Kawarau Gorge

The Kawarau Gorge is a major river gorge, located in Central Otago, in the South Island of New Zealand. The Kawarau River flows through the gorge, which is located between the towns of Queenstown and Cromwell, and part of the route of State Highway 6 also follows the gorge.

The gorge begins some 30 kilometres from Queenstown, close to the wine-growing community of Gibbston and the large rock outcrop known as the Nevis Bluff. It continues for some 25 kilometres before the river emerges into the upper valley of the Clutha River close to the settlement of Ripponvale. It is of major historic significance; the Kawarau was the site of much activity during the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, and the preserved remains of several miner's cottages (notably those of Chinese migrants) can be seen above the banks of the river.