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Omarama is a small township (population 231 at 2006 census) at the junction of State Highways 8 and 83, near the southern end of the Mackenzie Basin, in the South Island of New Zealand. Omarama is in the Waitaki District, in the historic Province of Otago. The Ahuriri River is a short distance to the north of the township. Omarama is primarily a rural service centre, providing local farmers and other residents with necessities and facilities such as grocery shopping, fuel and mechanical services, as well as a post shop. In more recent years these and similar services have expanded moderately, due to the increase in new residents and visitors, including anglers, artists, astronomers, sailplane enthusiasts, skiers and general tourists. Services and facilities for backpackers alone have greatly expanded, with numerous hostels, lodges and homestays within the village and in the surrounding countryside. A significant proportion of permanent village residents are employees of (or contractors to) Meridian Energy Limited, a state-owned enterprise which is responsible for much of New Zealand's hydroelectricity generation. Omarama is Māori for "Place of Light", a reference to its extraordinarily pure and clear sky. == Agriculture== Although traditionally sheep country, Omarama area farms, along with those within the rest of the Mackenzie Basin, have rapidly converted to predominantly dairy farming, due to falling sheep meat and wool prices, and the recent boom in dairy product earnings. This conversion has necessitated major changes to the local environment, with iconic tussock lands being ploughed and replaced by pasture, which has been facilitated by new irrigation schemes. Large centre pivot irrigators and private canal networks now dominate much of the landscape. Recently however, diminishing returns on dairy-based agriculture have led to farmers investigating alternative methods and practices, some now experimenting with biofuel crops. Due to its immense value and long history, farming and agriculture is likely to continue as the area's predominant activity for the foreseeable future. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Omarama」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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