Alexandrablossoming

Press, 19 July 1983, Page 31

Alexandra—blossoming

Alexandra is the commercial and business centre of Central Otago, famous for its warm, sunny weather, its fruit orchards, its proximity to the Clyde Dam and its fascinating gold mining heritage. On the banks of the Clutha, one of New Zealand’s longest and most powerful rivers, Alexandra provides a service center for the surrounding farming, horticultural and, more recently, heavy industrial areas. Only 10km away from the Clyde Dam construction site; the hydro-electricity project has brought a new prosperity to the town, providing both employment and retail revenue. Alexandra is most popular with visitors in spring and summer and the town is well-known for its Blossom Festival, held each year in early spring when the fruit blossoms are at their most picturesque. Christmas and New Year holidays are equally busy, ,with families travelling from far and wide to enjoy the hot weather and the relaxed atmosphere. In winter Alexandra still attracts many visitors to the hearby Manorburn Dam, a natural ice skating rink that caters for hundreds of skaters each week-end. The town itself is an interesting blending of very modern and very old architecture. Many of the buildings are relics of the gold rush era that first populated the area, preserved and maintained with a good deal of pride. Most of the new

buildings have been designed in sympathy with Alexandra’s history, using the same stone and wood construction. The new library and council chambers and the post office are two fine examples of this respect for the past. Visitors to the area seldom leave without having made a sightseeing trip to the Clyde Dam construction site. The huge earthworks and heavy machinery make a vivid contrast to the tranquillity of the surrounding pastoral land. Good lookout points have been provided by the Ministry of Works and while access to the site itself is prohibited to tourists, the lookouts give people a fair idea of the progress made. The development area looks particularly dramatic at night, when it is floodlit, with work continuing far into the hours of darkness. An official information centre has been established at Cromwell with scale models, audio-visual displays and background information bringing the concept of New Zealand’s biggest hydro-electric power project to life.

Alexandra’s hillside clock is a landmark for many kilometres round the town. Built with funds raised from the annual Blossom Festival, the clock plays a regular part in the spring festivities. A race is organised each year from river level, round the clock and back down again, with the winners’ times being remarkably short. Proceeds from Alexandra’s Blossom Festival, which has been held for the last 50 years, have been used to build some impressive sporting and cultural facilities in the town.