We are delighted to present the confirmed street names for Wooing Tree Estate.
Vintage Street, Magnum Drive, Blondie Drive, Pouakai Drive, Kawariki Court, Plover Court, Sandstorm Way, Wooing Tree Avenue, Tussock Way, Hadley Place, Booth Drive, Finla Terrace, Bragato Way, and Dotterel Lane.
Street naming has been a long journey with the council and community board and although they did not support our vision to use only Wooing Tree and wine related names, we are delighted with the final mix of names. Every street has a connection to Wooing Tree vineyard and the history of Cromwell and below we tell the story behind each street name.
Wooing Tree Avenue
“The Wooing Tree” has pride of place in the Wooing Tree Estate, and rightly so it’s a local icon and also classed as one of New Zealand’s notable trees. Wooing Tree is over 100 years old and has long been a meeting place for local lovers, many engagements and weddings have taken place under the tree.
Turning left at the entrance will take you onto Wooing Tree Avenue which trails round to Wooing Tree Park, where the majestic tree stands. It’s also no coincidence that the new cellar door will sit on the avenue at the entrance to the new neighbourhood.
Sandstorm Way
Opposite the neighbourhood centre, Sandstorm Way will run northwest from Wooing Tree Avenue connecting with Vintage Street. The name Sandstorm Way pays homage to Cromwell’s history and also the grapes that have been grown on this land. Founded on the gold rushes of the mid-1800s Cromwell had become a respectable Victorian town by the early 1900s surrounded by orchards, mining, chafer beetles, and river dredges. Over time the town has been subjected to sandstorms during strong north-westerly winds. The roads around Cromwell often had to be graded to remove the windblown sand dunes after the frequent sandstorms. See the below image of the clearing of sand by dray from Cromwell streets (Supplied by R Murray).
The development of Wooing Tree vineyard created a few sandstorms of its own. Wooing Tree’s Sandstorm variety has won many awards and is known as one of Central Otago’s best Pinot Noirs with its aromas of red berries, violets, and fruitcake with a hint of spice. Ripe berry, smoky plum, cherry, and dark chocolate show on the palate with a long sweet fruit finish. The original Wooing Tree vines re-planted at Wooing Tree’s new Pink Moon Vineyard continue to ensure the supply of this delicious wine for many years to come.
Bragato Way
Parallel to Vintage Street and linking with Magnum Drive, Bragato Way runs through Stage 2 of Wooing Tree Estate.
Bragato Way is named for Romeo Bragato (pictured left below) who was hired by the New Zealand Government to survey the country for wine and fruit growing potential. Bragato concluded that it would be economically lucrative and climatically suitable for fruit growing in Central Otago. He was particularly excited about viticulture and quoted in the Otago Daily Times on 27 April 1895 as saying, “There is no country on the face of the earth which produced better Burgundy (Pinot Noir & Chardonnay) grapes than were produced in Central Otago”. Cromwell and Central Otago over 100 years after Bragato recognised the potential is now seen as one of the premium wine-growing regions of the world.
Pouākai Drive
Near the entrance to Wooing Tree Estate, lies Pouākai Drive, connecting with Blondie Drive and Vintage Street. This is another street name that connects to the history of the area, an integral part of this development linking past and future. Pouākai, also known as Haast’s Eagle, is now extinct, but once prowled the skies of Central Otago. Local Māori legends speak of the Pouākai dominating the Cromwell skies. The Pouākai was unlike any bird of prey living today, with a wingspan of up to three metres, it was the largest eagle to have existed in the world.
Check out the sections available for you to build your new home in this idyllic spot, or contact our sales team to learn more.
