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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Lifestyle
As told to Kate Hennessy

A local’s guide to Queenstown and Arrowtown: ‘Like walking on to a film set’

Photograph of Queenstown with the word 'Queenstown' in the centre, designed like a postcard
‘There are beautiful natural rivers and the whole Remarkables/Kawarau mountain range is your oyster,’ Penelope Johnson says of the Sawpit Gully trail in her guide to Queenstown and Arrrowtown. Composite: Getty Images

I’ve lived in Arrowtown/Kā-muriwai for 13 years. It’s beautifully preserved – like walking on to a film set in the gold mining days, but with Queenstown international airport at our doorstep.

Arrowtown is slower than Queenstown/Tāhuna. It’s 20 minutes away and there’s a real desire to keep that slow pace, though we welcome New Zealand/Aotearoa tourists as much as international guests.

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