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Arrowtown is a contrast to Queenstown. It has a charm and village feel and retains a lot of the original buildings of the original gold rush. A group of Chinese gold miners settled in Arrowtown in 1869 and lived at Bush Creek by the Arrow River. |
| The settlement was abandoned but rediscovered in 1983 and now open as an historical site with some of the buildings reconstructed. | |
Arrowtown has a good collection of shops in Buckingham Street and many specialty shops catering to the visitor. A good place to browse. Restaurants and cafés are of a high standard and popular with both locals and visitors.
The Lakes District Museum has a good display of artifacts and historical information. You can even try your luck panning for gold in the Arrow River.
Arrowtown is 19km from Queenstown and about a 20 minute drive. It can be part of a circular drive via Coronet Peak one way and Lake Hayes on the return. Arrowtown is also on the way to the bungy jump on the Kawarau river.
