Cromwell, Central Otago. | New Zealand

After couple days in Wanaka we arrived in Cromwell. A destination that is central to everything. The town is between rugged mountains, the meeting of two rivers and the pristine waters of Lake Dunstan. Lake Dunstan is a good location for swimming, fishing, boating and water sports in summer.

In winter, there are five skifields all within driving distances. It is also home to the famous Highland’s Motorsport Park, a popular visitor attraction with activities for the whole family. The adult entree for a museum is 25 NZD, but I highly suggest you to check out Bookme for a very good deals. We paid only 5 NZD per person. There is minigolf included in the price.

The Cromwell basin is home to a host of award-winning wineries. You can see wineyards, cherry and fruit orchards everywhere. Actually the first thing you see is a huge bunch of fruits right before arriving at the town.

The town center is really small but cute. There are couple of cafes, second hand (localy called hospice or opportunity) shops, boutiques, bookstore and a library with a free wifi.

The area also has a rich heritage with remnants of goldfields that will take you on a journey to the past. The natures beauty of the area is overwhelming.

One of my favorite places was historic Cromwell Heritage precinct with a selection of boutique shops, art galleries, and cosy cafes.

Cromwell is also one of those places where most backpackers go for cherry picking jobs. Every year around November the season starts and depending of the weather it can be crazy good, or very bad. The year we were there it was terrible. It was coldest summer in the area for the last 20 years (that what locals said) and it was raining a lot. So when we started to work in a grocery store here, we decided not to quit like most backpackers did, because our job wasn't weather dependant. But year before that cherry season was one of the best. People earned a crazy money even more than 2000 NZD per week. So it mostly depends on luck... and weather.

This was the only town we stayed in more than 2 months. So we found friends, that became our family. Although my friens said not to go there, because there's nothing there, experiences are so different, so always see for yourself. ;)

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