The Shotover was once called 'the richest river in the world'
During the 1862 gold rush, two men reportedly pulled 155 ounces of gold from the Shotover in a single afternoon — today the same canyons host jet boats instead of gold pans.
When gold was found in the Arrow and Shotover rivers in 1862, thousands of miners flooded into the region within months, and Queenstown appeared almost overnight. The Shotover became known as 'the richest river in the world' — in one famous account, two men rescued a dog from the river and recovered 155 ounces of gold from the same beach that afternoon.
The gold is largely gone, but the legacy isn't: Arrowtown's preserved main street and Chinese settlement date from the rush, and the Shotover's canyons now earn their keep carrying jet boats through gaps barely wider than the hulls.
Quick answers
- Why is Queenstown here at all?
- Gold. The 1862 rush on the Arrow and Shotover rivers brought thousands of miners almost overnight, and Queenstown grew as the service town. Arrowtown's historic main street and Chinese settlement are the best-preserved remnants.
Sources
- Gold was discovered in the Arrow and Shotover rivers in 1862, triggering the rush that founded Queenstown and Arrowtown. [source]