Since 1997, the Arrowtown Village Association has been involved in providing tracks and bridges to the back country so that every one can enjoy the wilderness without the inherent difficulty of getting access across swollen rivers and up steep hillsides.

The major track and bridge projects that the Arrowtown Village Association have undertaken are:

•  The Sawpit Gully walking track

•  The Sawpit Gully bridge over Brow Creek

•  The Arrow River Bridge at the end of the Sawpit Gully Track

•  The second Arrow River Bridge by Soho Creek
  
  
•  Restoration of the historic miners pack trail into Macetown

In Appreciation

We could never have completed these bridges without the invaluable assistance of our community funders. These generous trusts and individuals, many without formal recognition, have supported the Village Association in its endeavours to build these bridges

The SkyCity Queenstown Casino Community Trust

The Central Lakes Trust

The Community Trust of Southland

The Wakatipu Trails Trust

The Rotary Club of Southland

The Queenstown Lakes District Council

The Department of Conservation

The Historic Places Trust

Lakes Environmental

All this infrastructure has been provided by the AVA with the assistance of community funders.
Watch this web page for more photos and updates.
 
Update as at August 2008


 As at this date the bridge has been installed and all construction work has been completed. We are now only awaiting the Producer Statements from the civil engineer in order that we can apply for the Code Compliance Certificate from the Queenstown Lakes District Council. Once this document has been delivered to us, we will then formally hand over the ownership of the bridge to the Department of Conservation here in Queenstown who will administer and maintain the bridge in the future.

 This has been and very long and difficult project as we have been frustrated at every turn by resource consent regulations which have added significant extra and unforeseen costs to this community project.

Update as at November 2008

 The Arrow River Bridge just past Soho Creek is now in full operation. Lakes Environmental have inspected the bridge and we expect to receive our final Code Compliance Certificate shortly. Once we have this we can then apply to the Department of Conservation to take ownership.

Update as at May 2009

An application for funding has been made to complete the all weather walking track from Arrowtown to Macetown. At present, walkers need to ford several river crossings which can be difficult and sometimes very dangerous. The Arrowtown Village Association recognises that many walkers want to experience the out doors without necessarily wanting to get wet by crossing rivers, especially those in flood. So the old historic miners pack trail into Macetown is being restored and once operational, (hopefully by later in 2009) it will e a reality for walkers to travel to and from Macetown without getting wet feet.

The AVA is indebited to the department of Conservation and to John Mowat for their tireless contribution to this project.