Editing Crown Range

{{Short description|Mountain range in New Zealand}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Use New Zealand English|date=June 2015}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2009}}
[[File:Crown Range Road NZ.jpg|thumb|300px|right|The Zig Zag climbing the Crown Range road near Arrowtown]]
The '''Crown Range''' is a mountain range that lies to the east of the [[Wakatipu Basin]] in [[Otago]], New Zealand.<ref>{{LINZ|19169||2009-03-18}}</ref> It is noted for two features, the [[Cardrona Alpine Resort]], on the slopes of the 1900 metre [[Mount Cardrona]], and a highway, known as the Crown Range Road (formerly State Highway 89), which winds steeply between Arrow Junction, just south of [[Arrowtown]], and [[Wānaka]] to the north.

Travelling from Arrowtown towards Wānaka, the Crown Range Road starts at the bottom of the "zig zag". This steep and winding section climbs to the Crown Terrace, a large flat and fertile area capable of growing grain crops. To the left, Glencoe Road leads to Glencoe Station, the large high country [[Station (New Zealand agriculture)|station]] behind Arrowtown. At the end of the Crown Terrace is the Eastburn Road to Eastburn Station, which runs from the Glencoe boundary almost to [[Cardrona, New Zealand|Cardrona]].

Just past the Eastburn Road the road twists and climbs up to the Crown Saddle, where a bronze plaque at the vista point claims that this historic summit, at 1076&nbsp;m (3530&nbsp;ft) is the highest sealed road in New Zealand. Officially it is the highest sealed local road and the highest sealed pass or through road, 2m higher than the [[Desert Road]] summit on [[New Zealand State Highway 1|State Highway 1]] in the [[North Island]].<ref>While there are higher sealed roads in the North Island, all are for access up mountains. State Highway 48, which passes through [[Whakapapa Village]] at the base of Mt Ruapehu, reaches 1130 m. The Bruce Road from Whakapapa Village to Whakapapa Ski Field on Mt Ruapehu climbs to 1617m. Ohakune Mountain Road, from Ohakune to Turoa Ski Field, also on Mt Ruapehu, reaches 1623 m. Pembroke Road on Mt Taranaki is sealed to 1141 m.</ref><ref>[https://www.nzta.govt.nz/roads-and-rail/research-and-data/state-highway-frequently-asked-questions/ What is the highest state highway in New Zealand?], New Zealand Transport Agency. Accessed 2017-03-27.</ref>

Eastburn Station has provided a number of viewing areas. The distant views down and over Lake Hayes, Arrowtown and the airport to [[Queenstown, New Zealand|Queenstown]] are stunning. From the Crown Saddle the road follows the Cardrona creek which becomes the [[Cardrona River]] flowing down the iconic snow tussock valley until it opens out at the small settlement of Cardrona. The valley separates the Crown Range in the west from the [[Criffel Range]] in the east.

The area was heavily populated during the [[Otago gold rush]] of the 1860s, the town of Cardrona, now little more than a dot on the map, briefly having a population of several thousand [[Prospecting|prospector]]s. There are visible remains of gold prospecting beside the Crown Range Road over the [[Saddle (landform)|saddle]] on the west bank opposite the East Burn Stream two miles over the saddle, also six miles below the saddle on the east bank.

In 2001, the last section of the Crown Range Road was sealed by the [[Queenstown Lakes District Council]].<ref>[http://www.scene.co.nz/road-to-ruin/4969a1.page Road to ruin] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307205643/http://www.scene.co.nz/road-to-ruin/4969a1.page |date=7 March 2016 }} Mountain Scene – 10 July 2008</ref>

==References==
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{{coord|-44.9461|168.9200|region:NZ-OTA_type:mountain|display=title}}

[[Category:Mountain ranges of Otago]]