Arrowtown

Another gold-mining town, Arrowtown lies northeast of Queenstown. Jack Tewa, or Maori Jack, as he was known, found gold along the Arrow River in 1861, and when William Fox, an American, was seen selling large quantities of the precious metal in nearby Clyde shortly afterward, the hunt was on. Others attempted to follow the wily Fox back to his diggings, but he kept giving his pursuers the slip, on one occasion even abandoning his tent and provisions in the middle of the night. Eventually a large party of prospectors stumbled on Fox and his team of 40 miners. The secret was out, miners rushed to stake their claims, and Arrowtown was born. At the height of the rush there were more than 30,000 hardy souls in this tiny settlement.

After the gold rush ended in 1865, the place became another sleepy rural town until tourism created a new boom. This village at the foot of the steep Crown Range, with weathered-timber shop fronts and white stone churches shaded by ancient sycamores, was simply too gorgeous to escape the attention of tour buses. It has become a tourist trap, but a highly photogenic one, especially when autumn gilds the hillsides. Each April, Arrowtown celebrates the Autumn Festival when the trees are at their most spectacular. On a stroll along the main street, Buckingham Street, you can stop in the old post and telegraph office, still open for business. Take time to explore some of the lanes and arcades, filled with cafés and boutique shops.

There are several walks—Tobin's Track, the Loop, Sawpit Gully, and the Lake Hayes Walk —to raise the fitness levels and give you a feeling for where you are. Some investigate the old gold history, but others give nice views. You can get details on all of them from the Lakes District Museum Information Centre.