Bendigo is a settlement and historic area in

Central Otago Central Otago is an area located in the inland part of the Otago region in the South Island of New Zealand. The motto for the area is "A World of Difference". The area is dominated by mountain ranges and the upper reaches of the Clutha River ...

South Island The South Island ( , 'the waters of Pounamu, Greenstone') is the largest of the three major islands of New Zealand by surface area, the others being the smaller but more populous North Island and Stewart Island. It is bordered to the north by ...

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

. It is located some 20 kilometres to the north of

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...

, to the east of the head of

Lake Dunstan Lake Dunstan is a man-made lake and reservoir in the Otago Region of the South Island of New Zealand. The lake was formed on the Clutha River as a result of the construction of the Clyde Dam, filling in four controlled stages beginning in Apr ...

, on the banks of the Bendigo Creek, a small tributary of the

Clutha River The Clutha River (, officially gazetted as Clutha River / ) is the second longest river in New Zealand and the longest in the South Island. It flows south-southeast through Central and South Otago from Lake Wānaka in the Southern Alps to the ...

. In pre-European times, the area was not widely used, though an established Māori trail ran through it. Remains of

pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in the South Island of New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word ...

weapons have been found in the area, as has a

waka WAKA (channel 8) is a television station licensed to Selma, Alabama, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Montgomery area. It is owned by Bahakel Communications alongside Tuskegee-licensed CW+ affiliate WBMM (channel 22); B ...

paddle (now in the collection of the

Otago Museum Otago (, ; ) is a region of New Zealand located in the southern half of the South Island and administered by the Otago Regional Council. It has an area of approximately , making it the country's second largest local government region. Its po ...

) and the remains of some

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. Moa or MOA may also refer to: Arts and media * Metal Open Air, a Brazilian heavy metal festival * MOA Museum of Art in Japan * The Moas, New Zealand film awards People * Moa ...

egg shells, all suggesting it may have been used as a temporary camping area.Historic Bendigo: Otago
" New Zealand Department of Conservation. Retrieved 18 July 2013. Bendigo first achieved notability in the 1860s, during the

Otago gold rush The Otago gold rush (often called the Central Otago gold rush) was a gold rush that occurred during the 1860s in Central Otago, New Zealand. This was the country's biggest gold strike, and led to a rapid influx of foreign miners to the area � ...

. Gold was discovered at Bendigo Creek in 1862. The Bendigo Goldfields around the original Bendigo settlement became one of the country's richest, yielding an estimated 15 to 50 ounces (0.4 to 1.4 kg) of gold per week. The initial

alluvial gold Placer mining () is the mining of stream bed deposits for minerals. This may be done by open-pit mining or by various surface excavating equipment or tunneling equipment. Placer mining is frequently used for precious metal deposits (particularly ...

was rapidly played out, but quartz reefs bearing the precious metal were discovered by Thomas Logan in 1863 and many mine shafts were sunk into the rock during the 1860s. By the mid 1870s, the reef was considered New Zealand's richest.Bendigo
" centralotago.co.nz. Retrieved 18 July 2013. Mining continued in the area until the 1940s. The settlement's name is a relic of this time, having been transplanted from the Australian town of the same name by gold miners who had travelled from the

Victorian goldfields The Goldfields region of Victoria is a region commonly used but typically defined in both historical geography and tourism geography (in particular heritage tourism). The region is also known as the Victorian Golden Triangle. Description ...

. The remains of the gold field, which was rapidly played out, have been largely preserved, and form the basis of the 1,085 hectare Bendigo Historic Reserve. The reserve contains numerous walkways and includes the remains of mineshafts, water races, stamping batteries and the remains of several now-deserted settlement buildings.

Bendigo wine sub-region

Today, Bendigo's economy is based on tourism and wine. The area around Bendigo is one of the major subregions of the

Central Otago wine region The Central Otago wine region is a geographical indication in New Zealand's South Island, and the world's southernmost commercial wine growing region. While Central Otago is best known for Pinot Noir, many white wine varieties are also popular. ...

, with several top wineries and vineyards. As with other parts of the wine region, the main grape variety in the area is

pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

Vineyards and Wineries in the area

Bendigo

* Aurora Vineyard * Clutha Ridge * Lamont * Folding Hill * Misha's Vineyard * Moko Hills * Mondillo * Mud House Wines * Prophet’s Rock * Quartz Reef * Zebra NZ Vineyards

Tarras Tarras is a small farming settlement in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. Tarras is located on the slopes above the upper reaches of the Clutha Valley, on State Highway 8. It is the first village reached by travellers heading ...
and Māori Point

* Māori Point Vineyard * Swallows Crossing Vineyard * Tarras Vineyards

Climate

References