Bendigo is a settlement and historic area in Central Otago, in the southern South Island of

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. It is located some 20 kilometres to the north of

Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

, to the east of the head of Lake Dunstan, 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 P ...

. 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 southern 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 , also used ...

weapons have been found in the area, as has a

waka Waka may refer to: Culture and language * Waka (canoe), a Polynesian word for canoe; especially, canoes of the Māori of New Zealand ** Waka ama, a Polynesian outrigger canoe ** Waka hourua, a Polynesian ocean-going canoe ** Waka taua, a Māori w ...

paddle now in the collection of the

Otago Museum Tūhura Otago Museum is located in the city centre of Dunedin, New Zealand. It is adjacent to the University of Otago campus in Dunedin North, 1,500 metres northeast of the city centre. It is one of the city's leading attractions and has one of t ...

, and the remains of some

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refe ...

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 goldfield around the settlement became one of the country's richest, yielding an estimated 15 to 50 ounces of gold per week. The initial

alluvial gold Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. A ...

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 Otago's (and the country'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 I ...

. The remains of the gold field, which was rapidly played out, have been largely preserved, and form the basis of the 1085 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. Central Otago is best known for Pinot Noir, but many white wine varieties are also popular. H ...

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

Vineyards and Wineries in the area

Bendigo

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

Tarras and Māori Point

* Māori Point Vineyard * Swallows Crossing Vineyard * Tarras Vineyards

References

{{coord, -44.926, 169.344, type:city_region:NZ, display=title Populated places in Otago Geography of Otago Otago Gold Rush Wine regions of New Zealand 1862 establishments in New Zealand