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Cromwell

Cromwell (Mori: Trau) is a town in Central Otago, New Zealand's Otago area. Cromwell is located halfway between State Highway 6 (which connects Wanaka, 50 kilometres north, and Queenstown, 60 kilometres west) and State Highway 8, which connects the Lindis Pass, 75 kilometres northeast, and Alexandra, 33 kilometres south. The Cromwell Gorge runs parallel to the route to Alexandra. Near Cromwell, a position 119 kilometres from the sea, is the farthest away from the sea in New Zealand. The artificial Lake Dunstan is a significant feature that surrounds much of the town. Highlands Motorsport Park, which is brand new, is also located in Cromwell. Bannockburn, Lowburn, Tarras, and Ripponvale are all nearby towns. You'll find Chafer Beetle in Cromwell as well.

State Highway 6 (SH 6) is a vital state highway in New Zealand. It stretches from the island's northeastern corner to the top, then down the island's length, first along the West Coast, then across the Southern Alps into inland New Zealand's south coast can be reached through Otago, Southland Plains and the South Coast. Although it is shorter than the combined totals of the two highways that make up SH 1, SHs 1N, and 1S, the highway is the longest single roadway in the country. Invercargill's 5.4 km of dual carriageway and Invercargill's and Nelson's passing lanes make up most of SH6's two lanes. Invercargill, Queenstown, Richmond, and Thunanui are the only towns with traffic signals, which also govern Iron Bridge in the upper Buller canyon and Fern Arch in the lower Buller gorge near Westport. Except for two portions between Blenheim (SH 1) and Richmond (SH 60) and Cromwell (SH 8B) and Five Rivers (SH 97), where SH 6 is categorized as a regional strategic route, the highway is classed as an arterial route by the NZTA.

Wanaka, once known as Pembroke by post-colonial residents until 1940, is a prominent ski and summer resort town in New Zealand's Otago area. It is the gateway to Mount Aspiring National Park and is located at the southern end of Lake Wanaka, near the beginning of the Clutha River / Mata-Au. Wanaka is predominantly a summer and winter tourist destination. Its economy is founded on the numerous outdoor activities available. Mori used to come to Wanaka in the summer to hunt and fish or on their way to the West Coast to look for pounamu (greenstone). After a North Island war party raid in 1836, the Ngai Tahu abandoned their seasonal camps. The modern town was formed during the 19th-century gold rush. Queenstown-Lakes District, including Wanaka, has seen a 50% rise in population between 2005 and 2015.

The Junction was the original name of Cromwell because of its location at the confluence of two rivers, the Clutha River / Mata-Au and the Kawarau River. Two miners, Hartley and Reilly, discovered gold beneath the Junction in 1862. When word of a gold strike spread, tens of thousands of miners descended on the area. The Cromwell Argus, the city's newspaper, was founded in 1869. After the gold ran out, Cromwell became the service centre for an extensive farming and stone fruit growing area. It is strategically located between the Lindis and Haast passes, serving as a crossroads for Wanaka, Queenstown, and Alexandra. The former is honoured with a massive stone fruit sculpture that stands outside the town's northern end. A historic bridge spans the Clutha River and the Kawarau River in Cromwell, notable for its colour contrast between the two rivers. Because of the Clyde Dam and Lake Dunstan's filling, the river confluence and ancient town core have been submerged since the early 1990s.