They wanted to
try their luck in the goldfields; they now want to try their luck in the
tourist fields! Queenstown and its environs are well renowned for its natural
splendour. From the gold fields to the ski fields, from the business of farming
the sheep, to the business of farming the tourists. From the hardships of the
life of the prospector to the relative ease for the life of the overseas
visitors. From the thrills of winning the gold from the rivers and streams, to
the thrill of jumping off the bridges and piers in a bungy jump. From
travelling over land and dale in horse drawn carriages, to travelling over the
rapids and spills in jet boats and white water rafts. From the building of
stone structures to the keeping the same in the style for which they were used.
From tents in the gold fields, to the high rise hotels in the middle of
Queenstown. I may have not covered every thing, but Queenstown has it all.
Originally known as "Fox's" after
Mr. William Fox, a member of a gold prospecting team, Arrowtown is an old
goldmining district in which there was feverish activity. Stone cottages and
other buildings in the area today can bear witness to the fact that the first
parties to discover gold in the Arrow Gorge took out more than 2000lb in a few
weeks. So much wealth has been won from the nearby Arrow River that it has became famous as one of the richest
sources of alluvial gold in the world.
As Arrowtown is only a twenty minute drive
from the tourist mecca of Queenstown, a number of tourists pay a visit, and awe
at the condition of the stone buildings, built because a lack of timber in the
district in the nineteenth century, when the gold fever was at its highest. No
wonder people have been saying that Arrowtown is a place where time has stood
still.
No trip from Cromwell to Queenstown is
complete without the hour or so deviation to Arrowtown. Every time I drove to
Queenstown, I would turn right, just after the bridge spanning the once gold
enriched Arrow River.
Motoring past the golf course, I soon found myself driving past the historic
cottages, and making my way to park the car, overlooking the Arrow River. Wandering down to the river, I take five minutes to
take in the atmosphere of the running water, and the bush clad hillsides,
before heading back to the car, and the continual of my journey to Queenstown.
An upper tributary of the Clutha River,
the Kawarau begins its relentless rush from Lake Wakatipu near the head of Frankton Arm. Here a dam was built
at Kawarau falls at the outlet of Lake Wakatipu with sluice gates to control the outflow. It
was hoped by means of this device to lower the level of the river sufficiently
to permit working of the rich gold deposits in its bed. As the river snakes its
way downstream, it encounters two rivers made famous for their riches in
alluvial gold, the Shotover and the Arrow. The amount of gold recovered from
the Arrow made it one of the richest sources in the world! Then after it passes
under the second bridge carrying State Highway 6, it encounters the A. J.
Hackett bungy jumping enterprise. This is a hair raising
activity, to which people trust the holding power of large elastic ropes and
jump over the old Kawarau Bridge. After witnessing countless brave souls jump, the
river rushes past Gibbston, noted for its many wineries and vineyards. Then
just after this locality, the river rounds Nevis Bluff, an unstable hillside,
which successfully closed the highway a few times. The last time the boulders
came crashing down, motorists were forced to use state highway 89, the Crown Range road. As it passes under the highway once more it
comes to a natural bridge, which the Maoris used in ancient times. Then it junctions with the Nevis River, another of the many gold bearing
waterways in the district. As the
river goes between the Carrick and Pisa ranges, the walls close in, making the Kawarau Gorge
a very spectacular area. Two more noted streams are the Gentle Annie and
Roaring Meg. The latter river powers an automatic power station. After the last ten or so kilometres of the gorge, the river enters
the Cromwell district. The Carrick range gives way to the Bannockburn area, a wine making district, then onto Lake Dunstan. The river slows to a crawl as it hits Lake Dunstan, and so ends its fury, and often rapid descent down
the gorge. It meets up with the Clutha River,
and people can see the two distinct colours of the rivers as they merge.
Queenstown lakes district
This trout filled lake drains to the Kawarau River,
about midway between Shotover and Arrow rivers. It is surrounded by a lot of
farmlands, however like many other areas of this magnificent Wakatipu Basin
is currently being threatened with massive subdivisions. This activity if seen
through will make the area so full of private residences that the scenery would
be lost. Lake Hayes
was supposed to be Lake Hay in honour of Mr. Donald Hay, an Australian sheep
farmer who looked for land in the area; however an impression that persists is
that the lake was named after a notorious pirate Bully Hayes who tried his luck
in the goldfields. Quite a picturesque spot, with many views of the small lake.
Queenstown district
A satellite suburban area of Queenstown and
airport for the district, Frankton is located at the foot of Lake Wakatipu. The outlet of the lake is nearby, and was at one
time controlled by a dam. This structure with its sluice gates was designed for
the lowering of the Kawarau River for prospectors to stake their claims in gold.
However this scheme was not successful, and abandoned. The dam is still there
today, and is used by State Highway 6. There is a nice easy beach front at the
lakefront, with willow trees as shelter. A great place to
take the children for a swim. Near the junction of State Highway 6 and
the road into Queenstown is a marina with boats and yachts at its moorings.
Quite often I would spend time at the lake’s edge, and watch the planes
take off from the airport. Once swam in the lake, and found it to be quite a
pleasant dip.
Queenstown district
Located at the shores of Lake Wakatipu, beneath the Richardson Mountains, near the mouth of the Rees River, Glenorchy is a place of pristine beauty. There are
virgin beech forests in the area, containing some bush canaries, fantails,
parakeets and kaka.
Queenstown district
Longest of southern lakes,
and noted for its many charming scenic attributes. Of glacial origin, and its altitude is 1016
feet above sea level, yet it's greatest depth is 1,310 feet, making the lake
floor 294 feet below sea level.
This lake is constantly being filled by the
Greenstone, Dart and Rees rivers plus numerous other streams, and waterfalls.
The three major rivers are at the head, fed by mountains, and their glaciers.
The small township at the head is Glenorchy, where there are beech forests
housing interesting bird life. The shape of the lake is like an "s"
and has a unique breathing quality, where there seems to be a miniature tide.
The town of Queenstown is at the second bend in the lake. It is this town
that is the base for all activities in the greater Wakatipu region, people
coming from all places on the globe to feel the freshness of the mountains, to
be awe struck by its natural beauty, or to be thrilled by a number of
exhilarating enterprises, such as jet boat riding, and bungy jumping. While the
foot of the lake is at Kingston,
its outlet is at Frankton Arm. That is because the lake is of glacial origin,
and the mighty river of ice dropped its moraine at Kingston.
Quite often I would take a cruise on the T.
S. S. Earnslaw, which is a vintage coal fired steam vessel, taking me to Mount Nicholas, some twenty miles away. Sitting below, I was able
to feel the warmth of the boilers, and watch the steam mechanism working to
capacity.
The world celebrated travel destination in New Zealand, and an outstanding resort on Queenstown Bay
on Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown is renowned for its spectacular scenery. While it is
a small town of only a few kilometres, it has numerous high rise hotels, plenty
of restaurants, and other shops of interest to the overseas guests. Love it or
hate it, Queenstown will always attract people like a very strong electromagnet.
Like most other areas of the Wakatipu basin,
Queenstown was born of gold. People came in droves to try their hand in the art
of prospecting for the yellow metal, of which is still able to be got at.
However a real threat is happening to the Queenstown district. As much as it is
spectacular, most of the area surrounding Queenstown is being exploited with
subdivisions. If this threat succeeds, the natural beauty of the district would
be lost forever.
Quite often I would take a drive to Queenstown,
to relax. Most of the attractions are in operation seven days a week, but I
choose not to partake, rather, just to relax near the lakefront.
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