Macraes

Macraes
Oti
Town
Macraes is located in New Zealand
Macraes
Macraes
Location of Macraes in New Zealand
Coordinates: 45°22′54″S 170°25′48″E / 45.38167°S 170.43000°E / -45.38167; 170.43000
CountryNew Zealand
RegionOtago
Territorial authorityWaitaki District
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

45°22′54″S 170°25′48″E / 45.38167°S 170.43000°E / -45.38167; 170.43000

Macraes, formerly known as Macraes Flat, and known in Māori as Oti,[1] is a town in the Waitaki District in Otago, New Zealand. It is known as a mining town, with a long history of gold extraction. The town sits 55 km north of Dunedin in New Zealand's South Island.

The Macraes Mine, New Zealand's largest gold mine,[2] is nearby.

Old stamp mill at Macraes Flat, 2007

The settlement was named after John McRae, who lived in the area in the late 1850s before gold was discovered nearby. In 2015 the name of the town was officially altered from Macraes Flat to Macraes.[3]

  1. ^ Place names Archived 2012-04-26 at the Wayback Machine on Kāti Huirapa Runaka ki Puketeraki website, viewed 2012-01-04
  2. ^ Hartley, SImon (28 June 2018). "Another 10 years for Macraes". ODT. Retrieved 14 September 2018.
  3. ^ "NZGB to assign, alter and discontinue geographic names: 27 February 2015". LINZ. Retrieved 14 September 2018.