Cromwell
Saturday 31 December; Cromwell is located in the valley of the Upper Clutha, deep in the heart of the dry interior of Central Otago. It's main attraction now is Lake Dunstan, is an artificial lake that was created behind the Clyde Dam and is 26.4 square km in area.
But from the 1860's to the end of the century, gold was panned from the streambeds, rivers and dug from the land, including the Kawarau River.
The Goldfields Mining Centre, just outside Cromwell, is an historic mining site and depicts the life and working conditions of Otago's early goldminers. The area was mined for gold in 3 different phases. The top open cast mine (in yellow) was carried out from the 1860's to the end of the century by people drawn by the Otago goldrush, including many immigrant Chinese. Later mining (in red) was undertaken around the Great Depression years in the 1930's by desperate people trying to scrape a living from the land. And shafts were sunk and excavated until 1960's.
There is a recreation of a Chinese village depicting how the immigrants may have lived, built for a film set in the 1990's (but it doesn't say which one).
Cromwell itself is now a modern town, its historic area drowned when the Clyde Dam was constructed. Some conservators had the foresight to relocate some of the more important buildings which were restored for posterity and given a new use, a art gallery and a cafe.
The Loburn Cottage was a delight. Tucked up a back street from the Belfast Store, its a recreation of a homestead. Drop $1 in the slot and the narration begins. The recording is obviously a Kiwi lady, but she courageously attempts to portray the pioneer accent...the result is a smorgasborg of Irish, Scottish, maybe a bit of Welsh, definately some Pakistani in there and had me rolling around in hysterics. Well worth a dollar!
Opened in 1994, the Clyde Dam is the largest concrete gravity dam in New Zealand and its construction used one million cubic metres of concrete. The Clyde Hydro Power Station can make 445MW of power which is enough to supply Christchurch and Dunedin with electricity. This is the Clutha Valley leading to the dam.
But from the 1860's to the end of the century, gold was panned from the streambeds, rivers and dug from the land, including the Kawarau River.
The Goldfields Mining Centre, just outside Cromwell, is an historic mining site and depicts the life and working conditions of Otago's early goldminers. The area was mined for gold in 3 different phases. The top open cast mine (in yellow) was carried out from the 1860's to the end of the century by people drawn by the Otago goldrush, including many immigrant Chinese. Later mining (in red) was undertaken around the Great Depression years in the 1930's by desperate people trying to scrape a living from the land. And shafts were sunk and excavated until 1960's.
There is a recreation of a Chinese village depicting how the immigrants may have lived, built for a film set in the 1990's (but it doesn't say which one).
Cromwell itself is now a modern town, its historic area drowned when the Clyde Dam was constructed. Some conservators had the foresight to relocate some of the more important buildings which were restored for posterity and given a new use, a art gallery and a cafe.
The Loburn Cottage was a delight. Tucked up a back street from the Belfast Store, its a recreation of a homestead. Drop $1 in the slot and the narration begins. The recording is obviously a Kiwi lady, but she courageously attempts to portray the pioneer accent...the result is a smorgasborg of Irish, Scottish, maybe a bit of Welsh, definately some Pakistani in there and had me rolling around in hysterics. Well worth a dollar!
Opened in 1994, the Clyde Dam is the largest concrete gravity dam in New Zealand and its construction used one million cubic metres of concrete. The Clyde Hydro Power Station can make 445MW of power which is enough to supply Christchurch and Dunedin with electricity. This is the Clutha Valley leading to the dam.
posted by The Ford Family | 4:17 pm
1 Comments:
Illustrious Energy/aka Dreams of Home
Synopsis
Two Chinese gold miners in a remote valley in Central Otago, New Zealand, struggle to improve their lot. Chan is restless and unhappy; Kim his father-in-aw, wants to 'hear the ocean' i.e. return to China. The goldfields are in decline: the presence of surveyors working in the area confirms that change is imminent.
When they make a lucky strike on their claim, it seems their problems are over. But Chan, despatched into town to pay debts, soon learns there are other alternatives: the attractions of life in the town, the offer of a job in the orchard of confirmed expatriate Wong, life on the road with a small circus.
Because of the climate of violence towards the Chinese, and his obligations towards his elderly partner, Chan decides to return to China after all, only to have his decision cruelly undercut by the accidental death of Kim and the subsequent unlucky loss of the gold.
At the end of the film, freed from both his clan obligation and the burden of wealth, Chan sets out once more to meet his fate.
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