The town, located near Queenstown in Southern New Zealand, got its start in 1862. It seems that gold was found in the Arrow River around then, and people came out to try to claim a fortune. The town had quite a growth spurt in the years to come, at one point reaching 7,000 in population. That's a lot of growth from zero, more or less. Eventually, the gold ran out, but some people stayed.
Now Arrowtown is going through a different form of growth, although it hasn't reached its grandest days. The population at last count was a bit under 3,000. It has settled in as a nice little town, no doubt benefiting from Queenstown's growing reputation as a resort area.
While most of the buildings have a modern look to them, one street has kept the Gold Rush tradition by leaving the exteriors in that old-time style. It's popular with tourists, who walk up and down in search of food and souvenirs.
No comments:
Post a Comment