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Arrowtown

Arrowtown is probably the most well-preserved goldmining town in Otago.

William Rees and Nicholas von Tunzelmann were the first Europeans to establish farms in the Arrow Basin which was formed by massive glaciers. Rees’ cadet, Alfred Duncan, provides us with one of the first descriptions of the Arrow River ‘flowing like silver threads through the blackened [matagouri] scrub-clothed plains.’ It was not the silver look of the river but the gold it contained that saw Arrowtown evolve. Jack Tewa, a shearer for Rees, was the first to discover gold around May 1861, followed by either William (Bill) Fox or the team of Thomas Low and John MacGregor late in 1862.

It is unclear who was next. Being a forceful character, Fox took credit for the discovery and for a while the town was called Fox’s. Although there were attempts to keep the discovery secret, there were 1,500 miners camped down on the Arrow River by the end of 1862. 12,000 ounces (340 kgs) of gold were carried out on the first gold escort in January 1863.

After the initial gold rush, a more permanent town began to establish itself. The avenues of trees were planted in 1867 in an attempt to make Arrowtown look more like the European towns the settlers had left behind. Arrowtown continued to survive after the gold ran out by becoming a farm service town. Although the permanent population declined, during the 1950s it gained a reputation as a popular holiday destination. This saw New Zealand holiday makers restoring the historic cottages and building holiday houses. Most of these have now become permanent residences.

Arrowtown has around 60 historic buildings that are obvious as soon as one enters the town. The buildings of interest include cottages, shops and churches and can be viewed from the street. There are a number of walks you can do that will take you around all these historic buildings efficiently. Some of the buildings you will see include the Postmaster’s House, the Post Office, a Butcher’s shop, the Chinese Settlement, a cemetery and a number of Churches and cottages from the 1860s.

There are a variety of walks in the area that can provide fantastic views and take you to historic places, or to relics from the 1860s goldrush. Examples include a trek to Macetown (an old goldmining town; 6-8hrs return) or a trip up Advance Peak (4hrs return) to the highest mine in the area. Tobins Track goes to Crown Terrace giving views of the Wakatipu Basin and the surrounding mountains (1hr return).

Other activities offered in Arrowtown include gold panning, wine tasting, mountain biking, horse trekking, skiing including cross-country skiing, fishing, swimming and of course golf. Golf can be played at either the Arrowtown or Millbrook courses. Trout fishing in any of the lakes and rivers around Arrowtown is well worthwhile and a relaxing pastime.