Cardrona Heritage Trail
Discover the history of our valley
The story of the Crown Range road
FEATURE: The road which brings thousands of people through the Cardrona Valley each week has a colourful history, including an incident with bolt cutters.
Cardrona Valley timeline
Explore the history of the Cardrona Valley via our interactive timeline. Scroll through history and take a deep dive into events, topics and people that interest you the most. Great if you want a quick scroll – and we’ll keep adding updates!
Cardrona people
Meet some of the families and individuals who make up the history of the Cardrona Valley community – many of whom still live in the valley. Farmers, miners, publicans, shopkeepers and school children, to name a few.
About this project
Learn more about the Cardrona Heritage Trail project. Find out why we are digitising the history of the Cardrona Valley, and what it has taken to get to this point. You can also find out how you can contribute to this great project.
Articles from our history archive …
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The mysterious appearance of bras on a fence
Very few people who have driven through the Cardrona Valley during the last quarter century could have missed the collection of bras on a fence near the distillery. The “bra fence” at is is affectionately known has an interesting history, and an unknown beginning. John Scurr tells the story of spending the night of 31st…
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Gallery: farming in the Cardrona Valley
After the early gold rush years, farming was the key economic activity in the valley, and there are still many high country farms in the Cardrona Valley today. Below is a selection of photos depicting life on the farm for Cardrona people.
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Jack Scurr’s warning to farmers: we could be defeated by rabbits
Cardrona farmer J.R. (“Jack”) Scurr (1300ha Spotts Creek Station) had a lifetime’s experience of rabbits. He had to spend two years clearing his farm of them when he bought it – as it had been decimated by the thriving rabbit population. Jack was asked to present a paper about rabbits to an audience of farmers…
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On National Radio: Cardrona hits the big time
In a 25 minute segment on National Radio, interviews with three Cardrona personalities are shared with listeners. Tim Scurr, talking about life in the valley. Jim Patterson (via an archived interview with him), long time publican at the Cardrona Hotel. And Roger Gordon who was one of many to put energy into restoring the hotel.…
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The birth of a ski area on a high country farm at Cardrona
Today, Cardrona Ski Area (simply “Cardrona” or affectionately known as “Cardies”) is well known – around New Zealand and internationally – as a respected, busy and much loved skifield operation. It is also now home base for some of the world’s most accomplished snow sports athletes, including many successful winter Olympians from the Upper Clutha…
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Early commerce in Cardrona Valley
John Cunnard was one of the first to operate a canvas constructed drinking establishment at Cardrona. He’d originally been at the Arrow diggings and in April 1863 had submitted the lowest price of £6 a cairn for the first trail markers to be erected in the district. He disposed of his share in his Arrow…
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The early Cardrona village
Like most mining camps the initial town was built of calico or canvas. A favoured method of construction, this allowed buildings to be both erected and dismantled quickly; the material also being comparatively light and cost effective. In most early mining settlements the initial inhabitants were young, single and high-spirited. A ‘work hard – play…
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The crippling flood of 1878
1878 – Jack McDougall senior told his grandson Jack, that before the flood the river was quite a defined, deep river within the valley with spacious river flats. After the floods the river levelled out, rumbled and rumbled over rocks and boulders particularly around Shot’s Creek. The Cardrona Valley had been reshaped by nature and…
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Hope, hardship and hotels
Cardrona cannot boast of a dastardly figure such as Bully Hayes in its past but, like all mining districts, attracted its share of vagabonds and “ne’er do wells”. Charles Colclough was the patron of the Royal Mail Hotel and Post Office Store. He was also a joint leaseholder with James Gibson and together they ran…
Interested in reading more about Cardrona’s rich history?
Read more articles and view photo galleries here
We acknowledge the Central Lakes Trust for the significant support provided to the Cardrona Heritage Trust. Thank you for helping make this project a reality.
Cardrona Heritage Trail 