I really wanted to see the legendary autumn colours in Arrowtown, and it was so close that once we left the Driftaway Motor camp, that was the direction we headed. We knew the Arrowtown Autumn Festival was on, but we did not anticipate the sheer numbers of people that would attend. There were tourists everywhere and it took a while for us to even find a parking place big enough to fit us in. However, we did and I think it was worth it.
We did a stroll through the main street (leaving the dogs behind). There was no possibility of getting a photo of the old shops, or for the most part, being able to enter a shop, because of the crowds. We thought we might get a coffee initially, but there was no chance of that. Therefore, we carried on to the old Chinese Miner’s section.
The Chinese were very badly treated by the rest of the gold mining population, and this was not helped by the fact that few of them could speak English. They were not allowed to live in towns, and had difficulty getting the materials required to build their huts. As a result they tended to have their own little villages, with their own shop, and other services eg doctors etc. They were often given the worst plots of land to mine and to live on, and they had to work twice as hard as the other miners. Some stuck it out, and were successful. Others decided to make their money by growing vegetables, by baking bread, and other farming to provide food for sale to the miners. You can certainly understand why when you see the houses that they had to live in, in the freezing cold.
The Chinese Miner’s shop was the biggest building by far.
We had a leisurely walk by the stream to take in the views.
We finally did find a place where we could get a coffee and a scone, before we wandered back to the motorhome. On the way we passed an Asian bride and groom in the main street trying to get their wedding photos taken, but having to contend with people always getting in the way of their shot. I could feel their frustration.
We happily left Arrowtown’s crowds and headed for nearby Lake Hayes. This was once a freedom camping area but that was stopped because of the way the land was treated. We stopped in to take the dogs for a walk.
The track was in really good condition and we were able to walk a couple of kilometres before heading back to the motorhome.
By the time we got back, we had to start thinking about where we would spend the night. We headed back towards Queenstown, bypassing the town, following the road alongside Lake Whakatipu.
As usual, the Remarkables are remarkable. We decided to stop at a freedom camp at the side of the Lake, and managed to get a good spot by the water. It is amazing where you can stay for free in NZ.
We decided to spend 3 nights here because we had a train to catch on Sunday!
Away From Home NZ 