Day 173: Cromwell

I have tagged along with Rob & Jenna to a wedding that they are attending in Cromwell, which is south of Christchurch, and sort of in the middle of the South Island.  While they go to the wedding, I wander Cromwell.  There is not heaps to see.  But here is some of what I did see.
 

When we pull into town the first thing we come upon is a sculpture of giant fruit.  So of course I needed a photo of that.  Apparently much of original historic Cromwell was destroyed when the river was dammed to create lake Dunstan.  So next it was off to visit the historic town (they salvaged some of the buildings by moving them to a dry spot before the river was dammed.)

In the historic section of town, which is closed to traffic and only open to pedestrians, are about 2 streets worth of old building, most of which have been turned into cafes or art galleries (hence the metal roses and the felted hats - Mom, I thought you might like those.)  I wandered around there for a while, then headed to the lookout, to get a glimpse of the lake and the old location of the heart of the town.

This photo is looking out over Lake Dunstan.  Cromwell's original main street is now underwater here.  The town is surrounded by these barren looking mountains, brown and sort of bare looking all the time.  There are some higher mountains, with snow, that can be seen farther off in the distance.

After our chilly excursion around Cromwell, Miniwati and I enjoy some tea back at the house where we are staying.





The perfect ending to a lovely day.