The Nevis Valley road starts near Bannockburn not far from Cromwell.
The first section of road is a fairly well maintained gravel road that climbs to the saddle. At 1300m high this is the highest mountain road pass in New Zealand.The road then descends into the lower Nevis Valley passing many historic remnants of a gold mining and farming past.
After passing the old Nevis cemetery warning signs inform you that the road ahead is for four wheel drive vehicles only and is closed completely in winter. After this the mountains close in and you roller coaster up and down through the narrow gorge.
Coming out of the gorge you enter the upper Nevis Valley dotted with obvious evidence of more old and recent mining activity. The road then exits the valley over an 1100m pass in the Hector mountains.
This is beautiful, barren, isolated country with a lot of history and well worth a visit. The lower valley could be visited in a car or camper but the road over the saddle is steep, winding and narrow. The 4wd warning should be heeded for the gorge and upper valley. Many of the 31 river crossings on the route would strand a vehicle without good approach and departure angles.
This valley has been ear-marked for a future hydro electric dam(s) that would flood all this history. Battle lines are currently being drawn for the fight. DOC report, LINZ tenure review, Regional council report.
Click a picture for a larger image.
The
view from part way up the road to the saddle looking back to Cromwell, Lake
Dunston and, if your imagination is good, Mount Cook in the distance.
The
road down from the saddle into the lower Nevis Valley with one of Central
Otago's distinctive rock tors to the right. The small patch of green in the
centre of the brown lanscape marks the valley floor.
Looking
down river from near the Nevis Crossing bridge you can see the rocky canyon that
forces you to cross the maintain passs into the valley and also makes the valley
a prime location for a dam.
There
is still gold in the hills. Here Vanessa talks to a lone miner panning out spoil
left by earlier gold miners.
Despite
previously being worked there is still gold to be found as shown by the bright
yellow in this pan.
The
Nevis Cemetery is thought to have over 40 graves but now only a few remain
marked.
This
is a dramatic landscape. Here the Isuzu sits near the cemetery in what seems a
near barren setting.
An
old cottage stands between the road and the river with the Carrick mountains in
the background.
A
narrow gorge connects the lower and upper Nevis Valley.
Many
Ruins can be found. Here beside a stream in the gorge we found a lone chimney
and the foundations of an outbuilding.
In
the upper Nevis are more ruins and evidence of more mining. This area was mined
as recently as the 1990s.
One
of the locals.
Spaniard
is one of the iconic plants of this area. Its prickly leaves are said to protect
it like spanish pikemen and it can inflict a substantial wound if you blunder
into it.
The
view from near the top of the pass out of the valley with the road to Kingston
and Queenstown along the valley bottom ahead.
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