Lawrence is a small town of some 500 inhabitants in Otago, in New Zealand's South Island. It is located on the main route from Dunedin to the inland towns of Queenstown and Alexandra, 35 kilometres to the northwest of Milton, and close to the Tuapeka River, a tributary of the Clutha.
Lawrence's main claim to fame is of being the focal point for Otago's 1860s gold rush, after the discovery of the metal at nearby Gabriel's Gully by Gabriel Read. In mid 1862, it is estimated that twice as many people lived around the banks of the Tuapeka River as did in Dunedin iteself.
The town was named for Sir Henry Lawrence, hero of the Lucknow military campaign of 1857.
references
Wise's New Zealand guide (4th ed.) (1969). Dunedin, NZ: H.Wise & Co. (N.Z.).
