Nestled within the scenic reaches of the North Island of New Zealand, close to Queenstown, is the charming area known as Kawarau Falls, which was once poised to striking it rich during the last stages of the country’s gold rush era in the late 1800s/early 1900s. When you stay in the area, your Queenstown hotel will be happy to arrange transport in and around the Kawarau Falls area, or you could simply hire a mountain bike from one luxury hotel Queenstown has to offer its adventurer tourists, such as the Millennium Hotel Queenstown and explore the area on your own time. The most significant feature of Kawarau Falls is its bridge/dam, which was erected in the hopes of uncovering the millions of dollars’ worth of gold lingering on the river bed. Even through the dam was completed in 1926, the level of the Kawarau River only dropped by a metre or so, which was simply not deep enough to reveal the gold veins running along the river bed. The developers had not planned on other rivers flowing into the Kawarau river downstream, thereby rendering the dam moot. However, the bridge is renowned as being the only point that connects Queenstown to the Southland region. The scenic and idyllic “Queenstown trail” meanders in the region, and it takes you along the Kawarau Falls Bridge and alongside the lake, affording amazing views of the beautifully pristine country. So remember to bring along your camera and capture these majestic vistas for posterity.
Angela Fernando is an impassioned travel writer who composes pieces under the pen name Sumaira Narayan. She loves writing about new and exciting places around the world and intends to visit them all someday.