Tarras is a small farming settlement in

Central Otago Central Otago is 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 tributa ...

, in the

South Island The South Island, also officially named , is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand in surface area, the other being the smaller but more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman ...

of New Zealand. Tarras is located on the slopes above the upper reaches of the Clutha Valley, on State Highway 8. It is the first village reached by travellers heading south through the

Lindis Pass Lindis Pass (elevation 971 m) is located in the South Island of New Zealand. A carpark at the top of the pass provides access to a viewpoint and two short trails to other viewing spots. Lindis Pass lies between the towns of Cromwell (78km, 55 mi ...

, and is close to the junction where travellers from

Aoraki / Mount Cook Aoraki / Mount Cook is the highest mountain in New Zealand. Its height, as of 2014, is listed as . It sits in the Southern Alps, the mountain range that runs the length of the South Island. A popular tourist destination, it is also a favourite ...

turn west towards

Lake Hāwea Lake Hāwea is New Zealand's ninth largest lake. The lake is in the Otago Region at an altitude of 348 metres. It covers 141 km² and reaches 392 metres deep. Lake Hāwea is named after a Māori tribe who preceded the Waitaha people in ...

Wānaka Wānaka () is a popular ski and summer resort town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. At the southern end of Lake Wānaka, it is at the start of the Clutha River/Mata-Au and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. ...

, and Haast Pass / Tioripatea.

Farming and agriculture

Most farms in the Tarras district run

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated s ...

, principally

merino The Merino is a breed or group of breeds of domestic sheep, characterised by very fine soft wool. It was established in Spain near the end of the Middle Ages, and was for several centuries kept as a strict Spanish monopoly; exports of the bree ...

farmed for their super-fine wool. Some also raise other sheep breeds and

deer Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...

. Many farms have converted to

beef cattle Beef cattle are cattle raised for meat production (as distinguished from dairy cattle, used for milk production). The meat of mature or almost mature cattle is mostly known as beef. In beef production there are three main stages: cow-calf operat ...

since the 2010 introduction of large-scale irrigation.

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenso ...

, a hermit Merino sheep, was caught in the hills of Tarras on 15 April 2004, after hiding away in caves for six years. He was shorn live on national television, to produce fleece for men's coats. Shrek was

euthanised Animal euthanasia (euthanasia from el, εὐθανασία; "good death") is the act of killing an animal or allowing it to die by withholding extreme medical measures. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditio ...

on 6 June 2011 on a veterinarian's advice, at the age of 16.

Vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

have been established in the area since 2000. The vineyards grow mainly

pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

and

riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

grapes, with some plantings of

pinot gris Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...

. The Tarras vineyards include Maori Point Vineyard and Swallows Crossing Vineyard. They are formally classified as being in the

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is a city in Victoria, Australia, located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2019, Bendigo had an urban population of 100,991, makin ...

sub-region of the

Central Otago wine region The Central Otago wine region is a geographical indication in New Zealand's South Island, and the world's southernmost commercial wine growing region. Central Otago is best known for Pinot Noir, but many white wine varieties are also popular. H ...

Sunny and dry climate

Tarras is one of the driest areas in New Zealand, with annual rainfall of between . The valley around Tarras is the sunniest in Otago, with over 2,100 sunshine hours per year. The valley is hot in summer, with a median average daily temperature over , and cold in winter: the median average daily minimum is then below .

Community

The Anglican and Presbyterian Tarras Church includes kneelers created to celebrate the centennial of New Zealand women's suffrage.''A Tapestry of Tarras: Local Stories Told in Stitches''. Dunedin: omen’s Division of Federated Farmers, Tarras Branch, 1997 Tarras Rural Women publish the community newsletter, ''Tarras Talk''. The Tarras Tearooms is a historic waystation for travellers through the Lindis Pass.

Education

Tarras School is a co-educational state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students, with a roll of as of . The school has published a children's books about Shrek the sheep to raise funds for the school and its students. The book was written by school children and edited by teachers and parents.

International airport proposal

In July 2022, an investigative journalist revealed that

Christchurch Airport Christchurch Airport is the main airport that serves Christchurch, New Zealand. It is located to the northwest of the city centre, in the suburb of Harewood. Christchurch (Harewood) Airport officially opened on 18 May 1940 and became New Zea ...

had been secretly buying up farmland between highways and next to Tarras, with the intention of creating a new international airport. After the airport company was forced to announce their plans, there was widespread concern within the community and indeed throughout Central Otago about the proposed airport.

External links

Tarras Community Trust

Tarras School

Learning from the Lindis

References

{{Central Otago Populated places in Otago