Arrowtown, NZ
Monday, March 9
Andi, Tory, Aden and I rolled into the small town of Arrowtown around 5:00pm. The sun was shining today after a wet, soggy day prior and we likely could have stayed in Wanaka another night. There was plenty to do in that town. I really wanted to carve out some time to visit Arrowtown though. I love small, historic towns like this one.
Like so many, Arrowtown was a booming gold-mining town in the late 1800’s but was quickly forgotten when the gold rush ended. Those who stayed in Arrowtown didn’t forget the town’s roots though, and 49 of the original town buildings were preserved along with the names and stories of those who put this community on the map.
Andi found a parking spot along Main Street Monday evening, and the four of us walked along the quaint city streets reading historical plaques and admiring the architecture. Tory and Aden were bored with our wandering eventually, so we made our way to the Arrowtown Holiday Park in town. Andi grilled fish for dinner and played at the playground with Aden while Tory and I enjoyed some quiet time writing in her travel journal inside the RV.
Tuesday, March 10
“Is this Queenstown?” Aden wanted to know the minute he woke up.
No, still in Arrowtown, we had to remind him about a million times this morning. When our family studied facts and places about New Zealand before traveling here, Aden became dead-set on visiting Queenstown (the adventure capitol of the world). Soon we’d get to Queenstown, but today was all about exploring the cute, little neighbor to the north — Arrowtown.
We left the holiday park by 10:00am that morning and drove into town to find a parking spot. It was raining lightly, but not enough to keep us indoors all day. The kids and I did school in the RV while they ate breakfast, and then we hit the pavement to explore town.
Andi noticed there were several geocaches in downtown Arrowtown which got Tory and Aden excited to explore. We found the first one at the old town jail.
We discovered the second geocache at the town post office. It was hidden under a bench outside. We might’ve creeped out a woman talking on her phone who was sitting there as we quietly loitered around her. Oops! Eventually, she got up and Tory discovered a small magnetic box hiding beneath the bench.
Next, we walked across the street to the Lakes District Museum. I’d read this museum was nicely curated to tell the story of gold mining in Arrowtown, and that it had fun activities for children to keep them engaged so we decided to check it out.
True to its description, the museum was filled with all kinds of interesting facts and articles from years gone by. There were also small pictures of New Zealand birds posted in various places throughout the museum which kept Aden engaged in looking at the displays and an “odd one out” game for Tory to play where she had to determine which item on display didn’t belong there. I loved how educational the museum was in sharing information about the town and its history without being so stuffy that the kids couldn’t touch or explore the exhibits. That’s what makes history come to life for kids! The opportunity to interact and stay engaged in what they’re learning.
We imagined what it would have been like to go to school in the late 1800’s, and each took turns being the teacher. Tory and Aden got a big kick out of sitting behind the teacher’s desk and ordering Andi and I to pay attention.
There were several trendy restaurants along Arrowtown’s Buckingham Street and the smells wafting out of them made our mouths water, so Andi and I decided to treat our family to lunch. He picked a restaurant called Postmasters located in a picturesque old house. It was the perfect mix of sophistication and kid-friendly.
Andi ordered the steak sandwich and I had Vietnamese chicken salad which were both very good. Tory and Aden ordered their usual chicken tenders and spaghetti, but this time there was a catch. Any kid in the “clean plate club” got a free dessert on the house! That was enough motivation for Tory and Aden to actually eat their meals. Aden succeeded and earned his treat, but Tory did not. In her defense, it was a pretty large bowl of spaghetti. The waitress kindly brought both kids a chocolate fudge bar and all was right in the end.
It started to rain outside while we were dining in the restaurant, so Andi and I decided to say good-bye to Arrowtown and make our way to Queenstown making the 30-minute drive along the Crown Range Road. There are two ways to drive between Arrowtown and Queenstown, and the Crown Range Road is more memorable. The road zig zags up the Crown Terrace offering awesome views of the Arrow Valley and the Remarkables mountain range.
We were surprised to learn there was a freedom camping site right at the summit — what a view! — but we decided to continue on toward Queenstown. Tonight, we’re staying at the Top 10 Holiday Park just outside of town so we can shower and catch up on laundry. Tomorrow, we’ll explore the place Aden’s been waiting for — Queenstown.
