Our orchard is located in the Earnscleugh Valley nestled between the Old Man Range, the confluence of the Fraser and Clutha rivers and the Alexandra Basin. The orchard is an easy bike ride from the townships of Alexandra, 7 km’s, and Clyde, 8 km’s away.
The first visitors to the region were coastal Ngāi Tahu Maori who traversed the area along the Clutha River in the summer months on their way to collect pounamu (jade) in the Southern Alps at the head of Lake Wakatipu. Europeans, mainly Scots, farmed sheep in the area from the 1840’s. They were followed by gold miners from the 1860’s which saw a massive influx of both pakeha and Chinese miners into the locale. The town of Clyde, formally known as Dunstan, is a beautiful example of late 19th century settlement where goldfield era stone buildings still dominate the main street.
Today the area is known for its fruit, viticulture and tourism. Our region is a stunning example of rugged schist mountains and vast open plains where small gold rush era towns provide welcome rest and refreshment stops along the vast network of internationally renowned cycle trails that link us to Dunedin in the east and Wanaka and Queenstown in the west.
Experience Central Otago – https://centralotagonz.com/experience/
