Cardrona Hotel

The Cardrona was licensed in 1863 during the Cardrona goldfield rush and is one of the oldest hotels still operating in New Zealand. Its front is the thing: a symmetrical timber facade with a central gable, the name in large letters, set against the bare tussock valley - simple, isolated and instantly recognisable, and photographed constantly, including for a long-running beer advertising campaign that made it nationally familiar. By the 1980s it had almost gone; it was restored and reopened and now works as a pub, restaurant and accommodation with a large garden bar behind that is a summer institution. It sits on the Crown Range Road, the highest sealed road in the country at 1,076 metres, which links Wanaka and Queenstown directly and which closes or requires chains in snow. The old Cardrona goldfield and the bra fence a little further down the valley are the other stops.

What you actually see

• The 1863 facade - the symmetrical front against bare tussock.
• The garden bar - the summer institution behind the building.
• The Crown Range - the highest sealed road in the country outside.
• The gold valley - the old Cardrona field around it.

When to go

Any season; summer for the garden bar, winter for the fire and the ski traffic. Check the Crown Range conditions in winter - it closes or needs chains.

Honest expectations

It is a busy commercial pub, not a museum - expect crowds and tourist pricing, especially in ski season. The Crown Range is steep and winding with sharp corners. Accommodation books well ahead.

Nearby

Wanaka is north; Arrowtown and Queenstown are over the Crown Range.