NASEBY’S PACE

“When we moved here, we got a card from somebody saying, ‘Congratulations, welcome to Naseby. You’ve increased the population by two per cent.’ And I think at the time, that was factually correct.” These days, a permanent population of about 150 residents and more are cottoning on to the town’s charms. Craig: “It’s not on the way to anywhere — you must choose to come here. It stops it from feeling like a transit town. There are quite a few people from Queenstown turning up here for holidays and saying it’s like Arrowtown in the 1980s.”

The town’s slogan is “Naseby: 2000 feet above worry level.” Slow living is the thing. “If you come to a place like this, there’s a different pace of doing things,” says Paul. “If you ever need help in a hurry, it’ll be there just like that, but otherwise, you must wait your turn. And if you’re happy with that, you really can stay above worry level.”