Chinese settlement Review

Read our Southern Alps and Fiordland sights reviews. Or post your own.

Chinese settlement

  • Address: Bush Creek, west end of town, Arrowtown

Fodor's Review:

In a less-visited part of the town is the former Chinese settlement. Chinese miners were common on the goldfields, brought in to raise a flagging local economy after the gold rush abated, but local prejudice from resident Europeans forced them to live in their own separate enclave. Some of their tiny 19th-century buildings, which have been restored, were built of sod, which endures well in the dry climate; others were built of layered schist stone, with roofs of corrugated iron or tussock thatch. Ah Lum's store (also now restored) was built in a style typical of the Canton delta region of China and operated until 1972.

  • Cost: Free
  • Open: Daily 9-5
Find more sights in The Southern Alps and Fiordland »

Member Reviews and Ratings

Be the first to review this property

Get Advice From Other Travelers

Visit the Travel Talk forums for help on planning your trip



Get the Fodor's Newsletter

For more travel ideas, tips, and deals, sign up for the Fodor's newsletter here. Read the current issue. Browse previous issues.




Copyright © 2009 Fodor's Travel, a division of Random House, Inc.