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Download The Golden Thread: Tracing Arrowtown’s Past and start your walk whenever you’re ready.
Whether you’re fascinated by gold-rush history, Chinese heritage, river landscapes, or the people who built one of New Zealand’s most iconic small towns, this self-guided walking tour offers an ideal introduction to Arrowtown’s remarkable past.
As you explore historic streets, riverside paths, and preserved heritage areas, you’ll uncover the stories that still shape the town today. For more adventures nearby, explore our Queenstown Walking Tour to discover lakeside landscapes, local heritage, and hidden stories.
Arrowtown’s idyllic setting beside the Arrow River hides a far more complex story of hardship, resilience, and transformation. On this walking tour, you’ll uncover how a quiet pastoral valley became one of the richest goldfields in the world, how a diverse community took root here, and how the town’s preserved streets, hidden lanes, and riverside trails still hold the echoes of its dramatic past.
The tour begins at the striking X Marks the Spot sculpture, a symbolic gateway into Arrowtown’s layered history. From here, you’ll trace the early township layout, wander streets lined with 19th-century cottages, and stand where the first gold discoveries reshaped the region almost overnight. You’ll learn how mining transformed the landscape, why Arrowtown developed differently from other Otago settlements, and how the natural environment both supported and challenged the people who lived and worked here.
As the tour continues, you’ll walk along the riverbank path toward the deeply moving Arrowtown Chinese Settlement — a collection of restored and original miners’ huts that tells the story of Chinese prospectors who journeyed across the world seeking opportunity, often facing prejudice and isolation. You’ll discover the life of Ah Lum, the settlement’s best-known storekeeper; hear stories of floods, fires, and survival; and see how daily life unfolded in these small, stoic dwellings.
The walk concludes in the heart of Buckingham Street, where boutique shops and heritage buildings now stand on the foundations of the town’s gold-rush heyday.
Visit the X Marks the Spot sculpture and learn how it symbolically anchors Arrowtown’s history
Walk along Buckingham Street, lined with some of the best-preserved heritage buildings in New Zealand
Explore the Arrow River, where gold discoveries in the 1860s transformed the region
Step inside the Arrowtown Chinese Settlement and see reconstructed and original miners’ huts
Learn the story of Ah Lum’s Store — the heart of the Chinese community and a vital refuge for all miners
Discover how the landscape was reshaped by mining, settlement, and harsh seasonal conditions
See the ruins of unrestored huts and understand what daily life was really like for early miners
Duration: approx. 90 minutes
Distance: ~3 km / 2 miles (adjust if needed)
Start point: X Marks the Spot sculpture, Arrowtown
Best for: history enthusiasts, heritage lovers, independent travellers, cruise visitors
Tobins Track – a historic path highlighting gold-rush landscapes and riverside views
Local legends · Architecture · Colonial history · Top sights · Neighbourhoods
📍 Start your tour at: X-Marks The Spot Sculpture, Tobins Track, between the carpark and the river
🅿️ Plenty of parking available nearby