81. Arrowtown, New Zealand. Top things to see and do in Arrowtown, Central Otago, New Zealand
it took us four trips to New Zealand before we discovered Arrowtown.
We had been recommended by friends and family many times to go. They all said – you have to go to Arrowtown – it is so beautiful, but we just hadn’t found the time.
This trip though we did – and we were not disappointed. What a gorgeous, quaint little village. It has a population of just over 3,000 people and is right on the edge of the picturesque Arrow River.
Many people come here to explore the varied hikes or bike trails and it is also the starting point for popular wine tours, both guided and bike tours.
The main street, Buckingham Street, is like out of a time capsule and is full of fabulous shops and even more fabulous cafes and restaurants, some with fascinating histories.
You can wander around town and see all the centuries old miners’ huts or walk through the Chinese settlement that still has houses and shops in the original condition from the gold rush days. If you are feeling lucky you can even try your hand at gold panning.
The local museum is renowned as being one of the best in New Zealand and is the local tourist information centre as well.
SHOW NOTES AND PICTURES BELOW
Arrowtown is a small, picturesque town in the Lakes District in Central Otago, New Zealand. It is situated on the Arrow River and is only 20km from Queenstown.
It is a heritage village surrounded by mountain scenery. The main street which attracts many visitors is Buckingham Street. It has shops with original facades from centuries ago. Of course they have been updated and now house many upmarket clothing shops as well as impressive cafes and restaurants.
Arrowtown still has many original miners’ cottages in the main area of town. Some of these are now where local residents live and others have been converted to appealing accommodation or even cafes. If you take a walk around town you will come across many of these cute little homes.
Arrowtown also has an historic Chinese settlement area very close to the main street. This settlement was started when Chinese miners arrived when gold was discovered in 1861. As they faced considerable prejudice from the European settlers, the Chinese formed their own small settlement at the end of town which included huts and two Chinese stores.
Arrowtown is a popular starting point for many wine tours in the Central Otago Region. You can catch a shuttle bus, book a private tour or hire an e-bike to travel along one of the many trails and tracks. There are a variety of walking and hiking tracks as well. Some are short and take an hour or so and others are tracks that can take days to complete. The Arrow River Trail and Gibbston River Trail take you across suspensions bridges, through picturesque farmland and the iconic bungy bridge.
There are three well-known golf courses within 5 minutes of Arrowtown and they all have the wow factor scenery. The famous Millbrook Resort, the Hills and the Arrowtown Golf Club which winds its holes along an old glacier floor.
If you would like to know more information and hear all the fun stories about our visit to Arrowtown, then you can click on the podcast players above to listen directly from this webpage.
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