Arrowtown, Queenstown, a must-see attraction when in Queenstown

Queenstown arrowtown

I think I've been to Queenstown at least once every time I've visited, there's just something about the atmosphere that calms the excitement of traveling a little bit, and I love coming here.

Queenstown's Arrowtown was famous for its gold mining in the 1860s.. Today, you can still rent a panning pan from the museum and pan for gold in the creek.

It's also an area where you can still see the well-preserved homes of the Chinese who worked the gold fields in Queenstown back in the day. It's also only a 20-minute drive from Queenstown's center, so it's perfect for those who don't want to make the long drive.

Queenstown Arrowtown Location

Queenstown is the center of the city, on the bottom right of the map. There are two ways to get there by car. Assuming you're starting from the center, there's not much difference in time whether you choose to go to Arthurs point or Frankton.

If you don't have a car, you can get there by bus from the center. From the central city bus station, take the #2 bus toward Arrowtown, which will end at Arrowtown.

If you're planning on getting around the Queenstown area by bus, check out my article on bus routes in Queenstown.

What to see in Queenstown Arrowtown

Queenstown Arrowtown isn't actually a big area - think of it as a cute little town, and if you just want to have a quick look around, you might be done in half an hour, but I love to grab a takeaway coffee and wander around slowly.

Queenstown Arrowtown Street

Queenstown Arrowtown Street Trees & Shops

I've often visited Arrowtown in the fall and winter, and I highly recommend fall. The mountains that surround Arrowtown have a beautiful colorful fall foliage. That big tree above is in the center of town, and it really stood out when the leaves were changing colors.

We mentioned that Queenstown Arrowtown is famous for its gold mining, so it's no surprise that there are shops selling gold like this one. They even sell tiny gold flakes in bottles as souvenirs, so take a look around.

The Remarkable sweet shop is in the center of Queenstown. But there's also one in Arrowtown. It's a great place to buy chocolates or a gift for someone with a sweet tooth as a souvenir of your visit to Queenstown, because there's so much variety that it's fun to choose from. You should definitely try it.

There are also quite a few cafes and restaurants on the streets of Arrowtown, so it's fun to go in and try them out. Queenstown's famous dessert shop, Patagonia, is also a great place to stop for a hot chocolate.

The river below the streets of Arrowtown

There's a stream under the parking lot where you park your car, and they used to mine gold there. You'll see a small river surrounding the town on the map.

When I used to go to museums, they used to rent out pans so you could try your hand at gold panning. I started out thinking Anna wouldn't come, but she did, and I spent more time panning than I thought I would. It was fun, but don't do it in the rain.

The site of a Chinese home during the gold rush

How did a Chinese person get from China to this New Zealand, and at that time? It was fascinating.

It's organized in a way that you can walk around it like a walking tour. Before you go, there is a bulletin board in English and Chinese that explains how life was lived back then, so it's a good idea to read it first to help you understand.

As soon as I entered the promenade, I saw one house after another. Most of the houses were made of stone or wood because that's what was available in the environment at that time. How much time and effort must have gone into building the houses above? It's not even easy to guess.

The roof was made of thin sheets of iron, with wood underneath acting as beams. The floor was made of thin, wide slabs of flagstone, and they lived on it.

Arrowtown, Queenstown is surrounded by mountains, so I can't imagine how cold it must have been in that house, and if you're like me, you'll feel cold just looking at it.

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Finalize

Today we've introduced you to Arrowtown, which is a break from Queenstown activities. In fact, it's actually a part of Queenstown activities (Ski, Jetboat ) are fun, but they can get a bit pricey, so it's probably wise to spend your time at one of Queenstown's free attractions instead.

In that sense, I would say that Arrowtown is a good tourist attraction in Queenstown. I will be back next time with another Queenstown tourist attraction. If you want to know more about Arrowtown, please use the links below. Thank you for reading this article.