racetrack
Highlands Motorsport Park
Circuit and motoring museum at Cromwell in Central Otago, offering supercar rides alongside State Highway 6.
3 km · about 5 min drive
OceaniaNew ZealandOtago
Cromwell
Otago, New Zealand · Oceania
About Cromwell
Cromwell works well as a base: 30 minutes from Alexandra, 21km from Crown Range Road.
Cromwell is in Otago, New Zealand, with about 5,200 people. You drive on the left here. The nearest town is Alexandra, about 27 km away.
Cromwell (Māori: Tīrau) 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 aRead more
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.
Where to Stay in Cromwell
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Explore the Area
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Cromwell?
Within an hour or so of Cromwell: Highlands Motorsport Park (3 km), Crown Range Road (21 km), Crown Range Summit (21 km), Cardrona Hotel (23 km).
Are there any good drives near Cromwell?
The nearest famous roads are Crown Range Road, Crown Range Summit and Kingston–Queenstown Road (SH6).
Where is Cromwell?
Cromwell is in Otago, New Zealand, about 27 km from Alexandra.
Road trip
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Quick Information
- Population
- 5,160
- Continent
- Oceania
- Country
- New Zealand
- Region
- Otago
- Timezone
- Pacific/Auckland
- Coordinates
- -45.0384, 169.2001
Emergency & Services
Essential numbers in New Zealand
Many rural bridges are single-lane. Give way as signed.
Full driving guide for New ZealandTags
Worth the detour from Cromwell
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
famous road
Crown Range Road
New Zealand's highest sealed road at 1,076 meters, a dramatic alpine crossing between Queenstown and Wanaka.
21 km · about 25 min drive
mountain pass
Crown Range Summit
Highest sealed through-road in New Zealand at 1,076 m, linking Queenstown and Wanaka with hairpin bends and a summit viewpoint.
21 km · about 25 min drive
cafe
Cardrona Hotel
A legendary 1863 gold rush hotel on the Crown Range Road between Queenstown and Wanaka, one of New Zealand's most iconic roadside pit stops.
23 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Cardrona Bra Fence
A wire fence on the Cardrona Valley Road between Wanaka and Queenstown hung with thousands of bras since 1999, now an official breast-cancer-charity collection point.
24 km · about 30 min drive
film location
Kawarau Gorge (Argonath / Pillars of the Kings)
The Kawarau River gorge east of Queenstown supplied the river scene where the Fellowship passes the Argonath.
24 km · about 30 min drive
famous road
Crown Range Road
New Zealand's highest sealed road at 1,076m, a switchback climb between Queenstown and Wanaka.
31 km · about 35 min drive
museum
National Transport & Toy Museum
Eclectic collection of vintage vehicles and motoring memorabilia in New Zealand's sunny Nelson region.
35 km · about 40 min drive
Driving roads near Cromwell
- 21 kmCrown Range RoadNew Zealand's highest sealed road at 1,076 meters, a dramatic alpine crossing between Queenstown and Wanaka.
- 21 kmCrown Range SummitHighest sealed through-road in New Zealand at 1,076 m, linking Queenstown and Wanaka with hairpin bends and a summit viewpoint.
- 31 kmCrown Range RoadNew Zealand's highest sealed road at 1,076m, a switchback climb between Queenstown and Wanaka.
- 37 kmKingston–Queenstown Road (SH6)A stunning lakeside drive along the shores of Lake Wakatipu from Kingston to Queenstown beneath the Remarkables mountain range.
- 38 kmRemarkables Viewpoint (Queenstown)A lakeside pull-off on the road to Queenstown where The Remarkables mountain range reflects in the mirror-calm waters of Lake Wakatipu.
- 61 kmLindis PassA 971 m pass on SH8 through rolling tussock-gold hills between the Mackenzie Basin and Central Otago: one of New Zealand's most photographed stretches of high-country road.
Nearby Destinations
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