The Maniototo Plain, usually simply known as The Maniototo, is an elevated inland region in Otago, New Zealand.[1] The region roughly surrounds the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Manuherikia River. It is bounded by the Kakanui Range to the north and the Rock and Pillar Range to the southeast. It has a harsh, dry climate, ranging from over 30 °C in mid-summer to -15 °C in mid-winter.
The region is sparsely populated, with the largest centres being Ranfurly, Naseby, Wedderburn and Oturehua.
Part of the Canterbury-Otago tussock grasslands the land surrounding the plain is hilly, with many outcrops of rock which also break up the plain in places.
During the 1860s the region was one of the sites of the Otago gold rush, and relics from that era can still be seen around the towns of Kyeburn, Naseby, and St. Bathans.
Sheep farming is the major source of income. The area is closely associated with the sport of curling. Naseby has the only indoor curling rink and the only natural luge track in the Southern Hemisphere.
- ^ "Place name detail: Maniototo Plain". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 18 June 2022.