Chic Local Boutiques

Arrowtown is the home of a number of gorgeous independent boutiques.

  • Bunnies is for those with an eye for vintage style. You’ll find an eclectic selection of pieces by global designers, alongside pre-loved dresses and accessories.
  • Wallace & Gibbs stocks New Zealand fashion for men and women, with brands like Catalyst, Obi, Marilyn Seyb, and Cutler & Co.
  • Francis Patterson offers a beautifully curated collection of quality homewares, gifts, handcrafted wooden toys, and kids clothing.
  • Arrowtown Wine Store has a selection of Central Otago wines, with plenty from small boutique vineyards, along with a nice selection of regional craft beers.
  • The Royalburn Farm Shop is stocked with seasonal fresh produce from local Royalburn Station, one of New Zealand’s oldest farms.

Check out this Arrowtown shopping guide for more ideas.

Outside view of a a white, cottage-style looking boutique shopBunnies, Arrowtown

Hidden Art Galleries

A historic church, a gallery of New Zealand greats in a colonial building, and backyard artists’ studios are some of the highlights on the Arrowtown art trail. Fall in love with a piece of art during your visit.

  • An old church behind Provisions Cafe is painter Graham Brinsley’s studio and gallery. His landscapes explore Central Otago’s light and landforms.
  • Nadene Milne Gallery is an elegant space in an 1860's colonial building showing some of Aotearoa’s finest contemporary art.
  • Fiona Garlick’s private studio gallery shows her bronze sculptures of native birds juxtaposed with artefacts referencing their colonial name and the ecological threats they face.
  • Jasmine Clark’s Little Hut Gallery displays her spectacular organic basketry and fish trap forms woven in copper wire, bull kelp, and natural materials.

This guide to Arrowtown’s artists’ studios and galleries will inspire you to explore more.

Dorothy Brown’s Boutique Cinema

Relax after a morning exploring the galleries and boutiques of Arrowtown with a movie at Dorothy Browns. This opulent little jewel box of a cinema is a treasure not to be missed.

Order a cocktail and a platter of local cheese at the gin bar and cosy up by the roaring fire as you admire the vintage film memorabilia. Then choose from the line-up of arthouse classics and contemporary blockbusters, make your way into the cinema, and settle into one of the large, lush seats, with plenty of room to stow your bags and stretch your legs. After your movie, drop into the bookshop for a treat to take home. Did we mention the cinema cat?

Inside of a boutique cinema with couches and blanketsDorothy Brown's Cinema, Arrowtown

Rifters Tasting Room

Arrowtown builders Stu Clark and Hamish Bourke like gin, so they distilled their own. Rifters gin is named for the gold fossickers who picked over the gold rifts around Arrowtown. Those rifters of old made their own gin too, although it probably wasn’t as smooth or delicious as Rifters gold medal-winning range.

Visit Rifters’ new gin tasting room in historic Dudley’s Cottage. Book a tasting masterclass or simply drop in and try a few gins, before buying your favourite to take home.

The outside of a white brick cottage with signs out the front for gin tastingRifters Gin Tasting, Arrowtown

Tiny Room Concerts

Every Thursday, the Blue Door hosts Tiny Room Concerts – hour-long, intimate concerts in the tiny Blue Door bar. Each concert is based on a musical theme, or the work of a particular artist. Talented local musicians tell stories and sing songs.

The Blue Door itself is a hidden gem. Secluded in an alleyway off Buckingham Street, secreted in the basement of a historic stone building, this intimate little bar is famous for good times and great cocktails around a roaring fire.

The inside of an old pub with wooden and leather furnishingsBlue Door, Arrowtown

Getting to Arrowtown

Bus Route #2 takes you all the way from central Queenstown to Arrowtown, and it’s only $2 with a registered Bee Card. Or you can cycle the Queenstown to Arrowtown cycle trail, it’s 33km and takes between four-six hours depending how many photo stops you make along the way. Hire an e-bike to make the trip quicker and easier, or stay a few nights so you can explore all Arrowtown’s hidden gems at your own pace.