# Ida Valley

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For the statistical area, see [Manuherikia-Ida Valleys](/source/Manuherikia-Ida_Valleys).

View over Ida Valley in spring

The **Ida Valley** lies east of the [Manuherikia Valley](/source/Manuherikia_River) in [Central Otago, New Zealand](/source/Central_Otago). At an altitude of around 500 m (1,600 ft), the 40 km long flat and wide valley is a relatively dry region with cold winters and hot summers, much like the rest of Central Otago. Most agricultural production in the Ida Valley is lamb, including [merino](/source/Merino), and stud cattle.[1]

The valley is named after the [Idaburn](https://gazetteer.linz.govt.nz/place/2168). Idaburn flows from Mount Ida in the Ida Range, through the northern section of the Ida Valley, breaks through Raggedy Ridge through the [Poolburn Gorge](/source/Poolburn_Gorge) and into Manuherikia River. The Idaburn is joined by the Pool Burn (which drains the valley's southern section) shortly before entering the [Poolburn Gorge](/source/Poolburn_Gorge).

The largest settlement in the sparsely populated Ida Valley is [Oturehua](/source/Oturehua), a small village at the northern end. Other localities include "Moa Creek", "Poolburn", "Ida Valley" and "Idaburn" which are groups of a few houses and farms rather than villages. Poolburn is the location of the [local full primary school](http://www.poolburn.school.nz/).[2]

The Ida Valley Omakau Road leads through much of the valley, starting at the locality Idaburn beside [State Highway 85](/source/New_Zealand_State_Highway_85) at the northern end, through Oturehua, the Ida Valley locality towards the centre, the Poolburn locality at the southern end and on to [Omakau](/source/Omakau) in the Manuherikia Valley, also on [State Highway 85](/source/New_Zealand_State_Highway_85).

## Tourism

Otago Central Rail Trail at Ida Valley

The valley has a rich gold mining heritage, with remnants of mines and workings on display in and around Oturehua.

The [Otago Central Rail Trail](/source/Otago_Central_Rail_Trail) leads through much of the Ida Valley from Idaburn through to the Poolburn Gorge, a scenic section of this cycle trail encompassing two [viaducts](/source/Viaduct) as well as two tunnels. Local operators provide bike hire and coach transport for day trips of varying length between Oturehua and Omakau. Oturehua also provides accommodation options for multi-day bike trips on the rail trail.[3]

## *The Power Of The Dog*

Braeside, a 5500 hectare sheep and cattle farm in the Ida Valley, owned by brothers Al and Graeme McKnight and Philippa Pope, was used for the filming of the movie *[The Power of the Dog](/source/The_Power_of_the_Dog_(film))*, which starred [Benedict Cumberbatch](/source/Benedict_Cumberbatch), [Kirsten Dunst](/source/Kirsten_Dunst), [Jesse Plemons](/source/Jesse_Plemons), [Kodi Smit-McPhee](/source/Kodi_Smit-McPhee) and [Keith Carradine](/source/Keith_Carradine).[4]

Director [Jane Campion](/source/Jane_Campion) chose the venue as the sparsely populated, grassy plains and rocky mountains of Central Otago matched Montana, where the movie was set. Pre-production preparation included construction of a Western-style barn, homestead, cattle corral, cowboy quarters and saloon.[5][6]

The movie was nominated for twelve [Academy Awards](/source/Academy_Awards) in 2022 and [Jane Campion](/source/Jane_Campion) was awarded the [Academy Award for Best Director](/source/Academy_Award_for_Best_Director).[7]

## Climate

Climate data for Ida Valley (Moa Creek), elevation 427 m (1,401 ft), (1957–1984) Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Record high °C (°F) 34.1 (93.4) 33.5 (92.3) 29.5 (85.1) 25.5 (77.9) 19.8 (67.6) 16.9 (62.4) 15.3 (59.5) 18.2 (64.8) 22.0 (71.6) 24.7 (76.5) 29.0 (84.2) 31.3 (88.3) 34.1 (93.4) Mean maximum °C (°F) 29.7 (85.5) 29.2 (84.6) 26.1 (79.0) 21.8 (71.2) 17.5 (63.5) 13.3 (55.9) 12.2 (54.0) 15.6 (60.1) 18.6 (65.5) 22.2 (72.0) 24.6 (76.3) 27.5 (81.5) 30.8 (87.4) Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 22.2 (72.0) 22.4 (72.3) 19.6 (67.3) 15.8 (60.4) 10.5 (50.9) 6.7 (44.1) 6.4 (43.5) 9.8 (49.6) 13.4 (56.1) 16.0 (60.8) 18.2 (64.8) 20.9 (69.6) 15.2 (59.3) Daily mean °C (°F) 14.7 (58.5) 14.7 (58.5) 12.3 (54.1) 8.4 (47.1) 3.9 (39.0) 1.2 (34.2) 1.1 (34.0) 3.4 (38.1) 6.2 (43.2) 9.0 (48.2) 11.2 (52.2) 13.7 (56.7) 8.3 (47.0) Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 7.1 (44.8) 6.9 (44.4) 5.0 (41.0) 0.9 (33.6) −2.7 (27.1) −4.4 (24.1) −4.2 (24.4) −3.1 (26.4) −1.0 (30.2) 2.0 (35.6) 4.2 (39.6) 6.5 (43.7) 1.4 (34.6) Mean minimum °C (°F) −0.4 (31.3) −1.0 (30.2) −2.7 (27.1) −6.0 (21.2) −9.4 (15.1) −9.6 (14.7) −9.8 (14.4) −8.1 (17.4) −6.8 (19.8) −4.9 (23.2) −3.7 (25.3) −1.2 (29.8) −10.9 (12.4) Record low °C (°F) −3.0 (26.6) −4.5 (23.9) −5.8 (21.6) −8.6 (16.5) −12.3 (9.9) −12.4 (9.7) −16.8 (1.8) −10.9 (12.4) −10.6 (12.9) −7.5 (18.5) −7.5 (18.5) −4.5 (23.9) −16.8 (1.8) Average rainfall mm (inches) 49.0 (1.93) 37.0 (1.46) 41.5 (1.63) 34.8 (1.37) 30.7 (1.21) 25.0 (0.98) 20.0 (0.79) 20.3 (0.80) 25.0 (0.98) 36.8 (1.45) 36.5 (1.44) 44.4 (1.75) 401 (15.79) Source: Earth Sciences NZ (rainfall 1913–1984)[8]

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** [\[1\]](http://www.idavalley.co.nz/produce/livestock/) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20190117221426/http://www.idavalley.co.nz/produce/livestock/) 17 January 2019 at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) Ida Valley - Livestock. Ida Valley website. Accessed 2014-02-17.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [\[2\]](http://www.poolburn.school.nz/) Poolburn School website. Accessed 2020-10-01.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** [\[3\]](https://www.otagocentralrailtrail.co.nz/explore/trail-places/oturehua/) Otago Central Rail Trail - Oturehua. Accessed 2020-10-01.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** * [*Ida Valley*](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10293406/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier))

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["When the movie stars came to town: A Central Otago family's farm was transformed for Jane Campion's the Power of the Dog"](https://www.stuff.co.nz/entertainment/126859548/when-the-movie-stars-came-to-town-a-central-otago-familys-farm-was-transformed-for-jane-campions-the-power-of-the-dog). 6 November 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Extra! Extra! - Otago animals hit the big screen"](https://www.odt.co.nz/regions/extra-extra-otago-animals-hit-big-screen). 13 November 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["'The Power of the Dog' designer: Ida Valley locals 'must be thrilled' with Oscar nomination"](https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/461187/the-power-of-the-dog-designer-ida-valley-locals-must-be-thrilled-with-oscar-nomination). *[Radio New Zealand](/source/Radio_New_Zealand)*. 9 February 2022.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Datahub (Agent number: 5545)"](https://data.niwa.co.nz/). Earth Sciences New Zealand. Retrieved 9 October 2025.

[45°03′S 169°49′E / 45.05°S 169.82°E / -45.05; 169.82](https://geohack.toolforge.org/geohack.php?pagename=Ida_Valley&params=45.05_S_169.82_E_region:NZ-OTA_type:landmark_dim:50000)

v t e Central Otago District, New Zealand Seat: Alexandra Populated places Cromwell Ward Bannockburn Bendigo Cromwell Kawarau Gorge Lindis Pass Lowburn Pisa Moorings Tarras Maniototo Ward Danseys Pass Gimmerburn Ida Valley Kyeburn Naseby Oturehua Paerau Patearoa Ranfurly Waipiata Wedderburn Teviot Valley Ward Ettrick Lake Roxburgh Millers Flat Raes Junction Roxburgh Vincent Ward Alexandra Becks Cambrians Clyde Earnscleugh Fruitlands Galloway Lauder Omakau Ophir Poolburn St Bathans Geographic features Cromwell Gorge Lake Dunstan Greenland Reservoir Lake Manuherikia Maniototo Plain Manorburn Dam Facilities and attractions Alexandra Aerodrome Alexandra Blossom Festival Alexandra bridges Deadman's Point Bridge Central Otago wine region Highlands Motorsport Park Molyneux Park Government District Council Mayor Regional Council Other The Cromwell Argus Dunstan High School

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Ida Valley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Valley) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ida_Valley?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.