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 ... Read review
Advantages: Quiet, peaceful, great chocolate Disadvantages: Very small, a bit dull
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 ... ...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 ... more
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.
