Ophir is about 30 km north of Alexandra, at the south end of the Manuherikia Valley, just off State Highway 85. Once on the gold route, with over 1,000 people in the 1860s, it is now barely a hamlet of 50 people. But it also proves that all you need to renew a small town is a few nicely maintained old buildings, a historic one-lane swing bridge, a nearby cycle trail (the Central Otago Rail Trail), local commitment and a (preferably) cool story.
In Ophir’s case, it has two cool stories. Ophir was originally named Blacks, but when gold was discovered, it was renamed Ophir. This was the place name of the legendary King Solomon’s gold mines. Secondly, NZ’s second-lowest official temperature of -21.6 °C was recorded at Ophir on 3 July 1995. The summers, by contrast, are dry and often hot, so the temperature range is probably one of the widest in NZ as well.
Take the detour from State Highway 85 and check out the local cafe or pub.
