On the road to Fairlea

Sadly, our time in Queenstown had come to an end and it was time to set off for Fairlea. We stopped at Lake Hayes for a few minutes on the way to take in the views across the calm waters before heading to Arrowtown, just 25 mins from Queenstown and the first pitstop of our road trip.

Arrowton is a very pretty historic town that dates back to 1862 when gold was discovered by a Maori shearer named Jack Tewa. The tree-lined streets are full of quaint stores, cafes, holiday homes and bed & breakfasts, none of which are cheap as an fyi. We were lucky enough to stumble across a farmers’ market on the Village Green which was a lot of fun.

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One of the other attractions in Arrowtown is its Chinese Settlement. When the easiest gold had been extracted by 1865 the town’s population started to dwindle, so the Otago Provincial Government invited Chinese immigrants to come across and work. At one point the settlement was home to more than 3500 people living in tiny, basic huts at the edge of town on the banks of the creek. Some of the huts didn’t even have fireplaces so I cannot even imagine how cold it would have been for them in winter.

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A few people had recommended a stop at the gorgeous Amisfield winery just outside of town, but we felt that wine tastings at 10am might have been a little too decadent, so that will have to wait until my next trip to Queenstown.

Bungy jumping at the AJ Hackett Centre in Kawarau was next on the agenda. To watch, that is. I’d need a lot more incentive than a few drinks at the centre’s bar to make me step off that bridge…

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We stopped at the historic Cardrona Hotel for lunch and spent an hour or so chilling in the beer garden. Prince Harry actually visited the Hotel back in 2015 as part of his royal tour and in case you’re interested, he had the bangers and mash. After lunch we stopped to see the famous ‘Bradrona’ fence just near the hotel which is covered in thousands of donated bras in support of the New Zealand Breast Cancer Foundation.

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The next pitstop was at Lake Tekapo for supplies and a quick photo opportunity at the picturesque Church of the Good Shepherd.