Arriving in QUEENSTOWN!

This is the historic district of Arrowtown. It is an old gold mining town. It reminded us of places like Deadwood, SD or Leadville, CO. 

Gold was discovered in the Arrow River by Jack Tewa in 1862. It was said to be the richest gold bearing river for its size in the world. Today, Justin Eden, the owner of the gold shop, still has miners (wetsuits & tools?) that still search for gold and sell it to him. Justin told us he had an Asian man offer him a 125K ...or was it 250K? for his larger gold nuggets and he refused to sell. I bought a small "gold" necklace as a souvenir.... NOT a NUGGET! Mike said, "Happy Valentine's Day!"

The next few pictures are of the huts the Chinese Gold diggers made for themselves. Our guide, Jacob, said that it was especially hard for the Chinese as they were taxed heavily and were not allowed to bring their wives and family with them. 

They tried to build their "home"  near any tree or bush possible because it could be so HOT in the summer and shade was needed. It could also get very cold old in the winter. Life must have been miserable!

Across the street from the gold shop was a jade & opal shop. We talked to the owner and got to see his back room workshop. Not the greatest picture, but JADE is very important to the Maori people. (original people to New Zealand from Polynesia. The Maori people have a big influence on NZ. They have their own language, songs, stories and a culture that is very strong. Jade was important because it was originally used to make tools. Now they make jewelry and other items. Here is what I learned after googling: Jade pendants called Hei-Tiki were passed down as family heirlooms and were a means of connecting the current wearer with the wisdom of their ancestors.

I didn't buy a jade piece. They were pretty big pendants.

This is a picture of the painting the artist, Thomas L. Brown, painted. We stopped at his studio on our way home from Arrowtown. It was awkward as his wife & him showed us around the studio, which was an old cheese factory. None of us wanted to buy anything, so it felt like pressure to listen and be interested. 

Queenstown is a bustling small city. Lots of restaurants & shops. 

Watching the sun go down in Queenstown!

After our tour of Arrowtown, the old gold mining town, we had lunch at Milford Golf Club where the New Zealand Open was going to be held. Mike is SUPER HAPPY as he listened to the NE BB game while on our tour. NE beat Maryland and won in OVERTIME. Mike has missed 4 NE BB games and they have WON all 4. Fans are telling him to stay "down under!"

Walking the harbor in Queenstown.