The trail wound around an old gold mining area which was actively mined in the 1860s. As we walked in the hot sun with not a tree in sight, feeling like we were in Arizona or the badlands of Alberta, it was hard to imagine that the area was once covered in trees.
We visited various sites around the valley where the miners dammed the creek for sluicing, the remains of Stewart town where the fruit trees were loaded with pears (not ripe enough to eat yet), and areas where the miners dug, panned, etc. to find the elusive gold. All very interesting.
Today's gold is liquid and comes from the vineyards of the many wineries in the area, taking advantage of the north-facing slopes and the intense sun to produce their crop.
After an hour and a half in the sun we decided to head into Bannockburn town for a drink. There were only two choices - the pub and "The Kitchen", and we reluctantly settled on The Kitchen, a cafe that served great looking food. We each settled on a date scone with homemade strawberry jam and the caffeine of our preference, which we enjoyed at a table that benefited from a cross breeze between two doorways....luxury!
Having exhausted the sights that Bannockburn had to offer we headed to Cromwell Old Town where we found a shady spot by the lake to enjoy our lunch.
We then spent a lazy afternoon back at he motel, reading, browsing the web, and napping. The ladies were back out walking after dinner but I stayed behind for more cerebral pursuits - the puzzles in the Saturday newspaper.
Tomorrow we are taking a somewhat circuitous route to Dunedin so that we can check out some of the Central Otago Rail Trail.
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