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Published: November 29th 2013
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Thursday 28th November, 2013. Arrowtown, Queenstown to Glenorchy Scenic Drive and Kinloch, Otago, South Island, New Zealand.
We checked out of our posh room at Wanaka and headed for Queenstown. The journey was about 68 kilometers. On the way we stopped at a place called Cardrona which is a ski resort. Established as a gold rush township in the 1860s on the banks of the small river of the same name, it is known for its distinctive hotel of gold rush vintage which is on the opposite side of the river to the original township of which few buildings remain. On the hotel side of the road It was like going back in time. We took some photos of the Hotel, the Post Office and the Store. The old telephone box and petrol pump were amazing and in very good condition. The town has a long history, including the now almost-forgotten contribution of the labour from thousands of Chinese workers who came to New Zealand during the Gold Rush (more of this later).
We continued on the drive to Queenstown keeping an eye on the petrol guage. The views were absolutely stunning as the road climbed and
then descended between the Crown and Criffel Mountain Ranges. We stopped at a number of viewpoints on the way and took some photos. We decided we had enough juice to visit Arrowtown which is about 15 km this side of Queenstown. Arrowtown is a historic gold mining town located on the banks of the Arrow River. During the height of the gold rush the population of Arrowtown swelled to 7,000. However during the 1960's the population declined to just 200. The town is now home to well over 2000 people. THe high street has many well preserved buildings dating from the gold rush period. First we visited the museum. This was very interesting with exhibits of musical instruments belonging to many famous artists including John Lennon, Michael Jackson and Bruce Sprinsteen to name but a few. There were exhibits relating to the moon landings, the first woman in Space, Mohammed Ali's white silk cape and much more.
We strolled down the historic street, taking some picures as we went. We called in to an old fashioned sweet shop. The smell reminded us of our childhoods. At the end of the street we followed the signs for the Chinese Settlement
which is in the Otago Goldfields Park.
From the late 1860's to the 1880's this settlement was one of the many camps estaablished by the Chinese gold seekers during the Gold Rush. The settlement had been restored and allowed us a rare glimpse into the lives of some of the first ever New Zealand immigrants. Approximately 8000 chinese men came to Otago, Southland and the West Coast Gold Fields. They didn't come with the intention of settling, merely to obtain enough money to return home and provide a better life for their families. In the 1870's these quiet unassuming people made up 17% of the Otago Southland Goldfield population, 40% of its miners and 30% of its gold.
The Chinese were not welcomed by the Europeans. However by 1865 Otago's first gold rush was already over and thousands of European goldminers were leaving. Fear that the economy would collapse caused the Provincial Council to make a "desperate invitation". Chinese miners were invited to Otago from the Australian goldfields. Opposition was countered by the arguement that "increase in populaation, even if it were in the shape of chimpanzees, would be prefereable to no population at all" (Otago Witness Newspaper
1867). Thank goodness times have changed! By 1871 the Chinese outnumbered the Europeans in the Otago goldfields. The community at Arrowtown was thriving with functional mud huts and two stores. Ah Lum's store had been restored and as well as a store, was a bank and his home.
We completed part of the Arrowtown river walk before returning to the car. We continued towards Queenstown stopping at Lake Hayes for a few photos. We filled up with petrol in Queenstown and purchased some provisions before starting the drive to Glenorchy along the shores of Lake Wakatipu . This was one of the things on M's bucket list and is one of the top 100 drives in the world. We stopped at Wilson bay for a comfort break and to take in the stunning lake. The drive further on around Lake Wakatipu was breathtaking and brought you into the mountainous landscape that was made famous by
the Lord of the Rings movies. The views were absolutely AMAZING with the clouds and the mountains reflected in the crystal clear turquoise lake. We hope the photos do it justice.
We arrived at Glenorchy and called in at the information office to
find out where the Youth Hostel was - only to be told that there wasn't one. M showed the guy the leaflet and he said that it was in Kinloch - about 45 mins drive further around the head of the lake. This was a result though as the Kinloch Lodge (the Youth Hostel) was also on M's bucket list. It is a place on the far side of the lake from Glenorchy called Kinloch Lodge - described as a hidden Gem. Its one of the oldest guest houses in NZ, and an amazing spot on the edge of the lake and the shores of the River Dart. It was in the middle of nowhere and really was Lord of the Rings Territory. We had a comfortable cabin. There was a bar, TV room, and well equipped kitchen. We got talking to an English couple who were visiting their son who is an architect
involved in the rebuilding of Christchurch following the earthquake. They gave us some good tips for places to go.
It was here at Kinloch that we had one of those "gosh the world is a small place" moments. We strolled down to the campsite on
the river and got chatting to a young couple (from Scotland and Belfast). We were chit chatting away and D mentioned his 5 kids back in the UK. M piped up with "you have 6 kids". Turns out that D had missed out Will because he wasn't in UK. However, we explained that William was in Hobart working as a chef, and it turns out that the guy, Lewis, used to have Williaim's job before he left to come to NZ. He knew Will and his girlfriend Ashley very well. He gave us the names of a few good places to eat in Queenstown.
D cooked dinner of pork sausages, while M went and took some photos of the sunset. A fantastic day.
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