Heriot is a small settlement in West Otago

West Otago

West Otago is the local name given to part of the region of Otago, New Zealand which lies close to the border with Southland. It is administratively connected to South Otago, but is geographically separated from it by a range of hills known as the Blue Mountains.West Otago consists of rolling...

, in the South Island

South Island

The South Island is the larger of the two major islands of New Zealand, the other being the more populous North Island. It is bordered to the north by Cook Strait, to the west by the Tasman Sea, to the south and east by the Pacific Ocean...

 of New Zealand

New Zealand

New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...

. It is located 20 kilometres southwest of Raes Junction

Raes Junction

Raes Junction is a small settlement in New Zealand, located at the intersection of State Highways 8 and 90, in the lower South Island. The highways which meet at the junction are the main routes to the Clutha valley for travellers from Dunedin and Invercargill respectively.Raes Junction is 62...

 and 15 kilometres north of Tapanui

Tapanui

Tapanui is a picturesque town in West Otago in New Zealand's South Island, close to the boundary with Southland region . A forestry town, it lies between the foot of the Blue Mountains and the Pomahaka River. Deer stalking and trout fishing are popular pastimes of the area...

.

Contrary to popular belief, the township is likely not to have been named after the Scottish border town of the same name

Heriot, Scotland

Heriot is a small village in the Moorfoot Hills southeast of Edinburgh, Scotland, within Eildon . The village comprises some 150 dwellings, spread over a geographical area of around , most of which is moorland...

 (unlike other local towns named after Borders places, such as Kelso

Kelso, New Zealand

Kelso was a small settlement in Otago, New Zealand, located ten kilometres north of Tapanui on the Kelso River, close to its junction with the larger Pomahaka River...

 and Roxburgh

Roxburgh, New Zealand

Roxburgh is a small New Zealand town of about 600 people in Central Otago. It is in Teviot Valley on the banks of the Clutha River, 40 km south of Alexandra in the South Island. State Highway 8, which links Central Otago with Dunedin city, passes through the town...

), but may have come from the maiden name of the wife of early settler William Pinkerton

The main economic activities in Heriot are related to livestock and orcharding.