Gaye Cowie, chairwoman of the Gabriel's Gully 150th celebrations organising committee, officially closed the four-day event by awarding Hamish Dalziel first place in the beard-growing competition before thanking the many people who worked on the celebrations.
Verve event manager Sam Heeny said the response from visitors and the community had been "overwhelming".
"It was an absolutely superb weekend.
"The 150th was enjoyed by thousands of people from Gabriel's Gully to Dunedin".
In the "Layers of Gold" celebrations in Dunedin, "settlers" were welcomed at the Birch St wharf by about 500 people, before travelling via horse and carriage to a shantytown in the Octagon on Saturday.
More than 1000 people visited.
Heritage church services were held in Dunedin and Lawrence on Sunday morning, with exhibitions across Dunedin, and family history exhibits in Gabriel's Gully Historic Reserve in Lawrence.
Water taxis ferried more than 150 people to Quarantine Island in Otago Harbour for tours there on Sunday.
Yesterday, a production - "Events of the Goldfields Through the Eyes of the Child" - was performed by Lawrence Area School pupils in front of more than 250 people at Gabriel's Gully.
The play was written by pupils under the guidance of drama practitioner Evelyn Mann, of Dreamworkz, who spent three days with staff and pupils.
Lawrence Area School teacher Kerren Crawford said the school was asked by the celebration's organising committee to put together a production about the gold rush.
"We had lots of journal stories about the history of Lawrence to work with, so the children wrote it and Evelyn put it all together."
New entrance to year 8 pupils - dressed in colonial and mining garb - told the story of the goldfields through song, dance and love letters being read aloud.
"The children did really well, especially with only one practice on stage," Ms Crawford said.
