Dunedin Otago New Zealand

Named for Mount Aspiring, one of New Zealand's highest peaks, Mount Aspiring National Park is a dreamland of mountains, glaciers, river valleys and alpine lakes.

In the past, Maori trekked through the region on their way to the pounamu fields of the west coast; Europeans visited to map, name and explore geographical features of the area; settlers attempted to farm and mine some of the valleys - the relics have blended into the stunning scenery.

For wilderness lovers, the park offers an extensive choice of valley journeys - including the Routeburn Track. In summer, it's possible to walk from one valley to another over spectacular mountain passes.

In straddling the 'great divide' of the Southern Alps, the Mount Aspiring National Park presents a breathtaking range of landscapes.

At its heart is a massive area of wilderness - glaciers, snowfields, mountains, valleys and wildlife habitats that require days of hiking to reach. To the west of the divide, where rainfall is plentiful, the beech forest comes with a sound track of birdsong and waterfalls. Deep in the glacier-gouged valleys of the east, grassy river flats are hemmed by imposing mountains. And above the tree line, subalpine gardens of tussock, lichens and dainty flowering herbs survive against all odds.

Rock forms are an unforgettable feature of the park. From the curiously coloured slopes of the Red Hills to the brittle grey schist of the alps, ice ages and huge tectonic upheavals have created beauty with a hard edge.

The whitestone townscape of Oamaru contains some of the best-preserved heritage buildings in New Zealand. In the late 19th century, the town prospered through goldmining, quarrying and timber milling. Some of the wealth was spent on elegant stone buildings made from local limestone.

The Harbour-Tyne Street area is particularly special – and the shopping is great too. Oamaru Harbour is home to a colony of little blue penguins. You can also see yellow-eyed penguins from a special hide. Penguin viewing is best just before sunset. The public gardens in Oamaru are widely acclaimed. They include a Victorian summerhouse and an oriental garden.

At Moeraki, 40 kilometres south of Oamaru, huge spherical boulders are scattered along the beach. Others can be seen emerging from the sandstone cliffs. Each boulder weighs several tonnes and is up to two metres high.

According to Maori legend, the boulders are gourds washed ashore from the great voyaging canoe Araiteuru when it was wrecked upon landfall in New Zealand hundreds of years ago.

Scientists explain the boulders as calcite concretions formed about 65 million years ago. Crystallization of calcium and carbonates around charged particles gradually formed the boulders in a pearl-like process that took as long as four million years. The soft mudstone containing the boulders was raised from the seabed around 15 million years ago; waves, wind and rain are excavating them one by one.

The viewing platform, just a few minutes walk through regenerating native forest, offers an excellent view of the boulders. If you're lucky, you might also see Hector's dolphins playing in the waves.

Excavated by massive glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, Lakes Wanaka and Hawea lie side by side. At a sliver of land known as The Neck, which is just 1000 metres wide, the glaciers were once joined.

Ringed by pebbly beaches and with magnificent views to the surrounding peaks, Lake Hawea offers a variety of adventures. The lake is a popular resort, and is well used in the summer for fishing, boating and swimming. The nearby mountains and fast-flowing rivers allow for adventure tourism year-round, with jetboating and skiing facilities located nearby.

From Lake Hawea Township you can find an excellent walk by following Timaru River Road to Timaru Creek, a picnic and camping area. The trail that begins here leads through a valley of beech forest until it flattens onto a braided river bed.

In summer you are never far from a fruit stall for juicy cherries, peaches, apples apricots or nectarines.

Cromwell was established by gold miners, but now its treasure is stone fruit. Explore nearby ghost towns and soak up the tranquil lakeside scenery.

Located on the shores of Lake Dunstan, Cromwell has the appearance of a modern town, but its history stretches back to the gold rush days of the 1800s. Cromwell underwent a major transformation in the 1980s, when parts of the town were flooded (on purpose) during the construction of the Clyde Dam power station. The best of the town’s historic buildings were relocated to create ‘Old Cromwell Town’ – a feature attraction for visitors. Today, Cromwell’s major industry is fruit growing – if you’re here over summer, roadside fruit stalls are a delicious temptation. Old gold mining sites include Bannockburn and Bendigo, where you’ll find ruins of miners’ cottages.

Cromwell is strategically located for easy day trips to Queenstown, Alexandra, Arrowtown, Wanaka and Roxburgh.

Lake Wanaka is a place to take a deep breath and relax. Protected from the outside world by the grandeur of the mountains, you’re enclosed in a hidden paradise.

Crystal clear lake waters lap the shores of Wanaka town and the feet of the Southern Alps, which are home to winter ski fields and the dramatically alpine Mount Aspiring National Park.

Lake Wanaka is New Zealand's fourth largest; its clean, blue waters are an inland sea for sailors and jetboaters to explore. Walking tracks and bridle trails wander the flats and foothills. In all seasons, outdoor adventures beckon.

The region’s fortunes have changed over the years. The discovery of gold in the 1870s inspired a rush of interest in the area. As the gold faded away, high country farming became the main source of employment. Today, tourism is the new gold – an endeavour that requires the environment to stay picture perfect.

One of the most picturesque settlements in New Zealand, Arrowtown sits alongside the Arrow River – once the scene of a frantic gold rush. The town retains its historic character – there are more than 60 restored buildings from the 19th century.

The gold days are long over (although you can still pan for gold in the river with some success), so Arrowtown's focus is on hosting visitors. Explore the Chinese miners’ settlement, visit the Lake District Museum, catch a few holes at the challenging local golf course or take a 4WD journey to Macetown, a ghost town accessible only by wagon track. Arrowtown has a range of cafes, restaurants and appealing shops.

The rustic town of Glenorchy, at the western end of Lake Wakatipu, is set against a background of native beech forest and towering snow-capped mountains. It is known as the gateway to the Routeburn, Caples, Greenstone, Rees and Dart Valley walking tracks.

It’s also the place to organise jet boating and kayaking on the Dart River. Call into the Department of Conservation Visitor Centre if you plan to walk any of the tracks. Horse trekking in the area comes highly recommended. The town has an assortment of lodges, one hotel and a few cafés. It’s a good idea to buy hiking supplies in nearby Queenstown.

Glenorchy lies near the borders of Mount Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park. The local scenery received worldwide attention when it was used as one of the settings in the first of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Vertical Limit was also filmed in the area.

This historic town is located at the foot of a river gorge and is surrounded by rounded hills of schist punctuated with large craggy standing rocks. Schist is gold bearing rock and substantial strikes in the rivers near Clyde sparked a gold rush in the late 1800s.

It's easy to see why some of the first Europeans to enter the region chose this site as a place to settle. The micro-climate offers hot, dry summers, with mild springs and autumns that are full of nature's colours. Today, Clyde is a great place to enjoy the cafe lifestyle in a scenic setting that's rich in history.

Clyde was the dominant settlement of the Central Otago region until nearby Alexandra built a bridge over the Clutha River and seized power. Thankfully this drew the developers' attentions away from Clyde, which is why many turn-of-the-century buildings remain today. These include several stone cottages, a stone hotel, post office and council buildings. There are three museums in Clyde, making it easy to get a picture of days gone by.

Clyde is at the head of a well known cycling route called the Otago Central Rail Trail, so there are plenty of mountain bikes for hire. A ride to the Clyde Lookout offers spectacular views of the town and beyond.

Nearby is the impressive Clyde Dam, New Zealand's largest concrete gravity dam. Behind the dam, Lake Dunstan is a popular location for all sorts of water sports. You can also take a tour of local orchards, vineyards and farms.

From Alexandra, the walking trails and Pinot Noir vineyards of Central Otago beckon. This town has a golden history, dating back to the 1880s.

Alexandra is an attractive oasis of trees and civilisation within the weathered rock landscape of Central Otago. The town boomed during the late 1800s, when huge gold dredges worked the Clutha River. The most successful dredge was the Dunedin, which extracted an estimated 528kg of gold.

Today Alexandra owes its prosperity to orchardists and wine makers. On foot or on a mountain bike, you can follow gold miner’s trails in the hills to appreciate the unique beauty of the area. You can also visit Pinot Noir vineyards and discover gold mining history at the museum. In summer and autumn, enjoy local apricots, peaches, cherries and apples.

Shaped like a lightning bolt, Lake Wakatipu is the third largest lake in New Zealand. The Dart River flows into its northern end; the Kawarau River, beginning near Queenstown, handles its outflow.

The lake occupies a single, glacier-carved trench and is bordered on all sides by tall mountains, the highest of which is Mount Earnslaw (2819 metres). Settlements around the lake shore include Queenstown and the villages of Kingston, Glenorchy and Kinloch.

Because of its unusual shape, Lake Wakatipu has a 'tide' (more correctly, an unusually large seiche or "standing wave"), which causes the water to rise and fall about 10 centimetres every 25 minutes or so. Maori legend links this phenomenon to the heartbeat of a huge monster named Matau, who is said to be slumbering at the bottom of the lake.

The T.S.S. Earnslaw cruises the lake every day. Complete with a bright red, 12 metre funnel, white hull and kauri timber decks, this vintage paddlesteamer is a New Zealand icon.

Lake Wakatipu offers year-round trout fishing - the mouths of the Greenstone and Lochy Rivers are particularly rewarding. In summer, the lake's beaches are popular for swimming.

Located on the banks of the Clutha River, Roxburgh was an important centre during the Central Otago goldrush of the 1860s. In more recent times Roxburgh has relied on a mixture of livestock and stone fruit production for its economic survival. It is one of the country's most important apple growing regions, and other stone fruit such as cherries and apricots are also harvested locally.

Five km to the north of the town is the Roxburgh Dam, the earliest of the major hydroelectric dams built on the Clutha. The lake formed by the dam covers an area of nearly 6 square kilometres and is a popular fishing, kayaking, jet boating and jet skiing spot - in fact almost any water sport. Salmon and brown trout can be caught in the lake year round.

A short drive from Dunedin, Port Chalmers is a haven for artists and alternative lifestylers. It’s a great place to search for a creative souvenir.

Port Chalmers is situated on the northern shore of Otago Harbour. It functions as a deep water port for Otago and serves as a base for commercial fishing. New Zealand’s first shipment of frozen meat for the London market left Port Chalmers in 1882; the last Antarctic expedition led by Captain R. F. Scott sailed from Port Chalmers on 28 November 1910.

Something of an artists’ colony today, Port Chalmers has a several galleries and a small seafaring museum. This area is popular for salmon and trout fishing from October to April.

The city of Dunedin was built with the riches of the gold rush, consequently it has one of the best collections of Edwardian and Victorian architecture in the southern hemisphere. Gothic church spires, ornate mansions, swathes of native forest and magnificent views of the harbour make Dunedin very memorable. Around the city you can visit historic homes, dip into the chocolate factory and browse the excellent museums.

Take a drive along Otago Peninsula to discover Larnach Castle (spectacular views of the Otago Peninsula and Harbour can be gained from the castle, which is 10 kilometres by road from the city centre) and a choice of wildlife encounters – there are penguin, albatross and seal colonies here.

The resident student population keeps Dunedin lively.

The quiet suburban street of Baldwin Street is reputed to be the world's steepest street. It is located in the suburb of North East Valley, 3.5 kilometres northeast of Dunedin's city centre. A short straight street of some 350 metres length, Baldwin Street runs east from the valley of the Lindsay Creek up the side of Signal Hill. Its lower reaches are of only moderate steepness, and the surface is asphalt, but the upper reaches of this cul-de-sac are far steeper, and surfaced in concrete, for ease of maintenance (tar seal would literally flow down the slope on a warm day) and for safety in Dunedin's frosty winters. At its maximum, the slope of Baldwin Street is approximately 1:2.86 (19° or 35%) - that is, for every 2.86 metres travelled horizontally, the altitude rises by 1 metre.

If you arrive in Dunedin by air, you’ll pass Mosgiel on the way into the city. This large suburb doubles as a country town for the local farmers.

Mosgiel is part of Dunedin, but separated from the city by hills. It takes its name from Mossgiel in Ayrshire, the farm of poet Robbie Burns, who was the uncle of one of Dunedin’s founders. Mosgiel’s history is interwoven with the wool products industry. It no longer has a woollen mill, but it’s home to one of New Zealand’s largest agricultural research institutes. As an important service town for the Taieri Plains farming community, Mosgiel has a wide selection of retail and service businesses.

Between Mosgiel and the city centre of Dunedin stand the rugged Three Mile Hill and Scroggs Hill, which form part of the crater wall of a long-extinct volcano, the crater of which has become Otago Harbour. To the south of the town lies one of the many volcanic peaks that formed part of the volcano, Saddle Hill, a prominent landmark, visible from a considerable distance and notable for its distinctive shape. Kinmont Park nestles at the foot of the hill: this recent housing subdivision forms Mosgiel's own largest suburb.

The small Otago town of Milton has a number of significant historic buildings. The Old Sod Cottage, built in the 1860s, was a waypoint for miners on their way to the Tuapeka goldfields. Other historic buildings include McGills Flour Mill and the Alliance Textile Mill. The textile mill opened in November 1897 and is still going strong. Tours can be arranged. Milton also has an interesting museum.

Founded as a milling town in the 1850s, there has long been dispute as to the naming of the settlement. The town's streets are named for prominent British poets, and it is possible that the town's original intended name of Milltown became shortened by association with the poet of the same name. It is equally possible, however, that the name Milton inspired the choice of poets' names for the streets.

Recommended fishing spots include Bull Creek and Toko Mouth. There are several farmstays in the area, offering you the chance to experience life in a rural community.

Balclutha is bisected by the mighty Clutha River, which is largest waterway in New Zealand by volume. The river is an important part of the town’s history - it encouraged farmers to the area and brought prosperity with the discovery of gold. As the largest town in South Otago, and the gateway to the Catlins coast, Balclutha has a range of shops and services. The Clutha River is open for salmon and trout fishing all year round. If you need to stretch your legs, the Blair Athol Walkway starts at Naish Park and takes you along the banks of the Clutha River to the Blair Athol farm. For a taste of country life, try a local farmstay.

Known locally as The Big River Town, Balclutha's name - and that of the river on which it stands - reflects the Scottish origin of the town's settlement, and translates from Scottish Gaelic as "Town on the Clyde". The Maori name for the area is Iwikatea, literally "Bleached bones". The most prominent structure in the town is the concrete road bridge across the river, which was built in 1938.

For travellers exploring the Catlins, Owaka is a great place to take a break.

The largest town in the Catlins area, Owaka was established by pioneers in the late 1800s. The town was originally called Catlins River, then Quakerfield. Nearby attractions include the beautiful Purakaunui Falls; Pounawea, a great place for bird watching; the fur seal colony at Nugget Point; Jack’s Blowhole, where a large sea cave has collapsed to leave a deep ocean-filled hole in the middle of a field; and the sea lions of Cannibal Bay.

Owaka has a doctor, pharmacy, grocer, internet café, craft shops and a variety of places to stay. The Catlins Historical Museum in Burns Street focuses on family life in southland over the last 100 years.

Built around an inlet on Lake Wakatipu, a long thin "S"-shaped lake, its neighbouring towns and districts include Arrowtown, Wanaka, Alexandra, and Cromwell. Queenstown has access to four world-class ski fields (including Cardrona, Coronet Peak, The Remarkables and Treble Cone) and is surrounded by New Zealand's Southern Alps.

Cardona skifield ranges from 1670m to 1894m with good facilities for children. The distribution of slopes is 25% beginner, 55% intermediate and 20% advanced.

Coronet Peak is one of the last skifields in the Southern Hemisphere to lose its snow and is famous for its spring skiing. Night skiing and First Tracks mean Coronet Peak offers longer on-snow hours than any other ski area in the country.

The Remarkables are a mountain range with a 540 acres (2.2 km²) skifield and is located south of Queenstown. The mountains were allegedly named The Remarkables because they are one of only two mountain ranges in the world which run directly north to south.

Treble Cone boasts the longest vertical rise in the Southern Lakes and spectacular views over Lake Wanaka and Mount Aspiring. Fans of the field tend to be attracted there for the fairly steep and challenging terrain which they claim is some of the best in the country however recent initiatives ensure that intermediate and beginner skiers and boarders are fully catered to.

The resort town of Queenstown is sophisticated and fantastically scenic. Its lake and mountain landscape is suited to almost any kind of adventure; but Queenstown is just as well known as a place for indulgence.

Adventure activities include snow sports, bungy jumping, jet boating, horse trekking, river rafting and more.

Another reason that people travel to Queenstown is because of its reputation as a wine and food centre. Neighbouring Arrowtown features excellent restaurants and bars, and Queenstown lies close to the centre of a small wine producing region. Pinot noir produced in this area fetches premium prices. Indulgent experiences include exceptional food and wine, lake cruises, spa treatments, boutique shopping and leisurely games of golf.

The area’s history is intertwined with gold. In 1862, two sheep shearers struck it rich at the edge of the Shotover River. The ensuing gold rush town was named Queenstown because '...it was fit for Queen Victoria'.