Cromwell (Māori: Tīrau) is a town in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island, located on the shore of Lake Dunstan.

Established at the confluence of the Clutha / Mata-Au and Kawarau Rivers after gold was discovered nearby during the Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s, Cromwell's location saw it become a junction for travel between Dunedin and areas further inland, such as Wānaka and Queenstown.

As gold mining declined, the town developed to service farms and orchards in the surrounding area, becoming known for stone fruit and as part of the Central Otago wine region.

Recent years have seen further development in Cromwell and the surrounding areas, including the construction of the Highlands Motorsport Park to the west in 2013 and the Lake Dunstan Trail to the south in 2021.

Cromwell has a strategic location between the Lindis and the Haast passes, and acts as a hub between the towns of Wānaka, Queenstown and Alexandra.

Since the construction of the Clyde Dam and the filling of Lake Dunstan in the early 1990s the river confluence was drowned, as was the old town centre.

Cromwell receives around 400 mm of rain a year due to its inland location.

He was stricken by dysentery, so his guides returned him down the Clutha, shooting the rapids in a mōkihi reed boat.

[16] Official explorations of the northern and western parts of Central Otago began in the late 1850s, but detailed surveys did not commence until 1861.

[18] Once the word of a gold strike was out, there was an influx of several thousand miners to the area as well as supporting nine hotels in Cromwell.

[28] As gold ran out, Cromwell became the service centre for an extensive farming and stone fruit growing area.

[30] The decision to build Clyde Dam and use Cromwell as the accommodation base brought many changes to the town.

In the early stages, a government information centre in Cromwell was set on fire in a late-night attack.

[32] The changes included the doubling of the residential area, relocation of the old town centre (now called "Old Cromwell Town"), upgrading of services, the provision of modern educational and sports facilities, and the construction of the new Deadman's Point Bridge.

The town centre was relocated between 1984 and 1985 to a new site known as "The Mall," that now houses the main retail, service and civic buildings in Cromwell.

[19] Several of the old buildings of the town which escaped the flooding have been retained as a historic precinct close to the shore of the Kawarau.

[8] Cromwell is described by Statistics New Zealand as a small urban area, and covers 15.63 km2 (6.03 sq mi).

The park includes a $25 million classic car museum as well as a 4100 metre long race track.

There was doubt that it would open for the 2022 / 23 summer season due to traffic safety issues entering the park but a resolution was achieved.

It is open six days each week and is administered by Central Otago and Queenstown Lakes Library consortia.

The Lake Dunstan mountain bike trail is 55 kilometres long and includes cantilevered platforms to get around a series of granite cliffs.

The Cromwell Golf Club has held the New Zealand Open final qualifying event on more than one occasion.

An artificial green was installed in 2015 which widened the playing season to ten months of the year.

[63] The construction of the Clyde Dam created Lake Dunstan, which consumed part of the old Cromwell town.

Burwell in a gothic style and built by Grant and Mackellar out of local schist stone.

It was used to house the Cromwell Museum until 1988 and then earthworks from the building of Lake Dunstan left it three quarters buried.

[71] The Cromwell courthouse was built by William Grant (a carpenter) and James Ritchie (a stonemason) and was completed in 1872.

Historic buildings include the hotel, post office, Stewart's store, and a number of homes.

These include dams, tunnels, water races and shafts created during the gold mining era between 1865 and 1910.

[86] Cromwell College is a co-educational state secondary school for Year 7 to 13 students,[87][88] with a roll of 636.