Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery
Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery
Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery
4.5
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
The Lakes District Museum is situated in the heart of picturesque Arrowtown. The museum houses a fantastic collection of artifacts and information about the history of this gorgeous district. Suitable for all ages, the museum is fun for all ages as we take a 'hands-on' approach to our displays. Take a wander around and don't forget to peek into all of the nooks and crannies so that you don't miss anything! The museum is also the Information Centre for Arrowtown and we can help you with any advice that you need about the best way to enjoy Arrowtown and its surrounds.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.5
451 reviews
Excellent
299
Very good
132
Average
19
Poor
1
Terrible
0
Helen
Brisbane, Australia12 contributions
Oct 2023 • Couples
This museum was well priced and excellent to visit with great exhibits. A lot of effort has gone into it
Written 11 October 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
R M
Auckland Central, New Zealand6 contributions
Aug 2023 • Couples
For a small museum this place does a great job at displaying the history of the area. In particular as Māori tourists we were really pleased to see the history of the local iwi depicted, something that we noted was often missing in our tourism experience of the area. Lovely front counter lady, a wide range of books, some amazing old carriages and the storytelling was super interesting.
Written 1 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thomas W
Sarpsborg, Norway348 contributions
Jun 2023
For a small town this museum is quite impressive. A much broader exhibition and more information than expected.
Written 26 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Excursion06686539693
1 contribution
Jun 2023 • Family
This museum was above and beyond my expectations. We will have to go back again to have a thorough look - we kept rushing to the next room out of excitement before we had completed the last. It says a lot when neither of my 12 year olds pulled their phones out once! They had a ball as well and were amazed at the rich history of Central Otago. So glad we went.
Written 6 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tony W
Darwin, Australia2,352 contributions
Apr 2023 • Friends
An interesting experience, the museum is very well set out giving a great indication of the early days of the mining boom. Staff very well organised.
Written 6 April 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
slusignan
Montreal, Canada107 contributions
Mar 2023
This museum is a great find! Wonderfully done, chock full of interesting things to see, and well worth the visit!
Written 25 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Beatrice H
Exeter, UK2,620 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
This is a fantastic museum with many excellent exhibits on two floors. A must when visiting Arrowtown. Easy to find with toilets too.
Written 14 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MissT603
Sydney, Australia596 contributions
Feb 2023 • Couples
We went in as there was a Moa Hunters sign, thinking it would have info about this magnificent bird. There was 1 tiny exhibit about it.
If there was more, I would give it 5 stars, but a bit of false advertising.
The museum is great tho and really well done.
If there was more, I would give it 5 stars, but a bit of false advertising.
The museum is great tho and really well done.
Written 24 February 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Doug B
Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States684 contributions
Jan 2023
For those who are interested in mining, this is a nice stop. There's a lot of detail and if you already know about this topic, it'll be of less interest to you. The kids in the museum seemed to really enjoy it.
Written 21 January 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael K
London, UK522 contributions
Oct 2022
A rainy day in Queenstown, so we braved the rain to drive to Arrowtown, a town that sprang up in the Gold Rush of 1862.
Visited the Lakes District Museum in Buckingham Street, which was disappointing. I hoped it would tell the story of Arrowtown’s rise to fame on the back of the goldrush, but it didn’t. Or if it did, it was well hidden. There is lots of “old stuff” stashed in there, in a not particularly interesting or explained way. The information panels contain too many words to take in and seem to be randomly arranged. Having said that, I understand that it does not receive any government funding and is largely run by volunteers, so that have to do what they can with limited resources.
To see what I mean about how things could be done better, take a walk to the Chinese Settlement.
Visited the Lakes District Museum in Buckingham Street, which was disappointing. I hoped it would tell the story of Arrowtown’s rise to fame on the back of the goldrush, but it didn’t. Or if it did, it was well hidden. There is lots of “old stuff” stashed in there, in a not particularly interesting or explained way. The information panels contain too many words to take in and seem to be randomly arranged. Having said that, I understand that it does not receive any government funding and is largely run by volunteers, so that have to do what they can with limited resources.
To see what I mean about how things could be done better, take a walk to the Chinese Settlement.
Written 26 November 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KellyAKK
Bangkok, Thailand7 contributions
What is the approximate time it takes to visit the museum?
Bi-coaster
Bradenton, FL1,294 contributions
I’d say an hour would do nicely. And do go downstairs!
YauYau
Hong Kong, China14 contributions
Hi, I visited Arrowtown in early of May and sent two postcards to my home country from the post office opposite to the Museum. There was no postmark on the post cards, may I know why? I asked because understand the "post office" is run by the Lakes District Museum. Thank you.
LakesDistrictMuseum
Arrowtown, New Zealand1 contribution
Hi Yauyau,
I apologise for not responding to your question! Yes, we operate the Arrowtown Post Office but just the retail side of things.
The mail is collected by a New Zealand Post employee and they take over the logistics of the postal service from there. Our mail is processed in a large New Zealand Post centre in Christchurch.
There should have been a postmark on your cards - they must have just unfortunately been missed by the machine somehow.
I hope you enjoyed your time in Arrowtown and New Zealand.
Vicky
Hong Kong, China100 contributions
Hi, I am interested in visiting this Museum. Could you kindly advise me how long does it take from Queenstown to Arrowtown by Connectabus? Thanks a lot.
LakesDistrictMuseum
Arrowtown, New Zealand1 contribution
Hi,
The Connectabus takes about 25 minutes from Queenstown if you take the route that travels via Arthurs Point.
This bus leaves Queenstown at 7.35am, 10.35am, 1.05pm, 5.20pm, 7.05pm and9.35pm.
Coma and see us and we will help you with the best time for your return trip.
We look forward to seeing you.
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Claim your listingLAKES DISTRICT MUSEUM & ART GALLERY: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Frequently Asked Questions about Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery
- Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery is open:
- Sun - Sat 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM
- Hotels near Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery:
- (0.04 km) Merioneth Retreat - Arrowtown Holiday Home
- (0.16 km) Shades Of Arrowtown
- (0.18 km) Arrowtown Lodge
- (0.11 km) New Orleans Hotel
- (0.14 km) Poplar Lodge - large comfortable home, 7 bedrooms. Enjoy the space!
- Restaurants near Lakes District Museum & Art Gallery:
- (0.03 km) La Rumbla
- (0.04 km) Postmasters
- (0.04 km) The Fork and Tap
- (0.05 km) The Winery
- (0.05 km) Slow Cuts