Town on the Arrow River, 21 km north-east of Queenstown. Arrowtown has more than 50 historic buildings, and new construction in the town centre is sympathetic to the earlier architectural styles. The 1870s Chinese mining district has been partially restored, and the town is home to the Lakes District Museum. The annual Autumn Festival allows the town to celebrate at its most scenic, when the nearby hills are ablaze with colour.
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Meaning of place name
It was originally known as Fox’s after the first gold digger, who arrived in 1862. Named after the Arrow River, which in turn was named by either W.G. Rees or Nicholas von Tunzelmann, who were the pioneer settlers at Lake Wakatipu. The name may have been given because of the swift flow of the river or because the junction of Arrow and Bush creeks resembled an arrowhead .
