Did you know that the Arrowtown area boasts three of 24 New Zealand locations that have been designated @Tohu Whenua - landmarks that tell our stories !
One of these is historic Arrowtown - 'The picturesque preservation of two very different gold communities - Chinese and European - in a town that still thrives'.
Photo: Nicole Kunzmann, Arrowtown Chinese SettlementThe official Ministry for Culture and Heritage website states "Arrowtown’s tree-lined main street provides calendar images of autumn-gold colour that go around the world. In the middle of the 19th century the gold was the real thing, and everyone was rushing to find it. The cottages and buildings in the historic Buckingham Street precinct represent the original core of economic activity within the town. Chinese gold-miners also flocked to this area and in 1874 there were 3,564 Chinese living in Otago. In Arrowtown, the Chinese were forced to live in huts along isolated gullies on the banks of Bush Creek at the edge of town. Many of the huts have been restored, offering visitors the chance to step back into that ‘golden’ era and see up-close the toil and modest living conditions of the ‘other half’ in this prosperous town."
Tohu Whenua links significant places through a series of regional trails that showcase their importance, while capturing defining moments in New Zealand’s story. They are the places and the people that have made us who we are – and offer you a sense of connection to this amazing land.
Other nearby Tohu Whenua landmarks are Kawarau Suspension Bridge and the TSS Earnslaw.
Find a Tohu Whenua location near you at www.tohuwhenua.nz or @tohuwhenua
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