This is not a paid post.
Today Arrowtown is
charming and quaint, yet once it was buzzing with the excitement of hundreds of
miners desperate to make their fortune in the local gold fields. The miners
have long gone but their legacy lives on.
Less than a half-an-hour drive from Queenstown on New Zealand’s
South Island, this pretty place, hugging the banks of the Arrow River, is a
delight to visit. Historical wooden buildings dot the main street that is now
filled with cute boutiques, art studios and cafés, plus a pub or two. Even the new builds pay homage to those of the
town’s past golden days.
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| Today Arrowtown is charming and quaint |
On a flying visit, a
museum would not usually be on my agenda but I am glad I made an exception
for the Lakes District Museum. It was a treat. The museum paints
a picture through working displays and artefacts of early Maori life and what
the European settlers and miners had
to endure during the gold rush of the 1800s.
Unfortunately, there was not time to hire a gold pan to see
if there was any treasure left in the Arrow River but I did feel somewhat
richer for visiting Arrowtown.
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| Thunder Creek Falls |
I was about to get even wealthier as my tour continued along the Haast Pass to the West Coast. Unbelievable scenery, rainforests, glaciers, and waterfalls littered the route which was once the pathway for the Maori explorers looking for pounamu (jade). Thunder Creek Falls, one of the country’s finest tumbling into the Haast River, was stunning.
When it comes to beauty no picture could ever capture the
magnificence of the grandeur of the West Coast of New Zealand. Wild, rugged, raw
and remote, this region sandwiched by the tempestuous Tasman Sea and the
Southern Alps, is unequalled in New Zealand. It is a potent cocktail of lush
wilderness and untamed coastline laced with a story to tell of settlers on the
prowl for gold and coal.
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| The tempestuous Tasman Sea |
In Lake Matheson you could see the reflections of Aoraki/Mount Cook and Mount Tasman in the crystal clear waters. But my standout moment was getting up close and personal, or as near as I could, with the nearby Fox Glacier.
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| Fox Glacier |
Named after Sir William Fox, a former Prime Minister of New
Zealand, the steep walk up to see the face was worth it. Unfortunately, the Fox
and its twin the Franz Josef Glacier which I also saw in the distance, have
melted incredibly quickly in recent years making hiking up the mountains too
dangerous. Getting a glimpse was reward enough.
As I sat savouring a glass of pinot gris that night over
dinner, I reflected on a very special day that will be imprinted on my memory
forever.
By Daralyn Danns
Getting there
Which city you fly into in New Zealand will depend on where
your tour starts from and therefore, which airline you choose. Highly
recommended are Cathay Pacific cathaypacific.com
and qantas.com The
service and inflight experience is spot on. Ensure that the flight you book is
operated by the company and not just code-sharing.
The tour was part of the Grand Pacific Ultimate Small Group
Tours which I booked through Trailfinders (trailfinders.com) as I did the flights
The advantage of travelling aboard the Ultimate Coach is
that instead of carrying the normal 48 passengers, it only carries 20. You sit
in comfort in leather fully-reclining seats so no neck ache at the end of a
long day. (Distances are vast in New Zealand.) There is plenty of personal
storage. It is much easier being in a small group, no hanging around waiting
for people, no long queues for the loos, overall much cosier
