir's population grew to over 1,000 as it became the commercial and social centre of the district.[5] It was renamed Ophir at this time, after the place name of the legendary "King Solomon's Goldmines" where King Solomon obtained the gold to sheath the Temple in Jerusalem.[2]
One of the access routes to Ophir passes across the Manuherikia River to the west of the settlement, over a historic single lane road bridge known as the Daniel O'Connell Bridge. It is a suspension bridge spanning 65.5 m (215 ft) using steel suspension cables and masonry towers built from schist. The bridge was constructed between 1879 and 1880. It was named after the Irish hero, Daniel O’Connell (1775–1847), a name chosen because at the time, the area had a large population of Irish Catholic immigrants. The bridge is classified by Heritage New Zealand as a Category 1 Historic Place.[6][7]
When the Otago Central Railway was constructed in 1906, it was routed through Omakau and bypassed Ophir.[8][9] This had a positive effect for Omakau, which thrived, but a negative effect on Ophir which saw a considerable loss in population.[10]
Today, with a current population of around 50, the town is also known for the many original buildings still surviving including the restored Post and Telegraph Office, the 1895 Courthouse, and the 1870s Police Station. The Post Office is a schist and stone masonry structure built in 1886, and registered by Heritage New Zealand as a Category I Historic Place (List number 341, 22 November 1984).[11]
Ophir is a visitor attraction and provides accommodation for users of the Otago Central Rail Trail that passes close to the town.[12]
New Zealand's second-lowest official temperature of -21.6 °C was recorded at Ophir on 3 July 1995, even though it is not located at a high elevation.[13][14]
Demographics
[edit]Ophir is considered by Statistics New Zealand to be a part of the Omakau rural settlement, which is itself part of the much larger Manuherikia-Ida Valleys statistical area.[15]
Climate
[edit]| Climate data for Ophir, elevation 305 m (1,001 ft), (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1924–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 35.2 (95.4) |
35.1 (95.2) |
31.6 (88.9) |
26.8 (80.2) |
24.5 (76.1) |
20.3 (68.5) |
18.0 (64.4) |
22.3 (72.1) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
31.0 (87.8) |
34.4 (93.9) |
35.2 (95.4) |
| Mean maximum °C (°F) | 30.6 (87.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
27.7 (81.9) |
23.3 (73.9) |
19.8 (67.6) |
16.2 (61.2) |
15.3 (59.5) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.7 (69.3) |
23.9 (75.0) |
26.4 (79.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
31.8 (89.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 23.6 (74.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
21.0 (69.8) |
16.8 (62.2) |
12.8 (55.0) |
8.5 (47.3) |
8.1 (46.6) |
11.4 (52.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
17.1 (62.8) |
19.3 (66.7) |
21.8 (71.2) |
16.6 (61.8) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 15.8 (60.4) |
15.4 (59.7) |
12.9 (55.2) |
9.2 (48.6) |
6.2 (43.2) |
2.8 (37.0) |
2.1 (35.8) |
4.6 (40.3) |
7.5 (45.5) |
9.7 (49.5) |
11.8 (53.2) |
14.4 (57.9) |
9.4 (48.9) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 8.1 (46.6) |
7.4 (45.3) |
4.8 (40.6) |
1.7 (35.1) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
−2.9 (26.8) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−2.2 (28.0) |
0.2 (32.4) |
2.2 (36.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
7.1 (44.8) |
2.2 (36.0) |
| Mean minimum °C (°F) | 0.4 (32.7) |
0.4 (32.7) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−7.6 (18.3) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−4.4 (24.1) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
0.0 (32.0) |
−9.8 (14.4) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −2.6 (27.3) |
−2.1 (28.2) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−14.5 (5.9) |
−16.5 (2.3) |
−21.6 (−6.9) |
−12.8 (9.0) |
−10.6 (12.9) |
−6.9 (19.6) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−4.1 (24.6) |
−21.6 (−6.9) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 47.8 (1.88) |
42.3 (1.67) |
32.7 (1.29) |
35.7 (1.41) |
37.8 (1.49) |
33.7 (1.33) |
19.1 (0.75) |
17.5 (0.69) |
21.1 (0.83) |
36.1 (1.42) |
41.4 (1.63) |
48.5 (1.91) |
413.7 (16.3) |
| Source: NIWA[16][17] | |||||||||||||
References
[edit]
- ^ "Ophir NZ". We Tour NZ. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Ophir | NZ History". nzhistory.govt.nz. Archived from the original on 22 January 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ Walrond, Carl (2 March 2009). "Gold and gold mining". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Best Gold Mining Heritage Sites on the Otago Walking & Cycling Trails". Otago Trail Hub. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Ophir | The Golden Years". Archived from the original on 23 April 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Daniel O'Connell Bridge". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Daniel O'Connell Bridge". Engineering New Zealand. Archived from the original on 24 January 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "Otago Rail Trail". otagorailtrail.co.nz. Archived from the original on 12 June 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Lauder Built on Track". Railtales. Archived from the original on 20 May 2025. Retrieved 5 August 2025.
- ^ "Otago places". Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Archived from the original on 30 June 2023. Retrieved 30 June 2023.
- ^ "Ophir Post Office". New Zealand Heritage List/Rārangi Kōrero. Heritage New Zealand. Retrieved 21 December 2009.
- ^ "Ophir". Otago Central Rail Trail. Retrieved 6 August 2025.
- ^ "NZ's temperature record hits new low - minus 25.6degC". The New Zealand Herald. 12 July 2011. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 11 July 2011.
- ^ "Summary of New Zealand Climate Extremes". National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research (NIWA). January 2004. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 8 September 2010.
- ^ 2018 Census place summary: Manuherikia-Ida Valleys
- ^ "CliFlo – National Climate Database : Ophir 2". NIWA. Archived from the original on 27 November 2015. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ "CliFlo -The National Climate Database (Agent number: 5544)". NIWA. Archived from the original on 10 March 2020. Retrieved 20 July 2024.