Cambrians, off the St Bathans loop road, was originally settled by Welsh gold and coal miners in 1863. Along Cambrian Road, a number of mudbrick cottages still survive and are used today as holiday cribs. Cambrians is just one of a number of mining settlements which grew up along the eastern side of the Dunstan Mountains. Matakanui has some fascinating old buildings, and places with intriguing names like Devonshire Diggings, Tinkers Diggings, Drybread Diggings and Vinegar Hill are worth exploring if you have time. Much can be learned from the gravestones in cemeteries in the area, such as the one at Drybread.

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