Cromwell Area Guide
The former goldmining town of Cromwell, 31 kilometres north west of Alexandra, lies in the heart of Central Otago, further from the sea than any other New Zealand town, its hot summers and crisp cold winters perfect for growing luscious cherries and apricots.
The historic town centre lies 11 metres down, buried under the waters of Lake Dunstan, created in 1993 as part of the huge Clyde Dam hydroelectric power project. Before the lake was flooded some of the oldest buildings were removed stone by stone and rebuilt on the lakefront to form the historic precinct of Old Cromwell Town. The area is now a pleasant place to wander among the old stone buildings, and browse in the art and craft shops.
The entrance to Cromwell is heralded by a massive 13-metre tall fruit sculpture, and there are many roadside stalls where you can buy the stone fruit for which the town is known. The main centre is now entirely modern, rebuilt on a flat site away from the lake's edge. Its focus is The Mall, containing the combined Visitor Centre and Museum, full of relics from the goldrush days of the 1860s, when thousands of miners flooded into the area, living in makeshift stone shelters and tents.
Travel just outside Cromwell to visit atmospheric old goldmining sites, including Bannockburn, five kilometres to the south, where walking tracks lead to a strange lunar landscape that has been carved out of the cliffs by water sluicing to reveal the gold-rich seams below. For a chance to pan for gold, visit the Goldfields Mining Centre, seven kilometres west on state highway 6 and across a footbridge spanning the spectacular Kawarau Gorge.