The town of Ranfurly wasn’t always known for its Art Deco architecture. After a series of suspicious fires in the 1930s destroyed the town hall, hotel, and several other buildings local builder J M Mitchel and architect H McDowell Smith collaborated to replace them in the Art Deco style. These were relatively cheap and easy to construct using concrete, plaster or brick, adorned with moulded shapes. This style continued to be built in the town well into the 1970s. The lovely Centennial Milk Bar and Tea Rooms adjacent to the railway station served refreshments to many a railway passenger. It fell into disrepair after the railway closed down was due to be torched in a fire fighting exercise. Luckily it was saved when the Council purchased it, and volunteers have transformed it into an Art Deco Gallery. The building is currently closed and several painters were hard at work giving the outside a lick of paint.
The Ranfurly railway station now serves as the Information Centre, full of interesting history of the town.
We sat ourselves down in the tiny movie theatre made from a railway carriage and watched the story of rail in this area, and sadly many years later when the last train arrived at Ranfurly. Even sadder still is the fact that the engine pulling the last train has been sent to Middlemarch station to be used as spare parts! The rails were subsequently lifted, and the very popular Rail Trail now attracts a huge number of cyclists.
Ranfurly was established in 1898 as a railhead for the Central Otago railway line, and the town became the main centre of Maniototo. Originally called Eweburn, the name was later changed to Ranfurly after the 15th Governor-General, the 5th Earl of Ranfurly.
For Kiwi rugby fans, he will always be remembered as the donor of the Ranfurly Shield (known as the “Log of Wood”) for inter-provincial rugby games - these games are always fiercely contested.
Like many of the stops along the way during our South Island Odyssey Tour, this was yet another town which we had never visited, and we were so pleased we took the time to stop and explore. But that is what this holiday is all about, slowing down, and checking out the sights.
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