Tarras is a small farming settlement in

Central Otago 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 ...

, in the

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

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 The Lindis Pass () (elevation 971 m) is located in the South Island of New Zealand. The Lindis Pass lies between the valleys of the Lindis and Ahuriri Rivers. It lies between the towns of Cromwell (78 km, 55 minutes drive) in Centra ...

, and is close to the junction where travellers from

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

turn west towards

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

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 and is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park. Wānaka ...

, and Haast Pass / Tioripatea.

Farming and agriculture

Most farms in the Tarras district run

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal 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 d ...

, principally

merino The Merino is a list of sheep breeds, 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 monop ...

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

deer A deer (: deer) or true deer is a hoofed ruminant ungulate of the family Cervidae (informally the deer family). Cervidae is divided into subfamilies Cervinae (which includes, among others, muntjac, elk (wapiti), red deer, and fallow deer) ...

. 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 opera ...

since the 2010 introduction of large-scale irrigation.

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American animated fantasy comedy film directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenson, and written by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Joe Stillman, and Roger S. H. Schulman, loosely based on the 1990 children's picture boo ...

, 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 ; "good death") is the act of killing an animal humanely, most commonly with injectable drugs. Reasons for euthanasia include incurable (and especially painful) conditions or diseases, lack of resources to con ...

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

Vineyards A vineyard ( , ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines. Many vineyards exist for winemaking; others for the production of raisins, table grapes, and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is kno ...

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

pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

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 ...

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 pinkish-gray hue, accounting for its name, but th ...

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

Bendigo Bendigo ( ) is an Australian city in north-central Victoria. The city is located in the Bendigo Valley near the geographical centre of the state and approximately north-west of Melbourne, the state capital. As of 2022, Bendigo has a popula ...

sub-region of the Central Otago wine region.

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 Women's suffrage in New Zealand, New Zealand women's suffrage.''A Tapestry of Tarras: Local Stories Told in Stitches''. Dunedin: [Women’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 (sheep), 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 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