TRAVEL TALES | NEW ZEALAND

Seagulls on a Park Bench in the Furthest Town From the Sea

Cromwell or in the heart of the wine country

I’ll be quite honest with you. Before moving to New Zealand, I had never heard of Otago wines or expected to find landscapes resembling a semi-desert. And this is what I love about traveling so much. It teaches you an endless amount of interesting things.

It’s been two months now since we moved to the outskirts of Cromwell, a town of around 6000 inhabitants located in the region of Central Otago and our time here couldn’t have been more interesting.

Originally established during the Otago gold rush, Cromwell is now better known for its location on the shores of Lake Dunstan and the junction where the Kawarau River joins the lake. And of course, the wines. Vineyards are shaping most of its surrounding hills next to a few more orchards, mostly cherry orchards I’d say.

On one of my first walks surrounding town chasing the yellow fields of blooming poppies, I learned something significant about this town. Its position just South of the 45th Parallel is the theoretical halfway point between the Equator and the South Pole.

The poppies slowly faded but the yellow on the hills surrounding Lake Dunstan stayed. A random ground-covering plant burst into blooming blossoms filling me with more joy every morning driving past the mountains.

Having off on a random Sunday, I parked the car down by the lake and hiked back up the walking track. Passing fields of yellow flowers on my right and left, I smiled throughout the trail.

Reaching the top of the terrace, I turned South and sat down on a rock overlooking Lake Dunstan and the town of Cromwell on the far side of its shore.

Looking down at the road next to Lake Dunstan I had to think of the scenic drive we take every morning to work. The highway offers continuous views of the lake, the Pisa Mountains and the Dunstan Mountain Range and winding its way toward the adventure city of Wānaka.

I'm looking at an old tree stump and move my seating position up there. The wind is blowing my hair all across my face as I lose myself in my thoughts.

Just behind the bridge down below is our turnoff. We live in the vineyards a few kilometers out of town. A place as peaceful as one can have it listening to birds all day long. No planes, helicopters or cars are passing us.

Up until now, I had only been to the industrial side of Cromwell. Visiting the fuel station, the supermarket and a few other shops surrounding the mall. Thinking about Barb Dalton and how she loved this place, I wondered if the town had more to offer than what I had seen so far.

Driving to the junction lookout point I park the car next to the lake and river shores but I don’t get far on my walk. Watching a dauntingly dark rain cloud, I soon turn around and decide to hide in the car for a few more minutes while waiting for the storm to pass.

If I learned something in these two months living here then it is it never rains in Cromwell. And if it does, only a few drops will fall and the cloud will be gone in no time.

Getting back out of the car, I walk toward the wall surrounding the parking lot where a few words were written about the confluence of the Clutha and Kawarau Rivers and their climate.

And now everything made sense.

This is a semi-desert, they say.

The little rainfall, the dry hills, and the brown grass together with the constant watering of the pastures create feeding grounds for cattle and sheep. All of it makes sense now.

Even though, as I do my research, the internet doesn’t qualify this region quite as a semi-desert, saying it has just a little too much rainfall to be classified as a semi-arid climate.

Now you might expect the region to have a continental climate but due to its location in the rain shadow of the Southern Alps, not much precipitation makes its way across the mountains. The clouds are usually rained out by the time they reach Cromwell.

As the last drops have fallen, I venture down the trail along the shores of the Kawarau River. A few old stone walls are left indicating the times before the Clyde Dam flooded the valley and the old town. I wonder what life must have been like when the first explorers settled. Certainly harsh and barren with not many dining options around.

And now, they have barbecue stations next to the walkway. I think of families and teenagers gathering here on weekends. I would have at least if I lived here growing up. Buying some meats and drinks, I could see myself hanging out here with a group of friends.

I pass the remnants of the Athenaeum Hall and the first Cromwell School from gold rush times where now several locals are playing boccia. Others are strolling along the walkway, with or without children in tow. I imagine what it must be like growing up in this town and raising children by the river.

Without having done any research on this part of the city I just expected a leisure walk along the river and was therefore overly surprised when I reached the buildings of the old town businesses.

I walked into a small café and seeing some pies displayed I felt hunger building in my stomach but just as I wanted to place an order, I remembered I had left the wallet in the car. Guess, I will only do window shopping today.

Advertised as Cromwell’s best-kept secret, the Heritage Precinct is a free visitor attraction allowing you to step back in time and explore heritage buildings alongside artisan businesses.

“When the Clyde dam was completed in 1990, Cromwell’s main street disappeared under Lake Dunstan. Some of the historic buildings dating back to the gold rush of the 1860’s were saved or lovingly rebuilt on higher ground, creating the Cromwell Heritage Precinct.” — Cromwell Heritage Precinct

The blacksmith and motor garage is one of two buildings left within the boundaries of its original location. Transferred into a small informative room, installments and some boards are set up for the visitor.

The garage has a long history beginning with the arrival of Robert Wishart in Cromwell in 1869 and ending in 1970 when the family eventually left the business. A fire destroyed most of the building in 1992 which is why it became a restored construction.

Walking further down the road, I found myself wandering into a backyard where the old butchery displays its history. A cat was supervising the yard and leading me to another backdoor showing the old oven of the bakery, I suppose.

Leaving the room on the other side I stumbled upon a cute Lilliput Library. I opened the door and found some magazines, novels and a travel tale. I grabbed a book and promised I’d be back to replace it with another one.

Back out on the walkway, I stumbled upon a few other reconstructed items. Some machinery transformed into a bench was the first and possibly most useful item. I smiled at the sight of how they transformed this place into modern times while keeping its historic charm.

A horse pulling a carriage was inviting children to sit atop but only with the supervision of their parents. Next to it was another piece of machinery from the fields. In my imagination, I see kids sitting on the horse while moms are distracted chatting with each other and letting their youngsters figure out how to stay safe atop. It does look like a cool playground after all.

And then I see the mandatory vintage car. One of many I’ve seen since moving to the region. The locals certainly like their antique cars and nowhere else would it have been parked better than in the streets of the Heritage Precinct of Cromwell.

I’m facing back toward the river following a small dirt trail down to the shores. The river is wide and calm with only a few waves coming off a boat pulling a jet skier. I imagine myself being towed by a boat and think back at the times and places I've done wakeboarding and skiing before.

I'd love to see what the canyon just downriver would look like from the water. I might bring my paddleboard down here one day but I'll have to be careful and test the current before heading downriver.

This is where I see them. The seagulls. They are looking at each other fighting about which way to go. East or West. The one says the Pacific coastline is nearer, the other one votes for the Tasman Sea.

While one might expect to see these birds in coastal towns and along the shores, in New Zealand, you can find these sea birds from one coastline to the other across the Southern Alps.

With Cromwell being the furthest town from the ocean (in New Zealand) but only being 120 kilometers away from either the Tasman Sea or the Pacific Ocean, these birds can settle down anywhere in the island nation.

While they had been under partial protection for a few years, the Black-backed seagull was removed from the list in 1970 and is now one of few native birds who live unprotected and still thrive.

“New Zealand is thought to have one of the largest populations of southern black-backed gulls of any country, estimated at more than one million.” — nzgeo.com

With countless more seagulls circling above my head, I turn around and stroll back toward the car park stopping only once more as I pass what appeared to be an old church.

While the ‘Stone Temple’ doesn’t come close to countless European churches and their ancient history, this formerly Presbyterian Church has a very different story.

The Presbyterian worshippers had in the 1860s the largest and most established membership in Cromwell but did not have a building. After some crowdfunding, the church was finished in 1881 and completed with a Sunday School in 1913.

In 2004 the property was sold to private owners who then turned it into a luxurious holiday home. In case you’re looking for a place to stay out of the ordinary. It certainly sounds like an interesting accommodation for a night. The uniquely shaped church windows should offer some great views of the river.

Here my tour comes to an end and I reach the car loaded with a lot of new knowledge. I remember how David said he wanted us to go on a date one evening and now I found the location for it. One of those historic restaurants or wine bars will be the perfect place. I imagine us wandering down the walkway watching people to our right and left.

Heading back home into the vineyard I only slow down to let these bunnies cross the dirt track. Yes, they are abundant but I still love watching them hopping through the grass. They are also very much part of living in Cromwell.

This was another article showcasing my new home in the southern hemisphere.

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