Otira

Otira
Otira Stagecoach Hotel
Otira Stagecoach Hotel
Map
Coordinates: 42°49′52″S 171°33′39″E / 42.8311°S 171.5608°E / -42.8311; 171.5608
CountryNew Zealand
RegionWest Coast
DistrictWestland District
WardNorthern
Electorates
Government
 • Territorial authorityWestland District Council
 • Regional councilWest Coast Regional Council
 • Mayor of WestlandHelen Lash
 • West Coast-Tasman MPMaureen Pugh
 • Te Tai Tonga MPTākuta Ferris
Time zoneUTC+12 (NZST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+13 (NZDT)
Postcode
7875
Area code03
Local iwiNgāi Tahu

Otira is a small township fifteen kilometres north of Arthur's Pass in the central South Island of New Zealand. It is on the northern approach to the pass, a saddle between the Ōtira and Bealey Rivers high in the Southern Alps. A possible meaning of Otira is "o" (place of) and "tira" (the travellers).[1] Another possible meaning is "Oti" (finished) and "ra" (Sun), because Otira Gorge is usually in deep shadow.[2]

John Burns Gallery of Modern Art nestled in the Otira Gorge
  1. ^ Churchman, Geoffrey B (1991). On the Trans-Alpine Trail: A Travel Guide to State Highway 73 and the Midland Railway. Johnsonville, Wellington: IPL Books. ISBN 0-908876-73-4.
  2. ^ "Otira Gorge". Retrieved 27 December 2020.