Living in the historic gold mining town of Arrowtown was great. The hiking was incredible and just outside my backdoor. Getting off the trails and into the heart of little Arrowtown there are a few things I had not done, but needed to do.

The Arrowtown Chinese Settlement is an interactive depiction of life during the gold rush for Chinese settlers. Most immigrants who came to the Otago region in the 1800s were looking for gold. Arrowtown was very popular due to the Arrow River flowing through. Settlers who came were looking for a means to make some money and get out of poor living conditions. Most of the Chinese who came over were farmers looking to purchase some land with the $200NZ or so they hoped to find. This could take over four years to become reality. While they were here a settlement was created. Up to 20 people at a time were living in the settlement right here in Arrowtown; most were related. These early settlements lead rise to the town of Arrowtown and what it is today. 

Another gem of Arrowtown is the Lakes District Museum. The museum shows the way life was in the early years of the region and how people traveled around. I really enjoyed how put together the museum was and how much artifacts there were from the early times. In the museum there is a bulk head from a ship, a blacksmith shop, a one room schoolhouse, and bedrooms. There was so much information it was hard to take it all in. Something worth seeing when you visit Arrowtown.