All that glitters isn’t gold

When the alarm went off, Andy went off to make tea. The morning light was just hitting The Remarkables. We had to tear ourselves away – breakfast, showers and a brisk walk to town. We forbade ourselves to look at the mountains; we had a bus to catch at a very specific time.

We bought a weekly bus pass, and boarded the 10:35 bus to Arrowtown.

It’s a short journey, about 25 minutes. The town is rich in history. It’s located next to the Arrow River. Gold was discovered there in 1862 and that was that. Thousands poured into the area, and the settlement grew into a small town.

Now, it is a pretty residential town and very touristic. There are about 60 preserved buildings used by European settlers, and a Chinese settlement. We learnt in Dunedin that the Chinese had been invited over to work the claims, once the majority of the gold had been claimed and miners left for the new gold fields of the West Coast. They worked hard and hoped to send back home 2/3 of the money they earned. They never intended to settle in New Zealand. Some went back, many died and were buried in the local cemetery only to be sent back to China much later on as it’s important for them to be interred with their ancestors.

We started with the Lakes District Museum and spent a good 90 mins there. It’s full of historical artefacts and displays focusing on the  pioneering days of the European settlers and gold-miners. The town grew out of need – a bank, a prison, a school, a newspaper.

From there, we followed our guidebook and looked at the buildings on Buckingham Street. Most have been modified slightly or rebuilt after a fire but they retain their character and from them, you still get a feeling of Arrowtown as a gold mining settlement, if that makes sense.

Our early lunch was a vegetable pie from Arrowtown Bakery. Tasty!

We were keen to visit the Chinese Settlement when it was quiet. The buildings – either original or restored – are a little out of town. Turns out that they kept to themselves… mostly because they were not accepted by the settlers and were often subjected to racism. The exception was Ah Lum. He became a local hero after he saved the life of a European miner who was drowning in the Shotover River. He could speak English and was a well-respected leader in the Chinese mining community. He served as an interpreter between the Chinese and the Europeans. He owned a store from 1909 which was used as a bank, a place for socialising and as accommodation for both travellers and visitors. Records show that the Chinese were big spenders. They worked the river hard and managed to get a lot of gold out of it. They spent their hard-earned cash on luxuries and had a very varied diet. They also gambled and smoked opium.

Dudley’s Cottage is the oldest surviving cottage in Arrowtown. It was built in 1862 and it’s now a cafe. We stopped there for coffee… and I took a speedy gold panning lesson. I struck gold – alluvial gold, but gold all the same. I have a certificate and a vial with gold dust to take home. I took my spade and pan to the river and occupied myself for about 90 mins. I dug, I panned, I rinsed. On and on. So absorbing. I saw glitters but my co-ordination was a little all over the place so when only gold should have been at the bottom of my pan… I had sand. And the sandflies were atrocious.

My limited time panning the river told me that it’s hard work, and tough on your back. It did give me an appreciation of what the miners went through. It is also another tick on my ‘must do’ list.

Andy was busy taking photos of the river, but the sandflies got the better of him so we walked back to town.

Next, we visited the cemetery (which had many old graves) and the war memorial for a bird’s eye view of Arrowtown. We continued with our walk and took in the three remaining churches (the Methodist is now an architect office), the jail (before it was built, prisoners were shackled to a log) and the police station. We walked down the avenue which has about 10 preserved buildings – mostly cottages.

Too soon, it was time to get our bus back to Queenstown. I stopped in Frankton to go to Countdown (more supplies for the week). Andy carried on to the Hilton where he collected a bag we’d left in storage.

On my way to the bus stop, I managed a few minutes in the Frankton cemetery which is the oldest one in the area. I wish I’d stayed longer… but I was due to meet Andy back at the bus stop.

Reunited, we got another bus back to the bottom of our hill. I managed to get a lift from a very kind man. Andy had stayed behind to take a few photos.

Dinner was lovely and perfectly suited our bottled of Central Otago Sauvignon Blanc.