Where sheep outnumber people, the air smells like wild herbs, and a fine pinot noir is poured...
Tucked into the heart of New Zealand’s rugged South Island between the cities of Dunedin and Queenstown, Central Otago is a quiet region that packs a punch. Lovingly nicknamed “Central” by locals, it’s a place with big open skies, cerulean blue alpine rivers, purple mountain ranges, and sloping valleys that smell of wild herbs.
Home to the iconic Southern Alps and stunning Otago coastline, the region has four distinct seasons (albeit reversed from the Northern Hemisphere) of autumn in April and spring in October, plus cold winters and hot, dry summers.
New Zealand’s Indigenous people, the Māori, arrived in Central Otago more than 700 years ago, passing through the region on their way to the West Coast looking for pounamu (greenstone). Along the way, they hunted moa, a giant flightless bird that’s now extinct, and as they did, they would burn paths through the forest and vegetation. As a result, the region’s wide uninterrupted plains have an almost lunar appearance with few trees in sight.
It’s barren and wild—beautiful in a rugged way. Although it’s sparsely populated, there are lots of charming towns worth a visit, from the historic gold mining town of Alexandra to the stone fruit capital of Cromwell. Familiar to most Kiwis but largely undiscovered by overseas visitors, with its history, incredible landscape, beautiful views, and farm-to-table food scene, Central has it all.
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Where the air smells like wild herbs
Central Otago is unlike many of the other regions in New Zealand owing to its arid landscape and dryness. Boiling in summer and frosty in winter, the unique landscape allows for the incredible growth of fruits and herbs, including cherries, apricots, and plums.
Come springtime, the sunbaked lands around Central bloom with wild thyme, turning everything fragrant and bright purple. Legend has it that thyme was first introduced to Central Otago by Jean Desire Feraud, a French gold miner who planted it around his garden near Clyde. It slowly spread across the empty landscape and now blooms beautifully in spring and summer, making walks and tramps through the countryside super pleasant as each step releases the scent of wild thyme.
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Lots of sheep...not a lot of people
Not long after the gold rush of Central Otago in the 1860s, 20% of the entire New Zealand population lived in the area. Nowadays it’s dropped to less than 5%.
While more people are escaping the hustle and bustle of big city life to retire and relax in the peace and tranquility of the region, the wildness of Central Otago still feels like an escape. Otago comprises an area of roughly 12,000 square miles and is home to about 250,000 people. For comparison, that’s about 75% of the size of the Netherlands, but with less than 2% of its population.
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Vineyards at the end of the world
One of the world’s southernmost growing wine regions, Central Otago is also among the highest, driest, hottest, and coldest wine-growing regions on the planet—and it is world-famous for its legendary pinot noir.
While the first vines were planted in 1864, commercial winemaking didn’t take off here until the mid-1990s. Now there are more than 100 wineries in the region, including Cloudy Bay, Akarua, Mt. Difficulty, Two Paddocks, and Felton Road. Many of these labels are available all over the world if you find yourself thirsty for some authentic Kiwi red wine. Other varietals produced include chardonnay, sauvignon blanc, riesling, pinot gris, and gewürztraminer.
Read more
- Can’t-miss filming locations in Middle Earth
- An adventurer’s favorite way to see the tiny towns of the region
- The stone fruits and hearty home cooking that fill Central’s plates
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CHC flight price history
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$752 Average Going deal
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$1,400 Normal ticket price
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Interested in a trip to Central Otago?
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With local expert:
Liz Carlson
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Liz Carlson is the creator behind the Young Adventuress travel blog. Based in New Zealand’s South Island, she’s always on an adventure hiking in the mountains and looking for a good story, and nowhere else in the world draws her in more than Central Otago, a land of big landscapes and bold pinot noir.
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