Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
can wind your way on unsealed roads northeast through spectacular scenery to Danseys
Pass and through to Duntroon in the Waitaki Valley.
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St Bathans
A worthwhile 17km detour north from SH85 heads into the foothills of the imposing
Dunstan Mountains and on to diminutive St Bathans. This once-thriving gold-mining
town of 2000 people is now home to only half a dozen permanent residents living amid a
cluster of cutesy 19th-century buildings.
The
Blue Lake
is an accidental attraction: a large hollow filled with amazingly blue
water that has run off abandoned gold workings. Walk along the sculpted cliffs to the
lookout for a better view of the alien landscape (one hour return).
The
Vulcan Hotel
( 03-447 3629; stbathans.vulcanhotel@xtra.co.nz; Loop Rd; r per person
$60)
is an atmospheric (and famously haunted) spot to drink, eat or stay in. Considering
St Bathans' tiny population, you'll find the bar here pretty busy on a Friday night as
thirsty shearers from around the valley descend en masse. Further accommodation is
available at the nearby
St Bathans Jail & Constable's Cottage
(
0800 555 016;
www.stbathansnz.co.nz
; $145-340)
.
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Lauder, Omakau & Ophir
Separated by 8km of SH85, tiny
Lauder
and larger
Omakau
(population 250) are good
stops if you're a hungry Rail-Trailer with a sore bum and in need of a feed and a bed.
However, the area's real gem is adorable
Ophir
(population 50), 2km from Omakau
across the Manuherikia River.
Gold was discovered here in 1863 and the town swiftly formed, adopting the name of
the biblical place where King Solomon sourced his gold. By 1875, the population hit
over 1000 but when the gold disappeared, so did the people. Ophir's fate was sealed
when the railway bypassed it in 1904, leaving its main street trapped in time.
The most photogenic of its many heritage buildings is the still-functioning 1886
post
sealed road ends at the 1870s wooden-planked
Dan O'Connell Bridge
, a bumpy but
scenic crossing which continues via a gravel road to SH85.
