An historic gold rush town proves the perfect place for IAN HORSWILL to recover after hiking New Zealand's famed Milford Track.
Whenever I head south of Sydney, I simply must stop at Berry with its picturesque main street, a variety of stores and an assortment of great cafes and restaurants.
So, it was a pleasant surprise to find a little town in New Zealand's South Island that was basically Berry on steroids.
Having walked the Milford Track in Fiordland National Park in the southwest of New Zealand’s South Island with my 22-year-old daughter, we had decided to “recover” in Arrowtown.
We caught a bus from the tourist hub of Queenstown where we were dropped off after the hike and were immediately impressed when we got off the bus in Arrowtown's main drag - Buckingham St.
Historic single-storey buildings line both sides of the street, as well as the sycamores, elms, oaks, ash and rowan trees. It is filled with cafes, restaurants and boutique shops.
The street is stunning to behold, where time seems to have stood still ... although the prices of the goods in the stores are very 2024.
When you reach Merioneth St turn left, then left again along Roman’s Lane, which will take you to Ramshaw Lane’s bars and cafes, finishing at the partially restored Chinese settlement on the banks of Bush Creek, a tributary of the Arrow River.
The little village was one of at least 10 Chinese settlements established near gold mining towns in 19th century Otago. It is a mixture of stabilised hut ruins, reconstructions and restorations.
The most prominent building is Ah Lum’s Store which was constructed circa 1883. It was built by market gardener Wong Hop Lee, but its name is attributed to Ah Lum, who bought the building circa 1909 and turned it into a busy store, bank/office and home.
Step inside Ah Lum’s store as well as many of the other huts within the settlement and discover the harsh realities of life as a Chinese gold miner.
There are extensive interpretation panels in both English and Chinese to understand who the miners were and what their lives were like.
The main trail (Old Dray Track) that runs through the centre of the settlement is suitable for wheelchairs and prams. It begins at the main track entrance and runs through to the western end.
It was a beautiful summer’s morning when we had a late breakfast at The Dishery, near Arrow River Reserve, in The Dudley’s Cottage Precinct. It was busy - always a good sign - and we secured a table outside. However, the mosquitos from the river were too much to bear despite the offer of mosquito repellent spray.
Moving inside, we thoroughly enjoyed the food. My daughter ate granola, chia pudding, seasonal fruit and coconut milk (NZ$20) and I polished off a remarkable fungi mushroom omelet (NZ$26), which we washed down with smoothies.
But, the restaurant overwhelmingly mentioned when we asked where to eat was Mora, which, fortuitously, my daughter had researched and booked for my birthday treat.
We walked there from the centre of Arrowtown, along the golf courses, rather than the main road and were shown to a table outside where everyone was eating and having a great time.
It is shared plates, three for two people and two for three to four people. We chose the braised Canterbury beef cheeks with green curry gel, sesame bok choy, shallots, coconut and sesame oil, crisp lotus root and soy beef jus. We added the twice cooked Southland potatoes and the spring asparagus and broccolini.
My daughter summed it up as a roast dinner with flavour, too which I responded with: "It is a very fine roast dinner”.
She remarked on the strong taste of the carrots, and when I explained they were from the garden next to us, rather than from the supermarket after being stored for many months, she understood why.
The weather was wonderful, about 12C cooler than our home town Sydney, with little humidity and no flies.
We ate and drank and laughed and talked for almost three hours before deciding to forgo a wine tasting and catch an Uber back into Arrowtown.
We mentioned walking along the golf courses on the way to the restaurant and were informed that two more were being built to add to the three already in operation.
Arrowtown appeared tranquil yet when we had walked to The Dishery we saw the car parks were full despite there being few people about. We soon discovered why.
There are nine walking trails from Arrowtown, which includes Tobins Track, a one-hour round trip up to Macetown 4WD Road, which takes six to eight hours.
For cyclists, the Arrow River Bridges Trail is an easy 8.7km ride, ideal for families with kids or cycling beginners. The trail starts in Arrowtown and crosses five bridges across the Arrow River.
At Gibbston, you cross the Kawarau Bridge, a historic suspension bridge. This bridge was an engineering marvel when it was built in 1882 and in the 1980s it became the site of the world's first commercial bungy jumping operation.
Once in Gibbston, continue onto the Gibbston River Trail along the dramatic Kawarau River gorge and visit some of the famous wineries in the valley.
Arrowtown was a two-day adventure for us, but we knew we could have spent at least two more days here without any difficulty.
The walks include secluded swimming holes, fishing spots, and amazing scenery. It is beautiful to be off-road and walking in natural surroundings, crossing rivers and seeing
waterfalls.
Then if walking is not your choice, there is The Lakes District Museum, which explores Māori history in the region, European colonisation, and the gold rush.
It is just two hours and 20 minutes from Sydney Airport to Queenstown, and a 32-minute bus ride from Frankton Terminus to Arrowtown where we stayed in an Airbnb in the heart of the town.
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