Never seen it, never experienced it, never been there during – and that is………autumn in Arrowtown.
Nothing screams autumn more than Arrowtown.
“Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day.”
When Scotty says “you gotta go see the colours in Arrowtown” then it was a no brainer for us. We were off to stay in Arrowtown for the Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival.
Scotty wasn’t wrong – I had to see Arrowtown in Autumn!
Arrowtown Holiday Park
This will be our third stay at the Arrowtown Holiday Park. We love the layout, set up, and modern facilities of this camping ground. Most of all, we love its location. It is only a 10-minute walk into the historic precinct of Arrowtown. It also means that you are close to all the linkable walking and cycling trails (see my previous Arrowtown blog).
who’d thought that two JB caravans would end up side by side
The other bonus is that they often run a special – ‘pay for two, stay for three nights.’ This works out at a very reasonable price of $30pn for a powered site. Quite a bargain for anywhere around this area. NB: this deal is only available when booking on their website.
it was starting to full up and then it was a full-house over the weekend of the festival
We were aware of a couple of other camping options through the NZMCA but we wanted the luxury of just being able to wander into town where all the action was without having to drive or worry about timings for transportation.
“The trees in autumn show us how lovely it is to let the dead things go.”
Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival
Held every year (apart from when COVID-19 stands in the way!), the Akarua Arrowtown Autumn Festival has been running for 36 years.
The festival is run over 5 days and this year, included over 30 events. Some activities require you to purchase tickets but most of the activities are free.
It was a case of the ‘calm before the storm’, the main Buckingham Street gets closed off for the peak of the festival on Saturday
Buckingham Street comes alive during the peak of the Event Programme (Saturday). It is closed to traffic to host all sorts of activities.
There are also further road closures on Ramshaw Lane and surrounding areas. Another great reason to stay within walking distance of all the action.
If you are interested in the full range of activities available during the festival, make sure you go to their website before attending the event to make sure you don’t miss out on what takes your fancy.
The festival attracts visitors to this beautiful historical town during one of the most colourful times of the year. Autumn in Arrowtown has become quite the tourist attraction.
“A fallen leaf is nothing more than a summer’s wave goodbye.”
So What Did We Go To See?
There were many events suited to people of all ages, and as mentioned above, most of them are free. I loved the line up which was on offer as many of them focused on the community. It shaped up to be a festival full of good old fashioned fun and very much focused on the town’s history and natural assets.
Official Opening
There were obligatory speeches from Akarua Wines (major sponsors) and Mayor Boult before the entertainment started. We had colourful dancing girls (both more mature and young), the kapa haka group from the local school (amazing!) and The Mullet Man (entertainer/juggler) accompanied by his partner who was a top-notch contortionist (yes, there were a few ‘ouch’ moments watching her nearly turn herself inside-out!
The Buckingham Belles dancing girls gave the official opening a splash of colour
the younger version of the colourful dances
part of the local Kapa Haka group performed a haka
Arrow Ambles
Meeting at the Lakes District Museum, we met up with the friendly guides (Rita, Oweena, Alan and Amy) who were going to take us around some highlights of the town’s history. We had two choices with the walks. Either the Cottage Amble or the Cemetery Amble.
Cemetery Amble
As there were a few different time slots over the festival, we opted for the Cemetery Walk first. Rita, our very knowledgeable guide walked us through the town en route to the cemetery on the hill. She told us stories of the past residents and businessmen that shaped Arrowtown’s history.
Our guide Rita talking us through some of the stories on our walk to the Cemetery on the hill
The stories she told us about the people who are laid to rest in the old part of the cemetery could only have been passed down by locals through the decades.
the cemetery is divided into three areas – the old, the new-old and the new, either way, they all get the view over the colourful hills surrounding Arrowtown
Many of the headstones are either missing or badly damaged as back in the 1940s, someone decided it would be a good idea to clear all the bracken that had overgrown the cemetery, by setting fire to it!
Rita talked about the history surrounding the early settlers that are buried in the cemetery
we stopped off at St Paul’s Anglican Church, 1871 this church was built with the pastor travelling to Arrowtown from Queenstown to conduct services once a month
If you are interested in the history of the Arrowtown Cemetery, the Lakes District Museum has compiled a book called “Arrowtown Cemetery – A Walk Into History”. This is available to purchase from the museum for $15. It is an excellent resource to have when wandering around the old part of the cemetery.
full of stories of the residents who are laid to rest in the Arrowtown Cemetery
Cottage Amble
The following day we joined the Cottage Amble, once again with Rita.
these cottages must have been photographed millions of times over the years
The iconic cottages lining Buckingham Street are often referred to as The Miner’s Cottages. They in fact weren’t all miners who lived in them. Some were business premises combined with residents and their families.
they each have a story to tell about the history of Arrowtown and Buckingham St
Council offices, bakeries, butchers, general stores occupied many of the homes. Some have been moved to their current position from across the road which is now the reserve surrounding the library.
some of the miner’s cottages were ‘rolled’ across the road from the library reserve
It is quite an iconic photo, attracting many photographers and visitors. It makes for a spectacular shot with the colourful hill stretching up behind them. The tree-lined avenue was awash with colour and fallen leaves adorned the roofs of the 1870s cottages.
the stories kept on coming as we wandered some of the back streets of Arrowtown
Tree Amble
The third and final walk was the historical Tree Amble. This time, we were hosted and led by the Lakes District Museum Manager, David Clarke.
David held his audience captivated for the full hours walk and talk
He has a wealth of knowledge and information on Arrowtown and how its history shaped the unique town that it is today.
No matter what time of the year it is in Arrowtown, the avenues of trees makes for a spectacular photo opportunity. None more so than in autumn in Arrowtown.
Avenue of Trees
David led us on a walking tour down the main avenue of trees that line Buckingham Street.
no matter how young or old you are…..there’s something about kicking around in the piles of autumn leaves and the beautiful ‘avenue of trees’
These were planted in 1867, making the European settlers feel a little more at home, reminding them of some of their home towns so far away. There were plenty of stories about how they came about, and how we nearly lost them during the past 100 years as some residents were tired of having to clear out their gutters.
He spoke about the whole process of how the trees turn some of these amazing colours on the onset of winter. My eyes did glaze over with the whole science of it all. I’m happier not wondering ‘why’, but rather just gaze at the glorious colours they turn.
David holds such a varied knowledge of Arrowtown. We also received information and stories surrounding some of the old cribs and buildings as we wandered around the back streets located above what is the main township.
the hills behind Arrowtown are awash with colours thanks to the clearing of Wilding Pines, to allow the deciduous trees to grow
I would like to thank David and his team from the Lakes District Museum for hosting the Arrowtown Ambles. We thoroughly enjoyed all three of our walks and happily soaked up the extra history and stories that we didn’t previously know about.
If you haven’t already done so, make sure to visit them next time in Arrowtown. It is well worth it.
Vintage Car Display
Saturday was to be quite a ‘full-on’ day with the majority of the activities kicking into high gear.
the Autumn Festival changed gear on Saturday and Buckingham Street was closed off as the activities ramped up
First up was a display of vintage cars. We have seen quite a few different collections of cars during our travels, but some of these on display were on a whole different level.
these cars on display are a real credit to their owners
Many of them were polished, groomed and maintained to an exceptional level. I’m sure they are real collector’s items and there would have been millions of dollars sitting there proudly on display.
one of my favourites!
ASB Market Day
I love a good market so it was always going to be on our list. Even though we don’t have the room for me to buy ‘things’, I love ambling up and down the rows of stalls, often marvelling at the incredible talent that people have.
oh, I love a good Market Day!
They can create the most impressive items out of nearly anything. There was a wide variety of arts, crafts and artisan products available for those looking to purchase something quintessentially Kiwi.
I did, however, purchase goodies to eat, such as chutney, cheeses, salami and condiments.
The food stalls included everything from whitebait patties (huge line up to purchase!) to dumpling, sushi, Korean BBQ and more on offer to keep hunger at bay.
there was a variety of entertainment on offer but I was particularly impressed with this guy, playing his own music on the piano he rescued from a dump
Various live entertainment spots were going on simultaneously which gave the whole area quite a festive feel.
NZ Veterans Brass Band entertained the crowds during two separate performances in Buckingham Green. Other buskers and entertainers set up on Ramshaw Lane where the vibrant market day was held.
Festival Parade
The Festival Parade was just like the good old Christmas Parades but without Santa.
every parade needs to have a pipe band as a lead
Massive crowds lined Buckingham Street as the parade was led by the obligatory pipe band, the Southern Lakes Highland Pipe Band.
there were all sorts of entertainment rolled into the one parade
The following participants included the Arrow Miners Band, Buckingham Belles dancing girls, Scouts, stilt walkers, acrobats, jugglers, clowns, Fire and Emergency NZ, the Arrowtown Lifestyle Retirement Village, gardening clubs, schools, sports clubs, representatives from different migrant communities and the vintage cars.
the colourful participants had the crowds, both old and young captivated
It had the type of community feel that brings everyone together in celebration. It is always heartwarming to see so many children both participating or watching the parade.
you just have to love a great parade
ANZAC Day Service
It’s always a tradition in our household to observe ANZAC Day. A time to reflect and pay homage to those who gave so much (usually involving a drink or two).
We like to attend Dawn Service but there wasn’t one organised in Arrowtown so we wandered along to the 10.30 am ANZAC Service held in the Athenaeum Hall.
it was more than a full house with many standing on the street to commemorate ANZAC Day
Well, it was packed out. Standing room only. It was a lovely service and fantastic that it was so well attended.
After the service, the return servicemen, and public marched up to Soldiers Hill Memorial for laying of the wreaths. Not only is there the war memorial monument at the top of the hill, but the views over Arrowtown is pretty special.
“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolour, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”
Summary
The events that we went along to are only a small snapshot of what is on offer over the weekend. The entertainment factor is pretty much non-stop somewhere in the township. It’s a wonderful event where you can be as fully involved as you want to. It is well worth visiting Arrowtown in autumn.
Thanks for your interesting blog and photos on Arrowtown Linda (and Scotty). We have visited there once before briefly but intend to go again toward the end of this year for a few days stay in the motorhome.
Thanks Kevin, it’s certainly a great destination any time of the year for sure. L