Maniototo in the context of "Kakanui Range"

Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference".

The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River and tributaries. The wide flat plateau of the Maniototo which lies between the upper reaches of the Taieri River and the Clutha's northern tributary the Manuherikia is also part of Central Otago.

Danseys Pass (often incorrectly referred to as Dansey's Pass or Dansey Pass) (el. 935 m.) is a mountain pass located in the Kakanui Range in the South Island of New Zealand.

The pass itself marks the boundary between Waitaki and Central Otago districts. It also serves as the boundary between the Canterbury and Otago regions. The road lies between the Maniototo plain (part of the Taieri River water catchment) and the northern foothills of the Kakanui Mountains (part of the Waitaki River catchment). Much of the road going over Danseys Pass is unsealed and is occasionally cut directly from the Haast Schist bedrock. The road was constructed for the owners of large sheep runs, the brothers Allan McLean and John McLean.

State Highway 85 (SH 85) is a South Island state highway in New Zealand, servicing the Maniototo Plains and the North and Central Otago regions of the South Island between the major settlements of Alexandra and Palmerston. It is wholly two lane and passes through some of the most extreme climatic regions in New Zealand. The highway is known colloquially as "The Pigroot". The name comes from the Pigroot Hotel, the only building in the town of Pigroot, where travellors stayed during the 1870s to 1880s. Officially named the "Halfway House", but colloquially known as the Pigroot Hotel, it was run by the proprietors John and Isabella Freeland. Today, the Pigroot Creek Bridge which runs over the Shag River is the only reminder of this town.

The Manuherikia River is located in Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. It rises in the far north of the Maniototo, with the West Branch draining the eastern side of the St Bathans Range, and the East Branch draining the western flanks of the Hawkdun Range. The river continues southwest through the wide Manuherikia Valley to its confluence with the Clutha River at Alexandra. During the 1860s the Manuherikia was one of the centres of the Otago gold rush.

The river is crossed by two historically significant bridges, the curved Manuherikia Bridge No.1 (number 70 on the Otago Central Railway line), a concrete pier bridge completed in 1903, and a stone pier bridge at Ophir built in 1880.

The Rock and Pillar Range (Māori: Patearoa), is a range of high hills is located in the Maniototo, an area of inland Otago, New Zealand. The range is surrounded on three sides by the Taieri River, which has its source in the Lammerlaw Range. The river flows out across the scroll plain at Paerau, along the north west flanks of the Rock and Pillar Range before almost doubling back on itself at Waipiata and flowing back along the eastern side past Hyde through the Strath-Taieri. The town of Middlemarch lies close to the Taieri River to the east of the range, and Patearoa lies to the northwest.

The Rock and Pillars are a horst range, caused by movement on two parallel faults uplifting the area in between. Thus, the range is characterised by a very flat top, with steep escarpments on either side. The Great Moss Swamp lies on the upper surface of the range. There is a often persistent and unusual cloud formation associated with the range. This strange cloud formation, is more or less stationary and is called the Taieri Pet by the local inhabitants. It is formed by high north-westerly winds being forced upward over the Rock & Pillar range. Big Hut, situated near the summit of the range, is available for public use.

Ranfurly is a town in the Central Otago District of Otago, New Zealand. Located 110 kilometres (68 miles) north of Dunedin, it lies in the dry rough plain of Maniototo at a moderately high altitude (around 430 metres or 1,410 feet above sea level) close to a small tributary of the Taieri River. It operates as a service town for the local farming community. The town was formerly known as Eweburn, one of the "farmyard" names bestowed by former Otago Chief Surveyor John Turnbull Thomson on many small streams and locations in the district. The modern name honours the Fifth Earl of Ranfurly, who served as Governor of New Zealand (1897–1904) at the time of the extension of the Otago Central Railway to the area. Ranfurly is well known for its Art Deco buildings, such as its hotel and the dairy.

Naseby is a small town in the Maniototo region of Central Otago, New Zealand. The town catch phrase is "2000 feet above worry level" indicating its altitude. The town is 140 km (90 mi) from Dunedin. The centre of the town is a registered historic area, and there are many heritage buildings. Naseby has hot summers but particularly cold winters, and is one of New Zealand's principal curling venues. The town also has an ice rink and New Zealand's only ice luge track (360m long). In September 2025, Naseby was designated as an International Dark Sky Community in recognition of its work to eliminate light pollution and protect the night sky.

Oturehua is a small settlement in the Ida Valley of the Maniototo, in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The settlement is 500 m (1,600 ft) above sea level, and is located 25 km (16 mi) from Ranfurly, via the Ida Valley - Omakau Road and State Highway 85. The Otago Central Rail Trail passes through the settlement. The population was 112 residents at last count.

The New Zealand Ministry for Culture and Heritage gives a translation of "place where the summer star stands still" for Ōturēhua.