Central Otago is the inland heart of New Zealand's South Island — a dramatic landscape of tawny tussock-covered hills, deep gorges, and glacial lakes. The region includes the adventure tourism capital of Queenstown and the quieter lakeside town of Wanaka, but beyond those headline destinations lies some of New Zealand's most distinctive scenery.
The old gold-mining towns of Cromwell, Clyde, and Alexandra are strung along the Clutha River gorge, and the area has become one of the world's most southerly wine regions, producing exceptional pinot noir. The Otago Central Rail Trail, a 152-kilometre cycling route along the former railway, is one of the best ways to see the region's austere beauty up close.