4WD Tracks in Otago Central

Central Otago is where the South Island's 4WD reputation was built. The Old Man Range, the Rough Ridge, the Cardrona basin, the Nevis Valley, and the series of high-country back-roads connecting the Cromwell basin to the Mackenzie give a genuine back-country 4WD experience in a landscape unlike anywhere else in NZ.

The schist rock, the tussock, and the clarity of the air give Central Otago a spare, dry beauty that contrasts sharply with the West Coast rainforest. The region receives NZ's lowest rainfall — tracks dry quickly after rain. Snow closes the high routes from June through October but the lower basin roads remain accessible most of the year.