Central Otago

Sun baked in summer and numbingly cold in winter, "Central" is a grand and desolate region of craggy ranges, stark ravines, fruit orchards, and tawny tracts of windrippled tussock stretching toward the distant horizon. Sleepy old mining towns and abandoned stone cottages drowse in the golden sun beneath brilliant blue skies.

Sheep runholders who opened up this parched hinterland in the late 1850s earned their wealth by enduring lonely isolation and hardship. A few years later, prospectors established the first settlements; colorful names bestowed during mining days still identify many towns, hills, and gullies.

Settlers transformed the once barren landscape by planting trees along river banks and roadways and in windbreaks; in April, travelers delight in the vibrant displays of autumn color visible in the area today.

More recently, dams on major rivers and a network of irrigation channels have made farming feasible and added hydroelectric power. Development is currently underway in the Clutha Valley.

You can make a 2 day loop trip from Dunedin into Central Otago, or sample the country briefly as you travel between Dunedin and Queenstown.

Getting there. Railways Road Services motorcoaches provide scheduled service to Clutha Valley towns on routes between Dunedin and Queenstown or Wanaka; you can also travel from Dunedin to Cromwell on the Mosgiel Taieri Valley Ranfurly route. Mount Cook Line buses stop in Cromwell on the QueenstownChristchurch run, and Mount Cook planes link Alexandra with Dunedin and Queenstown.

Accommodations. In Alexandra, the region's major town, you can stay in the DB Golden Central Hotel or in one of several small motels. Cromwell, center of the Clutha Valley hydroelectric project, and Clyde also offer a choice of accommodations. Overnight facilities are available in Ranfurly and Roxburgh.

Getting around. Scheduled motorcoach service offers a glimpse of the country, but you'll need a car to do any exploring. Rental cars are available in Dunedin, Queenstown, Wanaka, and Alexandra.

Tourist information. Stop at Dunedin or Queenstown tourist offices before you depart. There's also an information center in Cromwell.