central otago
Wide plains, tussock smothered mountains, rocky tors, clear rivers and opalescent
turquoise lakes. This is Central Otago, a region of some 11,000 kilometres squared.
It’s big sky country where crystal clear light draws mountains closer by day and
produces star-studded skies by night. Upon its plains visitors follow in the footsteps
of the hardy 1800s pioneers who flocked here by the thousand to chase their dreams
of gold. These early settlers carved a living from the land, transforming its scenery
and moving mountains of rock in their quest. Most towns and villages owe their origins
to the gold rush, and remnants from this era can be seen in the region’s display
of cob, mudbrick and stone cottages, and discarded mining equipment scattered throughout
the landscape. Today Central Otago’s greatest drawcards are its award winning vineyards,
its quaint villages, and historical sites. We spend three days exploring the region
and, as well as enjoying local wines, we fish for trout on Lake Dunstan, hike to
a deserted mine, stay in a haunted hotel, relax on the shores of St Bathan’s Blue
Lake, and learn how to pan for gold!
day two: clyde to st. bathans
Key
- Destinations
- Apex Locations
In the morning after a hearty breakfast served in the dining room of Oliver’s charming
homestead, we drive through Alexandra and on to historic Ophir. We reach this small
settlement via a majestic suspension bridge built in 1880 prior to the Ophir gold
rush of 1863. Back then the town boasted several stores as well as a school, police
station, courthouse, post office, cottage hospital and doctor. We stop to admire
these buildings, before driving on back roads through the Raggedy Range to Poolburn
and onto Oturehua where we call into Hayes Engineering Works, established in 1895
by Ernest Hayes, an English engineer. Hayes invented several farm tools including
the parallel wire strainer which is still used on modern farms today. We tour the
plant which comprises several buildings and a windmill used to power his works,
then head to Oturehua’s old store as Bob has a hankering for some gum.
“Wow, some store,” remarks Bob, as he heaves open a heavy green wooden door to a
large warehouse which still has its original kauri counters, shelves and roll-a-door
containers. Gum purchased, we drive along Reefs Rd and walk to the Golden Progress
Mine, where poised some 46 metres above the mine shaft is Otago’s only remaining
example of a poppet head, a contraption used to hoist gold bearing ore to the surface.
Hunger forces us to leave the mine and continue on to Ranfurly, passing Wedderburn’s
famous goods shed en route, retrieved from the Mt Ida Coal Mine by locals who were
inspired by Grahame Sydney’s painting “July on the Maniototo” depicting the shed
beside the Central Otago Rail Trail.
We admire Ranfurly’s wealth of art deco buildings, built in the 1930s after fire
destroyed much of this historic goldmining town, while eating chicken and egg sandwiches
at traditional kiwi tearooms on the main street.
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Central Otago scenic drive, courtesy of apex car rentals new zealand...
the kiwi way
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