All Parks Taken Now
Road map of our trip and some info: www.southernscenicroute.co.nz/
Photos from our road trip down the South Island of New Zealand in January.
After such a beautiful day yesterday today is overcast and mild and by the afternoon the rain came down.. so pleased we visited Arrowtown before the rain. January 26, 2015 New Zealand.
Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River.
The Arrow Basin was formed when the great glaciers carved out the Wakatipu Basin.
Local Maori passed through the area on seasonal trips to hunt native birds and extract pounamu (greenstone). Waitaha, the first tribe, were later joined by Kati Mamoe who were driven south after fighting with Kai Tahu. By the 1700s the three tribes were locked together by marriages and peace alliances.
It was not the silver look of the river but the gold it contained that saw Arrowtown evolve. Jack Tewa, a shearer for Rees, was the first to discover gold around May 1861, followed by either William (Bill) Fox or the team of Thomas Low and John MacGregor late in 1862. It is unclear who was next. Being a forceful character, Fox took credit for the discovery and for a while the town was called Fox’s.
Gold eventually became harder to extract and the opening up of the West Coast goldfields in 1865 saw European miners heading for the riches there. This impacted on the Otago economy and in an attempt to restimulate it the Otago Provincial Government invited Chinese miners to come to the Otago goldfields. The Chinese created a separate settlement in Arrowtown, remaining until 1928.
Arrowtown continued to survive after the gold ran out by becoming a farm service town. Although the permanent population declined, during the 1950s it gained a reputation as a popular holiday destination. This saw New Zealand holiday makers restoring the historic cottages and building holiday houses. Most of these have now become permanent residences.
By the turn of the 21st Century Arrowtown had become a popular visitor destination and one of the fastest growing towns in New Zealand.
For More Info: www.arrowtown.com/arrowtown/history/
All Parks Taken Now
Road map of our trip and some info: www.southernscenicroute.co.nz/
Photos from our road trip down the South Island of New Zealand in January.
After such a beautiful day yesterday today is overcast and mild and by the afternoon the rain came down.. so pleased we visited Arrowtown before the rain. January 26, 2015 New Zealand.
Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town in the Otago region of the South Island of New Zealand. Arrowtown is located on the banks of the Arrow River.
The Arrow Basin was formed when the great glaciers carved out the Wakatipu Basin.
Local Maori passed through the area on seasonal trips to hunt native birds and extract pounamu (greenstone). Waitaha, the first tribe, were later joined by Kati Mamoe who were driven south after fighting with Kai Tahu. By the 1700s the three tribes were locked together by marriages and peace alliances.
It was not the silver look of the river but the gold it contained that saw Arrowtown evolve. Jack Tewa, a shearer for Rees, was the first to discover gold around May 1861, followed by either William (Bill) Fox or the team of Thomas Low and John MacGregor late in 1862. It is unclear who was next. Being a forceful character, Fox took credit for the discovery and for a while the town was called Fox’s.
Gold eventually became harder to extract and the opening up of the West Coast goldfields in 1865 saw European miners heading for the riches there. This impacted on the Otago economy and in an attempt to restimulate it the Otago Provincial Government invited Chinese miners to come to the Otago goldfields. The Chinese created a separate settlement in Arrowtown, remaining until 1928.
Arrowtown continued to survive after the gold ran out by becoming a farm service town. Although the permanent population declined, during the 1950s it gained a reputation as a popular holiday destination. This saw New Zealand holiday makers restoring the historic cottages and building holiday houses. Most of these have now become permanent residences.
By the turn of the 21st Century Arrowtown had become a popular visitor destination and one of the fastest growing towns in New Zealand.
For More Info: www.arrowtown.com/arrowtown/history/