Arrowtown: Gold all yours to sift from this river

MEENAKSHI RAO sifts real 24 carat gold from a Kiwi river after an exhilarating drive up the second most dangerous road in the world, off Queenstown. A report
Big and small amoeba-shaped stones, you can call them rocks actually, give the yellow glitter to most jewellery shops in the quaint Arrowtown. You would think they are pieces of modern art, meant to adorn a gold shop in golden yellow, resembling the expensive metal that generations have lusted for the world over.
It’s only when your tour guide tells you these are real and solid 24 carat gold pieces harvested from the nearby river that your jaw actually drops. A 250 gram of one such rock, you are told, was harvested by an ordinary tourist like you 18 hours ago!

Not that New Zealand takes these pieces of gold away from whoever harvests it. You can sell them and take the money home or take them home if you have harvested it from the river! Arrowtown gets its existence from the more than 200-year-old gold mining tales that are now folklore that tourist guides regale you with. The well preserved Chinese settlement on the fringe of Arrowtown tells you how the Chinese labourers were brought in by the miners once they struck gold in the area and they were put up in this township which is now known as the Chinese museum.
So, while you are in Queenstown, do hope over to Arrowtown after taking a ride through the world’s second most dangerous mountain road — Skippers Road, also voted as one the 25 most scenic ones in the world by British Automobiles — not because you want to tempt danger but because the views from the top are more than stunning, the history is engaging, the air is fresh and, last but not least, you could strike gold at the end of this road.
Real, 24 carat gold, and the engaging but expert driving duo of Graham and Robert from Nomads Safaris, make you heave a sigh of relief that you are in safe hands for this dangerous drive on a 200-year-old hand-hacked gravel mountain road carved out of imposing cliffs on one side and deep unfenced plummets on the other, with not much between the two ends.
But this half-day heritage tour along the rugged and treacherous Skippers Road into the historic Skippers Canyon is navigated along the awe-inspiring canyon, punctuated with historical sites like the Skippers suspension bridge and the erstwhile mining township of Skippers.
The tour departs (dot on time) from Queenstown towards the Coronet Peak. As you head up the peak towards the entrance into this spectacular canyon, you stop at Plane Table for an incredible panoramic view of the Wakatipu Basin, languorously stretching out much beyond a fertile imagination. Then there is the eerie Lighthouse Rock which gives a dramatic look to the entire canyon across the road, the Skippers Bridge hanging over deep nothingness being another heebie-jeebie photo opportunity.
At the Shotover river bed, trained guides teach you techniques to successfully pan for gold (I got a couple of gold specs in my sieve) on one of the richest gold bearing rivers in the world. Spots along the Skippers Road have been featured in The Lord of The Rings, so you can imagine how unique and unvisited it looks.
Take the drive. It is worth every flake of gold you may or may not get.
Pricing: Max 6 persons per vehicle
Adult: $185 Child: $90
Time: Four-hour trip

Contact: Nomads Safaris  
Source: Sunday Pioneer, 6 August, 2017

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