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Named after the Fifth Earl of Ranfurly, New Zealand’s 15th Governor General, Ranfurly owes its existence to the government of the day deciding the Otago Central Railway must cut a direct route across the Maniototo Plains rather than dogleg to Naseby, then the Maniototo’s biggest town.
Ranfurly has become the centre of rural art deco in this country. The style arrived here in the early 1930s after a series of suspicious fires destroyed a number of buildings, including the town hall and a hotel. The architect who led the rebuilding was greatly influenced by the popular art deco style of the era. For train passengers Ranfurly was an oasis. As the line’s main change-over station, there was just enough time to jump off, head to the Centennial Milk Bar – now an art deco gallery – and gulp down a ‘cuppa and cake’. The milk bar is one of many art deco buildings on the route of the 50 minute Ranfurly Art Deco Walk (leaflet available from the Maniototo Visitor Information in the old station building). Ranfurly is a good step off point to visit Naseby(25km). source: www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz Information Centres: |
