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Explore the historic Kawarau Gorge east of Queenstown and the fruit growing area around Cromwell as you head out to Dundein on the coast. There are dozens of small scenic gems tucked away along the scenic stretch of highway through the mountains that was once a main route for miners and diggers during the gold rush days.
In 1861, when the province of Otago was in its infancy, the news arrived that gold had been discovered on the Tuapeka River. Within weeks the gold fields had attracted over 6000 miners, many of whom had deserted their jobs, homes and families. There was social turmoil in Otago and the scenes were similar to those that had already been experienced during earlier gold rushes in California, New South Wales and Victoria. The fever was further fuelled by rich finds in the Dunstan (Cromwell) Gorge and although this rush had petered out by 1862, the miners were already on the move further inland to the Arrow and Shotover Rivers, while several smaller strikes occurred other localities including St Bathans, Hogburn and Mt lda. There are many reminders of those gold-crazed days, preserved by the dry Central Otago climate which has helped keep many of the mud and stone buildings, old mining equipment, mine shafts and tunnels intact. These relics tell the story of the toil and hardships faced by those who sought to make their fortunes in gold.
Kawarau-Bungee
1kawarau suspension bridge
Drive southeast 6.4 km out of Queenstown on SH6A onto Frankton Ladies Mile Highway and SH6 and continue southeast 17 km to the Kawerau Suspension bridge on the left.
The road through the Kawarau Gorge follows almost the same route that was used by the packhorses and drays then later in the 1860s by the coaches as they headed inland to the rich goldfields in the mountains around Lake Whakatipu. The road was prone to icing up making the journey hazardous, especially in winter. The Kawarau Bridge was built in 1880 spanning the river 43 m below and remained in use until 1963. It became the location of the world’s first full-time commercial bungee jumping operation in 1988.
Goldfields-Mining
2goldfields mining centre
Continue east on SH6 28 km to the Goldfields Mining Centre carpark on the right.
At the lower end of the Kawarau Gorge a suspension bridge leads across the river to the Goldfields Mining Centre where you can try panning for gold and explore the trails through the tailings complete with mine tunnels and a restored Chinese mining settlement. Guided tours explore the area which includes an impressive collection of restored mining equipment and features demonstrations of hydraulic sluicing as well as a stamper battery in operation.
3cromwell
Continue 8 km on SH6 and the Kawerau Gorge Road then turn right onto SH8B and drive east 2 km to Cromwell.
Cromwell has long been famous for its fruit, in particular apricots which thrive in the gold bearing alluvial soils. In the restored town centre called ‘Old Cromwell Town’ a number of historic buildings representative of the town's gold mining and pioneering past have been relocated as a result of the construction of the Clyde Dam. The completion of the dam created Lake Dunstan which flooded the original site of Cromwell in 1992 as part of a hydroelectric power scheme. Buildings that couldn’t be moved were reconstructed stone by stone so that today, visitors can still explore this historic precinct that features a range of buildings built between 1800 and 1900. These include Murrell’s Cottage, the Belfast Store, the London House Stables, Captain Barry's cottage, Behrens Barn, the Masonic Lodge, Cobb & Co Store and Jolly's Grain Store. Tours of Lake Dunstan on a restored 1929 wooden motor launch depart from a nearby wharf.
4clyde
Continue southeast on SH8B 21 km to Clyde on the right.
Clyde was once the centre of the Dunstan goldfields, and stone buildings dating back to the 1860s still line the streets of this small town which now lies in the shadow of the huge Clyde Dam. There are two museums in Clyde: the historic Magistrate's Courthouse on Blythe Street, featuring exhibits that depict domestic life on the goldfields, and the Stationary Engine Display on Upper Fraser Street, which has a range of rural machinery.
Alexandra, Otago
5alexandra
Continue southeast 10.4 km to Alexandra on SH8.
When the first gold dredge was invented in Alexandra in the 1890s, the advance in technology created a new gold boom and attracted world-wide attention. Today the town is an oasis of trees in a barren and rocky landscape. An old courthouse built in 1879 has survived, and there are more relics on display in the Alexandra Historical Museum on the corner of Thompson and Walton Streets. Alexandra's Old Bridge Piers are the only remains of the original Alexandra Bridge, completed in 1882 using local schist stone.
6roxburgh
Continue 12.8 km south on SH8 to Fruitlands where the art gallery now occupies an old stone building dating back to 1866 that was once known as the Speargrass Hotel and hosted weary travellers. Nearby, Symes Road leads west to the restored Mitchell's Cottage, a superb example of the skills of Shetland Islands stonemasons. It is another 5 km south to Gorge Creek where a monument stands to the unknown number of miners, who perished in 1863 in the snow on the Old Man Range. It is another 21 km south on SH8 to Roxburgh.
Today Roxburgh is the centre of a large fruit-growing district, but like many Central Otago towns, it flourished during the goldrush era. After the hordes of itinerant diggers had taken the easier pickings, some 20 gold dredges continued working the alluvial gravels along the Clutha River.
7lawrence
Continue south 58 km on SH8 to Lawrence.
Gabriel Read discovered gold 4 km north of Lawrence in July 1861. Read's discovery, in what became known as Gabriel's Gully, sparked off a gold rush that created a boomtown at Tuapeka (later renamed Lawrence), which soon had a population of over 11,000, double that of Dunedin. Many of the buildings in Lawrence date back to those days, and you can make an 8 km round trip north from the town on unsealed roads through the old gold workings. At one of these, the Blue Spur, New Zealand's first hydraulic elevator enabled gold-bearing gravels to be flushed by water pressure. In this much eroded spot you can see large tunnels and extensive water races and cuttings.
8mosgiel
Continue 33.4 km south on SH8 and turn left onto SH1. Head north 41 km to Mosgiel.
Mosgiel is located on the level expanse of the Taieri Plain, which was reclaimed from swampland. The settlement was named after a farm owned by Robert Burns, the immortal son of Scotland whose nephew led the first pioneering settlers to Otago. Mosgiel achieved prominence through its woolen mills, which began production in 1871. The mills, Invernay Homestead, East Taieri Presbyterian Church and Holy Cross College are fine examples of Victorian architecture, and the town's first flour mill (1864) still stands.
From Mosgiel drive southeast 12.4 km on the Dunedin Southern Motorway and SH1 to Dunedin.