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Donald Young, Denis McEntyre,
Matt Sole o the track
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This is managed
currently as an out and back track from State Highway 6 Luggate – Cromwell Road
beside Lake Dunstan 500m north east from Lowburn inlet and Valley up the
lakeside face of the terrace via a series of steps to a viewing point aligned
with the 45th parallel. This has received use from passing visitors and
locals alike and with its success the club has extended the walking track down
Hanging Gully on the true route via the early gold workings down to the Lowburn
inlet and then around the foot of Sugar Loaf terrace to the track starting
point beside Lake Dunstan and the SH.
This has
created a rewarding loop track with outstanding views and opened up a
previously hidden sequence of early gold workings for public access and
appreciation. Most of the current track and new extension is located on Central
Otago District Council (CODC) owned land. The Sugar Loaf area is an Area of
Outstanding Landscape in the CODC District Plan requiring compliance with Rule
4.7.6L (1) (c) relating area/amount of earth/material disturbance.
The
Hanging Gully is a recorded archaeological site on the NZ Archaeological site
recording register G42 572 and the Cromwell Rotary Club along with consultation
and gaining approvals from various other bodies such as LINZ, NZTA, adjacent neighbouring
landowners worked with Heritage New
Zealand (HNZ) to gain the required consents to run the track extension through
the archaeological gold workings site in Hanging Gully.
The
Cromwell Rotary has developed and maintained the current track and has the
support of both Cromwell and Pisa communities with their respective plans
for walking tracks rating them as medium and high importance. A memorandum of
understanding sets out the agreement between Cromwell Rotary and CODC
