Gibbston Valley
Attached to our time teaching in New Zealand, we took the time to explore a bit, making our way into Gibbston Valley, just outside Queenstown.
The landscape there does not reveal itself all at once, it unfolds gradually, the path rising, the view widening, until the Kawarau River comes into sight, cutting its way through the valley below.
The water stood out, a blue-green color, almost opaque in place, moving steadily through the gorge. This river has been shaping this land for a very long time. The Kawarau River carries with it the history of this region. In the 1860s, it drew miners into the gorge during the gold rush, its banks worked for what it might yield. Today, the river is no longer worked in that way, but it still defines everything around it: the shape of the land, the placement of the vineyards and even the path we followed above it.
Taking that time, amid teaching and travel, added something to the experience. We don’t often take the time during our teaching weekends to explore, which made this moment feel worthwhile.
Read More
Read More From Nancy
Chinese Settlement Site
Nestled above the historic town of Arrowtown along the banks of Bush Creek lies the partially restored Chinese Settlement, one of the reminders of the region’s gold rush history. Marty and I spend time walking through this small village, where these cottages and stone pathways tell the story of the Chinese miners and merchants who […]
Arrowtown
Arrowtown is one of those rare towns where history feels close to the surface. Tucked just outside Queenstown, it began as a gold mining settlement in the 1860s, during the rush that brought thousands into the region following discoveries along the Arrow River. The town quickly grew as miners, many of them European and later […]
Cardrona Hotel
Traveling between Queenstown and Wānaka, one of the most memorable stops is the tiny settlement of Cardrona. Nestled in a quiet valley along the historic Crown Range Road, it is home to one of New Zealand’s most recognizable landmarks: the Cardrona Hotel. Built in 1863 during the Otago gold rush, the hotel was established to serve […]
