It was a 40 minute drive over a mountain from Wanaka to arrive in the Queenstown area. We decided to stop and have a little look in Arrowtown. A very small, historical town, which was also settled by gold miners. It is very well preserved with the impressive old town buildings still standing including a Chinese settlement where immigrants who were looking to find some gold to take home lived.

Naturally it is now pulling in day trippers who wander the boutiques and icecream parlors. Gullible tourists can also rent pans (for a small fee) to try their luck panning for gold in the river. It was a really peaceful and pretty place though, with many walking opportunities so we decided to stay the night and do a hike the next day. The walk we chose took us on a loop up a valley and around a hill before descending back to the town. It was a really lovely day for it, the sun was shining and we walked by the side of river before climbing up then walking beside a small alpine stream for a while. There was a ruined stone hut up on the wind swept hill, which looked perfect in the setting and made for a couple of good photos. We didn't see another soul for the whole two and a half hours until we had the town back in sight. Back in the village we had picnic and sat taking in the relaxed holiday atmosphere before we left for Queenstown.