Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
MACETOWN
Fourteen kilometres north of Arrowtown lies Macetown, a gold-rush ghost town
reached via a rugged, flood-prone road (the original miners' wagon track), which
crosses the Arrow River more than 25 times. Don't even think about taking the rent-
al car here - instead trips are made from Queenstown and Arrowtown by 4WD
vehicle, with gold panning included. Operators include Nomad Safaris (
Click here
)
and Southern Explorer (
Click here
)
, or you can join a mountain-bike trip there with
Arrowtown Bike Hire (
Click here
)
.
You can also hike there from Arrowtown (16km, 7½ hours return), but it's particu-
larly tricky in winter and spring; check with the information centre about conditions
before heading out.
Queenstown Bike Tours
MOUNTAIN BIKING
OFFLINE MAP
( 03-442 0339;
www.queenstownbiketours.co.nz
; Dudley's Cottage, 4 Buckingham St)
Rents
bikes (adult/child $59/29) and gets you started on various self-guided adventures, includ-
ing wine tours. On the 'Gold Rush Run' ($85) you're given a gold-panning lesson and
equipment, and sent out along the Arrow River to claim your own lucky stake.
Dudley's Cottage
GOLD PANNING
OFFLINE MAP
(
www.facebook.com/dudleyscottage
; 4 Buckingham St; 9am-5pm)
Call into this historic cot-
tage for a gold-panning lesson ($10) or to have a go panning a trough filled with water and
a bucket of gravel from the river ($15). Otherwise, rent a pan and shovel ($6) or sluice
box ($25) and head out on your own.
Tours
Arrowtown Legends Tour
BUS TOUR
OFFLINE MAP
( 0800 405 066;
www.connectabus.com
; Ramshaw Lane; tours $20; tours 10am, 11am, 1pm,
2pm, 3pm & 4pm)
Arrowtown is tiny but this double-decker bus (an ex-London Routemas-
ter) manages a 30-minute loop, complete with an interesting commentary.
Southern Explorer
DRIVING TOUR
