Cromwell - the newest old town in New Zealand

This part of Central Otago was first trodden by Maori as they hunted moas (an extinct giant flightless bird) and brought greenstone (jade) from the West Coast.

The first Europeans to settle in the area were sheep farmers.

The town of Cromwell, formerly known as "The Junction", had its beginnings in 1863, about a year after gold was found in the Clutha River just south of the town by two Californian prospectors, Hartly and Reilly. The resulting gold rush opened up a wild and inhospitable area of the South Island and brought some 3500 or more miners to the gold workings. Following close behind came the real money makers - butchers and bakers, bankers, hoteliers, entertainers and teachers. In 1866 a large influx of Chinese miners arrived to rework the diggings.

The first survey of the town, which had a permanent population of about 400 people, was carried out in 1863. Once gold became harder to find, Cromwell became the service town for the surrounding farming and stone fruit growing area.

The next era in Cromwell's history was that of the dam builders. The Clyde hydro dam project was begun in 1977. A few years later the commercial part of the old town was demolished to make way for the flooding of the Clutha and Kawarau rivers to form a water reservoir for the dam. With the completion and the raising of the water in 1993, Lake Dunstan was created along with a more diversified farming industry, horticulture, viticulture and tourism.

Cromwell today has a population of just over 4000, and is the farthest New Zealand town from the sea. It is 220m above sea level and has a average 2200 hours of sunshine each year. Temperatures range from -10 to 37degrees Celcius, and the average annual rainfall is 400mm. There are approximately 3.5 days of snow and 174 days of ground frost each year.

Because of the inland location, Cromwell has four definite seasons.

Summer temperatures soar into the 30's (Celsius), with dry warm breezes, that sparkle the lake waters. The mountainous landscape takes on a parched aspect.

Autumn is an unbelievably beautiful time in Cromwell as the trees take on their fiery rich autumn colours. It is an artist's and a photographer's dream.

Winter is crisp and cool. Cromwell very rarely has snow on the ground but our mountains are spectacular with their mantle of white.

Spring is fresh and colourful as the countryside comes back to life. The neat rows of fruit trees display their colourful blossoms, and the willows and poplars explode with a new green freshness.