Crown Range

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Panorama of the view from the Crown Range road near Arrowtown

The Crown Range of mountains lies to the east of Arrowtown in Otago, New Zealand. It is noted for two features, the Cardrona Alpine Resort, on the slopes of the 1900 metre Mt. Cardrona, and a highway, known as the Crown Range Road, which winds steeply between the town of Arrowtown and Wanaka to the north. This is the highest sealed road in New Zealand.

Traveling from Arrowtown towards Cromwell the Crown Range Road starts at the bottom of the Zig zag. This steep and winding climb goes to the Crown Terrace. The Crown Terrace is a large flat and fertile area capable of growing grain crops. The road off to the left is to Glencoe Station (Glencoe Road) and at the end of the Crown Terrace is the Eastburn Road to Eastburn Station. Glencoe Station is the large high country ranch behind Arrowtown. Eastburn Station is also large and runs from the Glencoe boundary almost to Cardrona.

Just past the Eastburn Road the road twists and climbs up to the Crown Saddle. The bronze plaque at the Crown Range Road Summit confirms that this historic pass, at 1076m (3530 feet) is the highest sealed (paved) road in all of New Zealand (2m higher than the Desert Road summit on State Highway 1 in the North Island).^[1] Eastburn Station has provided a number of viewing areas. The distant view down and over Lake Hayes, Arrowtown and the Airport to Queenstown are stunning in any conditions. From the Crown Saddle the road follows the Cardrona creek, then stream which becomes the Cardrona River down the iconic snow tussock valley until it opens out at the small settlement of Cardrona.

The area was heavily populated during the Central Otago goldrush of the 1860s, the town of Cardrona, now little more than a dot on the map, briefly having a population of several thousand prospectors. There are visible remains of gold prospecting beside the Crown Range Road over the Saddle on the west bank opposite the East Burn (stream) 2 miles over the saddle. Also 6 miles down from the Saddle on the east bank.