Central Otago – Moo and Moochelle

Tag: Central Otago

Dyke’s Dam (Sowburn Walkway), Patearoa, CENTRAL OTAGO

Patearoa is a small settlement in rural Central Otago, meaning “fortification with a clear view” in Te Reo Māori, although this may be more the original name of the Rock and Pillar Ranges, rather than the name given to the village. Europeans settled here in search of gold in the 1860s, and named the place […]

Blue Lake Loop Track, St Bathans, CENTRAL OTAGO

St Bathans is a former gold and coal mining settlement in the heart of rural Central Otago. Fun fact: it was previously named Dunstan Creek, but was founded as St Bathans in 1863. It was named by surveyor John Turnball, after the Scottish parish of Abbey St Bathans. By 1887 it had a population of […]

The Routeburn. A day walk?

So kids, here’s a little story. Mike once said he really wanted to walk the Routeburn. “Great” I thought “we can do that.” I’d done the Routeburn before, camping along the way because me and my student buddies didn’t want to pay the $50/night to sleep in the huts. Then he added: “In a day” […]