Whilst only an hours drive from Queenstown, it feels like it is in an altogether different region. It is dry and arid – great for growing the famous Pinot Noir grape. We visited Cromwell and had a good look around. It was really interesting to wander around the Cromwell Heritage Precinct https://www.cromwellheritageprecinct.co.nz/ It was hard to imagine that some of the buildings that are there were removed and moved up the hill to avoid being lost under the waters of Lake Dunstan once the Clyde Dam was finished in 1990. This whole area was a hive of activity during the gold rush era and there are traces of the industry all around. It is an area that is also know for growing stone fruit, a fact that you can’t miss by the town sign…

Bannockburn was a successful mining settlement between 1865 – 1910 and there are some buildings from then remaining including a hotel, a post office & Stewart’s store.

Not far from the town is the Bannockburn Sluicing Historic Reserve. There isn’t much in the way of machinery or buildings from that time but the landscape is something else! It feels like you are on another planet. One thing we did notice was the abundance of wild thyme which was growing everywhere and which scents the entire area. It was a great two hour walk – make sure you take water if you visit.

Bannockburn is has also been officially recognised as being a sub-zone within the New Zealand wine making industry and there are vineyards as far as the eye can see. We visited the Felton Road Winery and were able to enjoy a tasting and tour. It was fascinating learning about the history of wine in the area as well as gaining an understanding of just how complex making wine is.