Coal Creek Flat: Orchards and Cherry Season

For trip planning, it helps to distinguish between two levels: seasonal fruit offerings in Coal Creek Flat and the trails, landscapes, and cultural sites across the wider Central Otago District.

Fruit offerings in Coal Creek Flat

Pickles, jams, and syrups are available at the Coal Creek Gardens stand. The business also offers pick-your-own cherries from 26 December to early January. While the pick-your-own offering is operating, picking is available from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm; these hours therefore apply to the seasonal picking opportunity. If you are planning a trip specifically for the cherry harvest, check the offering dates in advance against your travel dates.

At Stone House Gardens, pick-your-own cherries are part of the summer offering. Together with the dates at Coal Creek Gardens, this gives you two different seasonal reference points for planning your trip.

The wider Central Otago District also has seasonal fruit attractions: Berryland is four kilometres north of Roxburgh. The roadside stand grows berries, stone fruit, and vegetables for direct sale to visitors passing by. Produce available to sample includes raspberries, strawberries, boysenberries, cherries, apricots, peaches, nectarines, potatoes, lettuce, and tomatoes. Selection varies by season.

Trails and landscapes in the Central Otago District

The Bannockburn Sluicings bear the scars of a brief gold-mining era. Various trails let you explore the area on foot or by bike.

The Roxburgh Gorge Trail follows the Clutha Mata-au River past eroded rock faces and old gold-mining sites. The one-day trip combines 21 kilometres of cycling with a 13-kilometre boat ride; the trail is graded 2–3. The Clutha Gold Trail offers a different timeframe: it runs for 135 kilometres between Roxburgh Dam in Central Otago and Waihola in the Clutha region. The trip is planned to take two to four days; the trail is graded 1–2 and is an easy cycling and walking route. The two trips therefore differ both in duration and in their combination of transport modes.

The Otago Central Rail Trail is 152 kilometres long, graded 1, and suitable for trips of one to five days. It can be ridden in either direction, with access at various points. The trail is suitable for walkers, cyclists, and horse riders, and passes through mountainous, dry landscapes, river gorges, tunnels, and viaducts, as well as historic homesteads and preserved gold-mining settlements.

The Lake Dunstan Trail also combines landscape and history in the Central Otago District. Between Cromwell and Clyde, it follows the shores of Lake Dunstan and passes through the renowned wine-growing area of Bannockburn, Cornish Point, and Cromwell Gorge. There are opportunities for swimming, boating, and other water sports along much of the route. Modern, pioneering, and Māori stories accompany the trail; some are brought to life at the Clyde and Cromwell Historical Precinct.

Art, heritage, and getting there

The Central Otago Arts Trail takes you to galleries and offers the chance to meet artists in their studios. Along the trail, you can also explore sculptures and murals, each with its own story. The Central Otago District’s heritage also includes the Otago Goldfields Heritage Trail, with more than 20 historic sites. Examples include Mitchell’s Cottage, Earnscleugh Dredge Tailings, Bald Hill Flat, and Dead Horse Pinch; the sites can be reached on foot, by bike, or by car.

To get to Central Otago, you can fly to Queenstown or Dunedin. For onward travel, you can rent a vehicle, take a bus, or book a guided tour. Check your travel options in advance to make sure they suit your dates.

Discover more destinations: Lindis Valley, Queensbury, Millers Flat, Roxburgh, Conroys Gully, Omakau, Kyeburn Diggings, Chatto Creek.

See the overview of the wider destination: Central Otago District.