Alexandra, New Zealand facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alexandra Manuherikia or Areketanara (Māori)
Minor urban area
Skyline of Alexandra in May 2022
Country	New Zealand
Region	Otago
Territorial authority	Central Otago District
Ward	Vincent Ward
Community	Vincent Community
Electorates	Waitaki Te Tai Tonga (Māori)
Area
• Total	9.76 km2 (3.77 sq mi)
Elevation	150 m (490 ft)
Population  (June 2023)
• Total	6,120
• Density	627.0/km2 (1,624.0/sq mi)
Postcode	9320
Local iwi	Ngāi Tahu

Alexandra is a town in the Central Otago region of New Zealand's South Island. It sits by the Clutha River, where the Manuherikia River joins it. You can find Alexandra on State Highway 8. It is about 188 kilometres from Dunedin. The town is also 33 kilometres south of Cromwell.

Alexandra is home to about 6,120 people as of June 2023. .

History of Alexandra

How Alexandra Began

Alexandra was founded in the 1860s during the Otago gold rush. It was named after Alexandra of Denmark. In 1862, two gold miners, Horatio Hartley and Christopher Reilly, found a lot of gold in the Cromwell Gorge. They kept it secret at first. But to get a reward from the government, they told everyone about their discovery.

This made the Clutha River famous for its gold. Soon, about 2000 miners came to Alexandra. Many early miners were Chinese, making up about half of the mining population. A gold dredge called the Lady Molyneux once collected 1234 ounces of gold in just one week! Gold mining in the Clutha River was dangerous. In 1863, 37 men drowned there.

The old Post Office, Alexandra

Gold Mining Changes

By 1889, most of the easy gold was gone. People started growing fruit instead. When the river ran out of gold, people used 'paddock dredging' to find gold on the river banks. This noisy work happened day and night between 1896 and 1924, and again from 1951 to 1963. It also created a lot of dust. The leftover piles of rock from dredging now cover 170 hectares. This area is called the Earnscleugh Dredge Tailings.

Floods and Bridges

In 1878, the Clutha River flooded many towns, including Alexandra. The Manuherikia valley looked like a huge inland lake. Because of this flood, the Alexandra suspension bridge was built between 1879 and 1882. The Otago Central Railway line reached Alexandra in December 1906.

Changing Names

Alexandra was first called "Alexandra South" to tell it apart from another town with the same name. In 1867, the other town was renamed Pirongia, so "South" was dropped. Miners also called Alexandra by other names, like "Lower Township" or "Manuherikia."

Alexandra Bank of New Zealand

Modern Changes

In the 1980s, many fruit orchards were removed because of the Clyde Dam being built. This dam is the country's third largest hydroelectric power station. The railway line closed after the dam was finished in 1990. In 2000, the Otago Central Rail Trail opened. Now, bikers and walkers can use the old railway path from Clyde through Alexandra.

Geography and Climate

Alexandra's Location

The Alexandra Bridge Towers in autumn, remnants of the old bridge next to the 1958 arch bridge.

Alexandra is a popular place for holidays. This is because it has a hot and sunny climate in summer. There are many places to stay in Alexandra. The town has had two bridges crossing the Clutha River. The current bridge opened in 1958.

The 1958 steel truss arch bridge carrying State Highway 8 across the Clutha River at Alexandra

Alexandra's Weather

Alexandra has warm summers and cold winters. This is different from most of New Zealand. Summer temperatures can reach over 30°C. Winter temperatures can drop to about -8°C. On average, it gets above 25°C for 66 days each year. It also drops below 0°C for 92 nights each year. The hottest temperature ever recorded was 38.7°C. The coldest was -11.2°C.

Alexandra is one of the driest places in New Zealand. It often gets less than 400 mm of rain each year. Most of this rain falls in the summer. In 1964, Alexandra had only 212 mm of rain, which is the lowest ever recorded in New Zealand for one year.

People of Alexandra

War Memorial on Tarbert Street in Alexandra, New Zealand

Alexandra is a small urban area. Its population was 6,120 as of June 2023. . This makes it the second-largest town in the Central Otago District.

In 2018, Alexandra had 5,472 people. This was an increase of 669 people since 2013. There were 2,331 homes. The town had slightly more females than males. About 16.6% of the people were under 15 years old. About 29.1% were 65 or older.

Most people in Alexandra are of European background (93.1%). About 9.8% are Māori. Other groups include Pasifika, Asian, and other ethnicities. About 12.3% of people were born outside New Zealand.

When asked about religion, 51.8% said they had no religion. About 38.4% were Christian. A small number followed Māori religious beliefs or other religions.

Alexandra's Economy

Growing Grapes (Viticulture)

Growing grapes for wine is a big industry in the Central Otago Wine Region. The first grapes were planted here in 1864. Types like Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris are grown. Alexandra has over 25 vineyards, some of the most southern in the world. You can even cycle a trail called "Pedal for Pinot" to visit the vineyards.

Growing Fruit (Horticulture)

Alexandra is a hub for growing "stone fruit." These are fruits with a hard pit inside, like nectarines, apricots, cherries, peaches, and plums. Apples are also grown. The town celebrates this industry with a blossom festival every spring. The first orchards grew fruit for the gold miners. Now, fruit is sold in New Zealand and exported overseas. Many people come to Alexandra for seasonal work picking fruit in the summer.

Sheep Farming (Pastoral Farming)

Sheep farming, especially of merino sheep, has been important around Alexandra for many years. Galloway Station was one of the first sheep farms, started in 1858. The owners brought special merino sheep from Prussia in 1861.

Alexandra Aerodrome

The Alexandra Aerodrome is Alexandra's airport. In the past, airlines like SPANZ and NAC used it. Now, it's home to the Central Otago Flying Club and is used for gliding. There are no regular passenger flights anymore. The closest airport for commercial flights is in Queenstown.

Education in Alexandra

Alexandra has several schools for young people.

Primary Schools

• The Terrace School is a state primary school for students in Year 1 to 8. It opened in 1965.
• Alexandra School is also a state primary school for Year 1 to 8 students. It opened in 1865.
• St Gerard's School is a Catholic primary school for Year 1 to 8 students. It first opened in 1912.

Secondary School

• Dunstan High School is a state secondary school for students in Year 9 to 13. It opened in 1962.

Events in Alexandra

Blossom Festival

Alexandra is famous for its Alexandra Blossom Festival. This yearly event started in 1957. It celebrates the start of spring when the fruit trees bloom with beautiful flowers.

Great Easter Bunny Hunt

Rabbits were brought to New Zealand in 1866. They quickly multiplied and became a problem because they eat too much grass. Each Easter, people in Alexandra take part in a competition to shoot as many rabbits as possible. This helps control their numbers. The Alexandra Lions Club runs the event, which is also a fun social gathering. The hunt took place in 2021, with over 10,000 rabbits shot.

Things to Do in Alexandra

Alexandra Swimming Pool

The Alexandra swimming pool complex is a great place to swim. It was built in 2003. It has an indoor 25-metre lap pool, a learners' pool, and a spa pool. There's also an outdoor pool open in summer. It's located in Molyneux Park.

Ice Skating Rink

Alexandra has a large outdoor Olympic-sized ice rink in Molyneux Park. It's the biggest of its kind in New Zealand. The Alexandra Winter Sports Club runs it. It opened in 1993.

Alexandra Golf Club

The Alexandra golf club started in 1901. It moved to its current location in the mid-1960s. The 18-hole course is mostly flat with tree-lined fairways.

Molyneux Park

Molyneux Park is a large park on State Highway 8. It has the swimming pool, netball courts, a cricket ground, the ice skating rink, a bowls club, and a toy library.

Central Stories Museum and Art Gallery

Waterwheel at the Central Otago Art Gallery and Museum

The Alexandra Museum and Art Gallery is called Central Stories. It tells the story of the local area. You can learn about geology, early explorers, gold mining, Chinese immigrants, fruit orchards, farming, and grape growing. It's open most days.

Alexandra Public Library

The Alexandra Public Library is on Tarbet Street. It has many books, magazines, and DVDs for all ages. It also offers free Wi-Fi and regular events.

Pioneer Park

Pioneer Park was created in the late 1860s. It has a playground and botanic gardens. There are also three artificial grass tennis courts in the park.

Lower Manorburn Dam

This large dam is just outside Alexandra in the hills. It was built in the 1900s for irrigation. It's a popular spot for fishing, canoeing, and swimming. In winter, when it freezes over, people go ice skating there.

Mountain Biking

Part of the Otago Central Rail Trail goes through Alexandra. The "Mountain bikers of Alexandra" club builds trails in the area. You can find mountain bike trails at Alexandra Airport, Boot Hill, Clyde Lookout, and Flat Top Hill. The trails at Flat Top Hill are award-winning.

Alexandra Clock

A large clock was built on Knobbies Range overlooking Alexandra in 1968. It is 11 metres wide. The minute hand is 5.6 metres long, and the hour hand is 4 metres long. At night, 150 LED lights light up the clock. In April 2020, the clock stopped working because someone damaged the hands.

Air Pollution in Alexandra

Alexandra sometimes has air pollution, especially in winter. This is mainly from homes burning wood and coal for heat. The pollution is worst in winter mornings and evenings. Because Alexandra is in a basin and doesn't get much wind, the smoke can get trapped in the town. This means Alexandra can have some of the worst winter air quality in New Zealand. Scientists and local students are working to understand and improve the air quality.

Famous Buildings

Shaky Bridge

The Shaky Bridge crosses the Manuherikia River. It connects Kerry Street and Graveyard Gully Road. It was finished in 1879. It was the only bridge over the Manuherikia River for 20 years. It got its nickname "Shaky Bridge" because it wasn't well looked after. Today, it's a tourist attraction and only open to people walking.

Simmond's Boarding House

Simmond's Boarding House was built in 1882. It provided a place to stay for over 90 years. It was later changed into an office building in the 1970s. James Simmonds, who built it, was also a mayor of Alexandra.

Simmond's Boarding House Alexandra, New Zealand

Bendigo Hotel

The original Bendigo Hotel was built in the 1860s. It was replaced in 1900 by a new, two-story brick hotel. This new hotel had 30 bedrooms and was considered a top-class hotel. The Bendigo Hotel was flooded twice in the late 1990s. It was then taken down in 2001 to build a floodbank to protect Alexandra.

Alexandra Courthouse

The former Alexandra Courthouse

The old courthouse in Alexandra opened in 1879. It handled cases related to mining and general legal matters. It was used as a courthouse until 1972. Today, it is a cafe. It is a Category 2 Historic Building, meaning it is important to New Zealand's history.

Vallance Cottage

Vallance Cottage is a house made of mud bricks, built in 1896. At one time, a family of eleven lived there. It is also a Category 2 listed building. In the 1970s, it still didn't have running water inside.

Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary

In 2005, some Alexandra residents started the Central Otago Ecological Trust. Their goal was to bring back animals that had disappeared from the Alexandra area. They created the Mokomoko Dryland Sanctuary near Alexandra. It has a 1.6-kilometre long fence to keep out predators. This allows native plants and animals like lizards and insects to grow and live safely there.

In 2018, about 150 skinks and geckos were brought to the sanctuary. Lizards native to the area include the Otago skink and the grand skink. Jewelled Geckos have also been moved to the sanctuary from another area.

Media in Alexandra

Radio Stations

Alexandra has local radio stations that provide news and information for the area.

• Radio Central broadcasts on 91.9 FM in Alexandra and Cromwell, 94.3 FM in Roxburgh, and 104.3 FM in Wedderburn.
• Other local FM stations include Classic Gold on 107.3 FM and XS80s on 106.7 FM. These stations cover the main town area.

Mayors of Alexandra

Alexandra is now managed by the Central Otago District Council. The current mayor is Tim Cadogan. Many streets in Alexandra are named after past mayors of the town.

See Also

• List of towns in New Zealand