Otago Goldfields Heritage Trail

Highways Through History

This is a journey back through time and follows the trail the miners took in their search for gold. Forty years of gold mining transformed Otago, with most present day towns owing their origins to the gold rushes.

The dry climate, local pride and the work of the Department of Conservation staff have preserved the miners’ legacy: mud and stone buildings, intriguing machinery, deep mine shafts and underground passages. Look for the sign of the panning miner, which identifies some of the historic sites along the trail.

This is an extensive trail. You should allow a day to travel by car from Dunedin to Queenstown via Roxburgh, and another day to return via the Maniototo, visiting the sites on the way in each direction. The main highways are sealed but some mining sites are on gravelled side roads. There is a choice of accommodation and eating places in the main townships.

Among the highlights of the trail are Lawrence, where Gabriel Read started the gold rush in 1861; Bendigo, a classic ghost town with ruined stone cottages and abandoned mineshafts; Arrowtown, a faithfully restored goldmining settlement, with a range of attractive shops and eating places; St Bathan’s, a remote tiny township with its famous Blue Lake and some well preserved gold-rush buildings; and Macraes, where traces of the old Chinese mining operations survive alongside the massive modern mine.

Further information can be obtained from the Department of Conservation offices in Dunedin, Alexandra and Queenstown; or from the website http://www.goldfieldstrust.org.nz. See also the Alexandra, Clyde, Ophir and Thomson’s Gorge trails on this website.

Click here to download Otago Goldfields Heritage Trail (325Kb)