If you’re looking for things to do in Arrowtown, this post will give you plenty of ideas.
I love Arrowtown and regularly get the bus from Queenstown to Arrowtown to spend a few hours out here, usually walking on one Arrowtowns stunning walks/hikes.
Let’s get into it, here’s what to do in Arrowtown.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Admire the main streets
2. Take on the amazing Arrowtown Walks
3. Pan for gold
4. Learn about the Chinese Settlement
5. Play on world-class golf courses
6. Hop around the wineries
7. Find the locally made craft beer
8. Head to the cinema
9. Visit the Lakes District Museum & Gallery
10. Ride along the Queenstown Bike Trail
11. Pop into the interesting shops
12. See live music at Blue Door
12 THINGS TO DO IN ARROWTOWN
The autumn colours in Arrowtown are nice, right?
1. WALK ALONG THE MAIN CHARACTER FILLED STREETS
The main streets you have to at least walk along once are the character-fueled Buckingham Street and Ramshaw Lane.
I’m not a movie buff, but they remind me of towns you’d see on Wild West films. Think historic with a dose of personality and each building has its own story.
I wasn’t going to include this but after making a conscious effort to walk slowly along the streets one day I decided it deserves its own place in the list.
2. TAKE ON SOME OF THE AWESOME WALKS IN ARROWTOWN
As I mentioned earlier, my favourite Arrowtown activities are going for a walk/hike/run on one of the many trails in and around Arrowtown. Rather than writing about them all individually, I’ll list them below with brief details.
You can click on the links to learn more, along with plenty of photos for each walk.
- Arrow River Trail: easy | 1 – 2 hours | upto 5km1
- Tobin’s Track (plus Mount Beetham):medium | 2 – 3 hours2
- Sawpit Gully Track: easy – medium | 2 – 3 hours
- New Chum Gully Track: easy – medium | 1 hour 45 mins – 2.5 hours
- Crown Peak: medium | 5.5 – 7.5 hours
- Brow Peak Loop: medium – hard | 5.5 – 7.5 hours
3. PAN FOR GOLD
Arrowtown is steeped in gold mining history, but like many places in the Otago region, as gold mining became unprofitable, the town’s population dwindled.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t strike gold in the Arrow River. In one of the more unique things to do in Arrowtown, you can rent the equipment for a few dollars and pan for gold. And there’s a chance you’ll actually find gold.
It might not be worth much, heck, you might end up with a shiny rock thinking you’ve hit the jackpot but at least try so you can say you’ve hunted for gold.
This article gives a little insight into panning for gold today.
4. LEARN ABOUT THE CHINESE SETTLEMENT
The walk through the restored Chinese Settlement begins right next to the centre of town.
The place focuses on the gold mining history mentioned above. The walk itself is nice, but it’s the learning that’s the important part here.
DOC has worked hard to restore many of the huts along Bush Creek where the Chinese arriving for the gold rush were forced to live. That’s in contrast to the Europeans who lived in houses in town. They were two totally different communities.
The information boards along the way provide great detail making this Arrowtown attraction one of the more interesting things to do in Arrowtown.
5. PLAY ON WORLD CLASS GOLF COURSES
Arrowtown gets an amazing bang for its buck in terms of golf courses. The three golf courses are regularly all ranked in the top 15 golf courses in NZ3.
The three courses are:
They certainly aren’t cheap (and exclusive), so if you want a cheap round of golf you’ll be better off heading to Frankton Golf Centre.
That said, you can always head to the practice range at Millbrook and hit a bucket of balls for a pretty good price (that’s what I’ve done as well as caddied for my friend at The Hills).
6. HOP AROUND THE WINERIES
Otago is one of the country’s premier wine-producing regions in New Zealand and the heart of Central Otago is the nearby Gibbston Valley close to Arrowtown.
There’s a host of ways to experience the wineries from Arrowtown such as shuttle, bike (the Arrow River Bridges Trail), or join a guided tour.
Three of the most popular wineries to visit are:
- Amisfield Bistro & Cellar Door
- Akarua Wines and kitchen by Artisan
- Chard Farm Winery
And when you’re safely back in Arrowtown near your accommodation, you can carry on drinking wine at The Winery.
7. DRINK THE LOCAL CRAFT BEER
There might be more breweries in Queenstown, but there’s some locally made brew you can sample while you’re here.
The beer brands you’re looking for are:
- Arrowtown Brewing Co.
- Lake & Wood Brew Co.
And the best places to find them are:
- Slow Cuts
- The Fork and Tap
- The Dishery
You can also drink craft beer at the next best thing to do in Arrowtown.
And if you’re only in New Zealand for a short stint but want to try some more craft beers from around New Zealand, the Arrowtown Wine Store has lots of options.
RELATED READ: MUST TRY NZ DRINKS
8. HEAD TO THE CINEMA
This is the Arrowtown attraction that surprises most due to the small size of the town.
Yeap, there’s a small luxurious boutique cinema in Arrowtown, Dorothy Browns Arrowtown Cinema.
What makes the cinema luxurious?
Big sets and equally big armrests for your wine and cheeseboard…do I need to say more?
The movie screening changes from week to week, so your best bet is to look at the online schedule and buy your tickets in advance.
9. VISIT THE LAKES DISTRICT MUSEUM & GALLERY
This is the one museum in town and has been around for decades.
Like other buildings in the main town, the museum is inside a historic building.
At the Lakes District Museum and Gallery, you’ll learn a lot about the Wakatipu Basin’s history, including the Maori life, days when the European settlers arrived and of course the gold mining history.
I love the objective on their website: “to foster interest in the history and relics of the district.”
In addition to the museum, there’s an art gallery and bookshop.
I’ve left this close to the bottom of the list, but in reality, you should probably make a visit to the museum one of the first things to do in Arrowtown if you’re planning to spend a few days here.
10. RIDE ALONG THE QUEENSTOWN BIKE TRAIL
The Queenstown Bike Trail, one of New Zealand’s most popular great rides, is 130kms of off-road trails.
There are several sections of the trail in and around Arrowtown you can do.
- Arrow River Bridges Trail: 2-3 hours | Easy | 13.7km
- Arrowtown Millennium Trail: Less than 1 hour | Easy | 3.25km
- Countryside Trail: 2-3 hours | Intermediate | 13.5km
- Arrowtown to Gibbston Return: 4-6 hours | Easy-Intermediate | 23km
If you’re looking to rent bikes and/or would like bike relocation services, Around the Basin are a good place to start.
11. POP INTO THE SHOPS THAT TICKLE
After walking along the streets it’s time to double back and pop in at some of the stores that caught your attention. A few of the must visits for me are:
- Remarkable Sweet Shop (above)
- Gold Nugget (souvenir shop)
- The Gold Shop (not that I can afford anything here :p )
The fun part about the Arrowtown shops is they aren’t large chains. Most stores are family-run businesses selling products with a local twist.
12. SEE LIVE MUSIC AT THE BLUE DOOR
If you’re a fan of live music, one of the best things to do in Arrowtown is to go and see what’s playing at The Blue Door.
It’s a pretty nifty location with the stone walls, but the drinks are expensive…$12 craft beer cans 😮
Anyway, if you’re after a late night, Wednesdays are the best option for you with a live band playing from about 9 pm until midnight. And on Sundays, there’s some great jazz going on from about 5 pm.
This schedule can change so make sure to ring them up a day or two before you get to Arrowtown.
Despite being a small little town, there is plenty of fun things to do in Arrowtown to keep you busy as a day trip from Queenstown, or for a couple of days.
If you wanted to do all the walks and play on all the golf courses, you could easily make this stretch out closer to a week.
If you have questions about any of these Arrowtown activities, email me jub@churnewzealand.com or leave a comment below.
RELATED READS: FUN THINGS TO DO IN QUEENSTOWN
8 THINGS TO DO IN FRANKTON
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.