Ranfurly

Ranfurly is a small service town in the middle of the Maniototo plain, and its art deco is an accident of misfortune: a series of fires through the 1930s destroyed much of the commercial centre, and it was rebuilt in the style of the day, so a farming town of a few hundred people has a concentration of deco shopfronts, a hotel and a former milk bar that would look at home in a much larger place. The town leans into it with an annual Art Deco festival in February. The other reason people are here is the Otago Central Rail Trail, which passes through - Ranfurly is roughly the midpoint of the 152-kilometre route and a common overnight stop, with the old railway station now an information centre and small museum. The Maniototo around it is dry, wide and very cold in winter, and the Naseby forest and St Bathans are a short drive north.

What you actually see

• The deco shopfronts - rebuilt after the 1930s fires.
• The old railway station - now the information centre and museum.
• The Rail Trail - the midpoint of the 152-kilometre route.
• The Maniototo plain - dry, wide and empty around the town.

When to go

October to April for the Rail Trail; February for the Art Deco festival. Winters are severely cold and quiet.

Honest expectations

It is a small farm town - the deco is a handful of buildings, not a district. Accommodation fills in cycling season and is limited otherwise. Very cold in winter.

Nearby

Naseby and St Bathans are north; the Rail Trail runs both ways.