Cromwell

This is Kirwin sitting at what used to be known as The Junction, a point where the Clutha and Kawarau rivers once met - very handy for the local gold miners back in the 1860s. During the 1970s the area was flooded to form Lake Dunstan as part of establishing a source of hydroelectric power for New Zealand. Some of the old town submerged when the lake formed. As part of the project the new town of Cromwell was planned and established on adjacent higher ground.

A few of the old buildings remain on the edge of Cromwell and several have been renovated into a quaint tourist village sporting trendy art galleries, museum, cafés and the like. One of the old villas houses a store named Provisions which sells delicious preserves and bakery items.

Warning: entering Provisions on a Saturday afternoon is hazardous to your waistline. This is when the kitchen prepares items for Sunday morning's outdoor Farmer's Market. When Kirwin paid a visit on 20-Dec-2008 they were baking gingerbread and the whole shop smelled divine.


Cromwell is also known as the Fruit Bowl of Central Otago and is the perfect place to stock up on groceries before hitting the more expensive tourist places such as Queenstown.