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Arrowtown

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dawn
dawn
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4 out of 5
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Editor Pick

Tiny NZ town: Fab Sweet Shops, Good Walking

  • October 5, 2009
  • Rated 4 of 5 by beckyX from Cambridge, United Kingdom
Arrowtown is a very small town of about 2000 people in South New Zealand about 21 miles from the much larger Queenstown. It used to be a mining town 150 years ago, but the gold ran out many years ago and now tourism is the new source of gold for the town. Unusually for this area (which is now mainly famous for much more modern extreme sports industry), the town has a historic feel to it, with some very picturesque buildings.

When we passed through en route to Queenstown, we were amazed that such a small town could have such a large and varied shopping street. One shop in particular made the visit entirely worthwhile - a chocolatier called Patagonia Chocolates. They have some unusual (and extremely strong) flavours to pick from - our two favourites were the ginger and the chilli flavours - though be warned that these stronger flavours aren't for the faint of heart! A unique selling point for this shop is that you can watch chocolate being made. It's not cheap - you get about 3 pieces of chocolate totalling 100g for about £4-5 under current exchange rates, but as an occasional special treat, it's well worth it. When we asked, it turned out that the 70% cocoa chocolates were vegan although not suitable for people who have allergies to nuts dairy or gluten.

There is also a retro sweet shop in the town called the Remarkable Sweet shop (it is indeed remarkable, but "The Remarkables" is also a nearby range of mountains), with a wide range of old-fashioned sweets sold in big jars. Do try the liquorice and the sherbert lemons if you go here!

The town is surrounded to the North and the East by mountain ridges. This makes it very convenient for the nearby Coronet Peak ski fields in winter. This ski-field also doubles up as the main take-off point for paragliding all year round, with a backup paragliding launch point of Crown Terrace on the other side of Arrowtown. This backup site is lower, but has the advantage that the wind is more consistent, so you won't end up with highly embarrassing (but funny) videos of you crashing and falling down a hill on take-off (which is what happened to me on Coronet Peak). You get fantastic views of Arrowtown from up in the air - do try the paragliding if you are nearby. The area around Arrowtown has some excellent trails for hikers, with a mixture of distances and difficulties to suit a range of abilities.

Another attraction for Lord of the Rings fans that was also used in the filming of Lord of the Rings. Sadly, though, the most recognisable location was in the reserve near there and was best accessed by helicopter, which we didn't have time for on our trip.

As this is a big tourist area, there are lots of hotels nearby. I can't recommend anywhere firsthand though, because we were staying in neighbouring Queenstown. Arrowtown was a lot more peaceful though, so I plan on staying there when I go back next time.

In conclusion, Arrowtown is a quaint little place. It's much quieter than nearby Queenstown, which is quite garish in comparison. It provides an excellent base for outdoor pursuits and adrenaline sports and plenty of shopping to keep you entertained.

From journal Travels in New Zealand

Editor Pick

Arrowtown

  • February 20, 2002
  • Rated 4 of 5 by dawn from Chicago, Illinois
Arrowtown

While Queenstown is glowing Neon lights and a dance beat at night; Arrowtown is quaint stone cottages with an old fashioned pace to life. It's a quick 20 minute drive between the two towns....but worlds apart in attitude!

Arrowtown started life infamously in gold mining fever along with the tales of greed and despair told around the world where miners flocked. Keeping in touch with it's past, this area has been declared a gold mining district. This means that you can pan for gold in the rivers or streams...for free...as long as you don't use motorized equipment. They sell pans in the grocery store here!

I loved the charm of main street where supply stores from over one hundred years ago have been turned into fun shops ( woolens, jewelry, ice cream ) and great Cafes' to grab an amazing meal. Heck, I heard about Saffron's Cafe on the West Coast almost 300 Km from here! We stopped in to meet the owner, Peter, who was busy getting ready for the evening meal. He took plenty of time to chat and welcome us to town. Since his exposure in Conde Neste, life has been hectic for him and his partner Melanie!

We had already booked our reservations for dinner.....so WHEN I go back... I will try the chargrilled saddle of rabbit with sage and turnip polenta in a puff pastry with an elderberry glace ($29.50nz) While Ron was eyeing the Pork Loin Cutlets, redcurrant and soy marinade chargrilled with warm salad of sauteed apple, asparagus, and sage cous cous ($26.50nz). call: 0064-442-0131 for required reservations

The Gold Store is across the street and specializes in nugget jewelry made here. I bought my daughter a gold chain with a small clear locket filled with gold flakes for about $38nz. The gold flake earrings to match were also reasonable. Check out the various sized nuggets that are for sale near a wonderful case of antique estate jewlery . They also had some " flour" gold in vials ( silver too) starting at $15nz. Visit here and then go to the Arrowtown history museum where the gold mining story is told in detail before you head to the streams to try your own luck !

From journal Hobbit Adventures at the Bottom of the World

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