Arrowtown - South Island, New Zealand

Arrowtown is a living historic settlement 23 kiometres northeast of Queenstown

Arrowtown sits alongside the Arrow River - once the scene of a frantic gold rush. The town retains its historic character with more than 60 restored wooden and stone buildings from the 19th century. It has pretty tree lined avenues and is a quiet contrast to Queenstown.

With the goldrush long gone the town now focuses on tourism. Explore the Chinese miners' settlement, visit the Lake District Museum, or catch a few holes of golf at the challenging local golf courses, Arrowtown and Millbrook.

Arrowtown Activities

If you want to experience the gold rush, you can try your luck gold panning on the Arrow River. You can rent the pans from the visitor centre and go to the northern end of the town, which is also a perfect spot for picnics and local walks.

For such a small place, Arrowtown has plenty to offer on the eating scene. There are top end restaurants, French creperies, a gourmet bakery (with the best pies in the country) and cafes, plus a selection of character pubs and bars.

Fourteen kilometres north of Arrowtown is Macetown, a ghost town that can only be reached by a long, flood prone road which crosses the Arrow River more than 25 times. A 4-wheel drive safari outfit will collect you from Arrowtown for this full day outing.

Arrowtown Accommodation

Arrowtown offers a range of motel, apartment, holiday home, B&B, backpacker and camping ground accommodation.

LooknbookNZ can organise your Arrowtown accommodation and Arrowtown activities allowing you and your family/friends have a trip down memory lane to the quaint Arrowtown.