Cromwell NZ - A drowned town

Cromwell is a small town down in the South Island of New Zealand. It is located on the shore of Lake Dunstan. This is a "new" lake. It was not a natural lake, but was previously a junction of two rivers; Clutha and Kawarau.

This is where Cromwell is on a map

In the early 1990s, a dam was built on the Clutha river running to Clyde (I will do another post on the dam) which raised the level of the water by 60 metres, forming Lake Dunstan. This decision to build the dam meant that the town centre of Cromwell had to be relocated. It now is in a completely different part of the town, away from the lake front.

There were several buildings that survived the drowning, or the lake level rising and these are now called "Old Town Cromwell" and is part of a heritage precinct. Here are some pictures of the old town I took on our walk today.

There's also a number of buildings and the old bridge, which was the access point into Cromwell, that are submerged under the water. The gorge that was between Cromwell and Clyde used to be orchards and farm land sitting on the edges of a small river. The owners were relocated and the houses and orchards were drowned.

I find it intriguing that the decision was made to drown a town and surrounding areas as opposed to demolishing them before finalising the dam. When I travel the road where the old orchards and houses were, I just imagine what the houses are like now and what (if anything) remains.

Today, there are businesses, cafes, souvinair shops that are located in the old town buildings that remain in Cromwell. It's a tourist attraction and has beautiful views right on the lake front.