Arrowtown

Gold rush in Arrowtown

With the finding of gold in the nearby Shotover, Kawarau, and Arrow rivers, Arrowtown quickly became a mecca for prospectors from across the globe. Within three months of gold being discovered in the Shotover river, over 72,000 ounces were retrieved, earning it the reputation as the richest gold bearing river in the world. This period was also significant for the founding of New Zealand's Chinese heritage. Many peasant farmers from southern China came to New Zealand to seek their fortune on the goldfields of Otago. They were often unaccepted, they worked hard and spent little, sending most of their earnings back to China to wives and children, mothers and fathers many of whom would never be re-united. They lived in very basic conditions in a merciless environment, life was very hard. As the gold dried up they turned their hand back to their traditional trade as farmers and crop growers establishing a long partnership between New Zealand's early Chinese population and market gardening.

Today Arrowtown is a rustic reminder of New Zealand's early settler history. A by-law has preserved the towns main street leaving it much as you would have found it 120 years ago. There is also a newly opened heritage park in recognition of the early Chinese settlers. Arrowtown is particularly awe-inspiring in the autumn months when the surrounding hills and the banks of the arrow river are ablaze with a cacophony of copper's, gold's and rustic red's as the introduced poplars, sycamores and oaks shed their leaves for the coming winter. There are also plenty of cafes, bars and ice cream parlours as well as some great souvenir hunting.

Did you know?

There are four main ski fields in the Wanaka Queenstown region. Cardrona is about a 45 minute drive from Wanaka and is regarded as the best field in the country for boarders featuring several half pipes. Treble Cone, also close to Wanaka, features a higher ratio of black runs to blue runs and is better suited to intermediate and advanced skiers. On the other side of the Crown ranges in Queenstown is Coronet peak, possibly New Zealand's most recognized ski field for international skiers.