Central Otago attractions, things to do and places to go – travel guide

OUTDOORS – WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO SEE IN CENTRAL OTAGO

• Sutton Salt Lake winter views with an easy family-friendly cycling and walking trail
• Walks and tracks from short easy strolls to multiple day tramps to the top of Rock and Pillars Range are found nearby What’s so great about Middlemarch – Best Bits
• St Bathans quarry lakeside with the extraordinary blue water is close by, check out What’s so great about St Bathans. Blue Lake is a stunning moon-like landscape deserving further exploration. The lake’s beginnings start with gold prospecting and miners sluicing and dredging for gold. The lake is effectively a drowned quarry. The sharp blue colour of the water contrasting with the striped white quartz tailings is spectacular creating a must go location for photographers.
• Alexandra lookout vantage points with sweeping views of the Central Otago folded hills, alpine semi-arid tussock and settlement of Alexandra

Highlights for Alexandra, Central Otago walking trails

• Conroy Creek historic gold mining sites in the Aldinga Conservation Area
• Swim and picnic in Conroys Dam
• Witness evidence of the sheer destruction of a powerful water gold mining dredging and water cannon. Earnscleugh Tailings Track: Alexandra area, Otago region mining tailings are nationally significant as the only complete record of dredging activity from 1863 to 1963. They’re an awe inspiring sight, hundreds of metres wide like a giant’s ploughed field.
• Walk along shared cycle Otago Rail Trail
• Explore the lesser known Clyde River shared track
• Flat Top Hill Track with its outstanding town and country views of Central Otago

HERITAGE GOLDFIELDS, GOLD MINING TRAILS – PLACES TO GO AND THINGS TO DO

There’s gold in the’ hills … the lure of instant fortune. The rush was in full flood in 1861 with Gabriel’s Gully (Lawrence) where the gold fever spread its tentacles. Within a year 10,000 mines set up tents in Gabriel’s Gully. Evocative names Dead Horse Pinch, Serpentine and Lonely Graves echo the unfulfilled optimism of 19th century prospectors. Visitors are intrigued by the relics, the stone shelters and the evidence of arduous hard physical labour to extract gold. Attractions range from walks among the sites, restored main streets and museums carefully documenting the story of the search for gold. The magnificent scenery of Central Otago and the lush temperature bush of the West Coast is a bonus… READ MORE

HOW MUCH TIME IS REQUIRED TO VISIT CENTRAL OTAGO?

Allow 3 – 5 days for your visit to Central Otago. Wine trails, heritage goldfields and lingering studio art galleries as well as the distances between destinations.

WHAT IS THE BEST PLACE TO VISIT IN CENTRAL OTAGO?

The best place to visit in Central Otago that embraces key elements, scenery, walks, historic gold trails and wineries is Cromwell. You can easily visit Cromwell in less than 2 hours from Queenstown.

WINE TRAILS IN CENTRAL OTAGO

Combined with heavenly scenery, stunning walks Central Otago vineyards are unmissable for wine trail lovers.

Get out, meet and greet the growers. Cromwell’s wine trail embraces 20% of the country’s wineries. That is tremendous for an area covering only 5% of New Zealand’s vineyard area. Choices galore, packed between heritage gold mining locations, perched on valley sides overlooking scenic rivers and the home of award winning Pinot Noir wines. Boutique family focused land management enhances the visitors wine experience.

… read more Cromwell’s wine trail, 11 popular wineries to visit – Best Bits