Lots to see at Arrowtown

If you are staying at Queenstown and the person you are with can't or won't do bungy-jumping, the gondola, jet boating, rafting or water fun on the lake what can you do to pass the time?

Head off to Arrowtown, it's not far and is certainly worth the effort. Regardless of the time of year you visit there are some must-dos. I didn't get to do most of these as my international guest was too preoccupied with the excellent souvenir shops, so we ran out of time to see much else.

 The Lakes District Museum & info centre:

This building used to be the town bank. It is a wee gem; far more interesting than you might suppose. The exhibits on life in a goldrush town are in good condition, well laid out with great information. 

The first section you come to looks at gold mining and gold panning. Everything is clean and tidy and well explained with Shotover gold nuggets on display.Some information on gold exchange and the ancient banking system was of interest. Getting hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of gold to the bank was fraught with danger.

I was particularly surprised to see an exhibit on music and how settlers used to amuse themselves at home. Truly old musical instruments were on display and even photos showing them being used in
those times. Nowhere else have I seen that sort of exhibit. Instruments most certainly do change form and technology as the centuries advance.

A lot of effort has been put into showing various work activities such as sawmilling, blacksmithing, food production. I especially enjoyed getting up close and wandering around and inside these exhibits. The strangest one was a door one was encouraged to open to a very small room. If you opened the door you found yourself looking at someone on the toilet and a shriek went up. Very disconcerting but amusing. The person was an animated mannequin.

I couldn't help but be struck by the hardships and physical struggles men and women had 150 years ago. Just how far we have come with technology and also education for women.

I could also see how those with some education and entrepreneurial urges could really make a new and comfortable life. Because pretty much everything was needed and there wasn't a lot of competition. Got what it takes to be a teacher? Just start your own school. So little red tape. Nowdays you are actively discouraged from doing what you are good at.

If you are an early to mid 'boomer' you'll remember learning the old British Imperial system of weights and measures and money. In the display school room they had a sheet showing shillings, pounds and guineas. And hey, the old times tables up to 12. 

Most kids these days have no idea of their times tables, even up to 10. All I have of the old money is one precious sixpence my Gran used to put in her Christmas Plum Puddings, and the odd shilling and penny. No paper money. Still, I do have one coin from each of the British monarchs from Queen Victoria onwards. What stories those old coins might tell.

We are ephemeral creatures. We don't live all that long and once our children have gone it is as if we never existed. Objects link us to history and to the ordinary lives of thoses long gone, not too dissimmilar to our own ordinary lives. What will we leave behind? With digital devices and their too-soon obsolete technologies there won't be much left to see.

An HP printer compared to the wonderful old printing press on display in this museum. I've seen old presses at other museums but this one seemed extra special. You can spend a good hour and a half at this museum. It costs about $10 per person entry.

At ground level there's a very good bookshop with souvenirs too. It features NZ travel, culture and history.

Beyond the museum there is the main street to explore. The souvenir shops are numerous and of excellent quality and they contain plenty of merchandise you won't see anywhere else. It could be such a picturesque street if only they would ban cars from parking there. I found it impossible to take photos of the beautiful fronts of the buildings due to cars in the way. What a shame! There are other streets where cars are less evident but those buildings are of lesser interest.

There is a little shop that was quite a surprise and a delight, located on Buckingham St. It is a lolly shop, the

Remarkable Sweet Shop. But what a lolly shop. Sweets that reminded my of my childhood, sweets from other cultures, sweets unknown, chocolates made a la maison. I left without buying anything. There was too much that was yummy to choose so it was better for me not to.

Other things to do for which I didn't have time: 

There's a specialist wine store The Winery which looked really interesting and had a good selection of NZ wine but they don't post to Europe. Only Asia. Lost me there. Plenty of Asian tourists but few from elsewhere. I really think we've turned off other visitors to these shores.

Gibbston Valley Winery which hosts the annual rock festival in the Gibbston Valley is only a little further along from Arrowtown, as is Lake Hayes - spectacular in autumn.

Nature walk along the Arrow River

There are two walks: a 60min one and a 10 min stroll with different views.

The Chinese Settlement

Most 19th century Chinese miners were poor and not very welcome. They came to to strick it rich enough to send money back to their families. They had their own separate town by the river, which included their own stores. The settlement on vue today is restored AND recreated. I hope I'll be back one day to see it.

Art Galleries:

I did visit one. There were a couple of large and good quality pieces supervised by a French lady. Again, too expensive.

Golf Courses:

There are three courses with fantastic scenery - Millbrook, the Hills, and the Arrowtown Golf Club, rated in the NZ top 20.

Arrowtown is worth a visit at any time of the year.