Cromwell, New Zealand

right|thumb|Aerial view of Cromwell from the south

thumbnail|right|The town of Cromwell and Lake Dunstan

Cromwell () is a town in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island, located on the shore of Lake Dunstan. Established at the confluence of the Clutha / Mata-Au and Kawarau Rivers after gold was discovered nearby during the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, Cromwell's location saw it become a junction for travel between Dunedin and areas further inland, such as Wānaka and Queenstown. As gold mining declined, the town developed to service farms and orchards in the surrounding area, becoming known for stone fruit and as part of the Central Otago wine region. The town remains a hub for people travelling throughout the region, with State Highway 8B running through the town and acting as a main route for travellers to Queenstown.

The construction of the Clyde Dam and subsequent creation of Lake Dunstan during the 1980s and 1990s saw Cromwell expand as a town, while also requiring the relocation of a third of town's buildings from areas that would be flooded, including the town centre. Remnants of the old town centre above the lake's water line have been retained and now form a historic precinct near the lake shore. Recent years have seen further development in Cromwell and the surrounding areas, including the construction of the Highlands Motorsport Park to the west in 2013 and the Lake Dunstan Trail to the south in 2021.

Etymology

Māori refer to the area as "Tirau", referring to their plantings of cabbage trees to stand as navigation markers and also as food for travellers.

European (Pākehā) goldiggers called it as "The Junction", "The Point", or "Kawarau Junction", as it is at the confluence of the Clutha River / Mata-Au and the Kawarau River.

The town was named Cromwell in the middle of 1863 by J. A. Connell of the Dunedin firm Connell and Moodie, who was from Northern Ireland. Because of "a silly rivalry between a Northern Irish surveyor and Southern Irish miners" in the district he decided "to put the curse of Cromwell on them".

Geography

Cromwell is between (linking to Wānaka, north, and Queenstown via the Kawarau Gorge, west) and State Highway 8 leading to the Lindis Pass, northeast, and Alexandra, 33 km south. The road to Alexandra winds through the Cromwell Gorge. A point near Cromwell lies 119 kilometres from the sea, the farthest from the sea anywhere in New Zealand.

A prominent feature surrounding much of the town is the man-made Lake Dunstan.

Cromwell is surrounded by the Pisa mountain range to the north (including Mount Pisa, 1963 metres) the Dunstan Mountains to the northeast (including Mount Dunstan, 1667 metres) Mount Difficulty (1285 metres) to the west and the Old Woman Range and Cairnmuir mountains to the south.

Nearby settlements are at Bannockburn, Lowburn, Tarras, and Ripponvale.

Cromwell has a strategic location between the Lindis and the Haast passes, and acts as a hub between the towns of Wānaka, Queenstown and Alexandra.

Cromwell is also the home of the Cromwell Chafer Beetle (Prodontria lewisi).

The 45th parallel south runs just north of the township.

Cromwell lay at the confluence of the Clutha River and the Kawarau River, which was noted for the difference between the colours of the waters of the two rivers and also for the historic bridge at the convergence of the two. Since the construction of the Clyde Dam and the filling of Lake Dunstan in the early 1990s the river confluence was drowned, as was the old town centre.

Climate

Cromwell receives around 400 mm of rain a year due to its inland location. Although it is widely believed to have a continental climate, the town officially has an oceanic climate (Cfb) with rainfall just enough to escape the semi-arid climate (Bsk) classification.

History

The first Pākehā to visit was Nathanael Chalmers in 1853, guided there by and . He was stricken by dysentery, so his guides returned him down the Clutha, shooting the rapids in a reed boat.

Official explorations of the northern and western parts of Central Otago began in the late 1850s, but detailed surveys did not commence until 1861.

In 1862, gold was discovered below the Junction by two miners, Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly. Once the word of a gold strike was out, there was an influx of several thousand miners to the area as well as supporting nine hotels in Cromwell.

Cromwell was declared a municipality in 1866. The government funded the construction of a bridge across the Clutha in 1866 (which cost 28,000 pounds). This was rebuilt in 1891. Bishop Selwyn visited in 1866. Cromwell's newspaper, The Cromwell Argus, was established in 1869. The Cromwell council chambers were completed in 1869 and the Cromwell district hospital was established in 1875 with wards to provide beds for ten inpatients. Gold mining by individuals was replaced by dredging by companies in the 1890s. but was short lived.

Soldiers from Cromwell served in World War I with 13 losing their lives. A cenotaph was unveiled on 25 April 1923 to recognise their sacrifice. A further 11 soldiers from Cromwell died during World War II. A memorial hall was built in the 1950s which is dedicated to those fallen in the two World Wars.

As gold ran out, Cromwell became the service centre for an extensive farming and stone fruit growing area. An irrigation scheme was built in the 1920s diverting water from the Kawarau river to irrigate a large area of land near Ripponvale. The sculpture is regularly repainted.

thumb|Cromwell fruit sculpture (2022)

The decision to build Clyde Dam and use Cromwell as the accommodation base brought many changes to the town. In the early stages, a government information centre in Cromwell was set on fire in a late-night attack.

Approximately one-third of the town was rebuilt on higher ground. A total of 60 homes and 50 commercial properties were affected. The changes included the doubling of the residential area, relocation of the old town centre (now called "Old Cromwell Town"), upgrading of services, the provision of modern educational and sports facilities, and the construction of the new Deadman's Point Bridge. The town centre was relocated between 1984 and 1985 to a new site known as "The Mall," that now houses the main retail, service and civic buildings in Cromwell.

Demography

The population of Cromwell was 838 people in 1951; 885 people in 1956 and 942 people in 1961. It had an estimated population of as of with a population density of people per km².