Spring in Arrowtown

Golf courses, gardens, tracks & trails thaw and bloom. Fresh & fragrant clean air, warm days, cool evenings and a time when the skiing is often at its best. Restaurant tables venture out to the pavements and the river bank and lakesides re-populate with walkers and watersports enthusiasts enjoying warm late afternoon sunshine. Enjoy a café, browse the shops, hike the hillside trails, take in the new colours and scents.

Spring – officially 1 September to 30 November. Weather is unpredictable, sublime one moment, spring showers the next. Temperature range is C8 degrees to C15 degrees. Dress in layers for rapid temperature changes .

Garden tours are lovely at this time of year with an astonishing range of bulbs, annuals and perennials creating colourful displays.

Central Otago's hills are mauve with flowering herbs, particularly wild thyme – a great time to wander the vast landscape.

The low lying river fishing season opens on October 1. The alpine river fishing season opens on November 2. Low lying rivers are generally described as those flowing out of the great lakes, the alpine are those flowing in. Buy a fishing license (the price is nominal) from any sports shop in Te Anau, Cromwell, Alexandra, Wanaka or Queenstown. For full regulations, information and fishing tips, visit www.fishandgame.org.nz

A sample of nearby annual spring events:

• Remarkables Spring Carnival at The Remarkables Ski Area
• Queenstown Jazz Festival
• Outrageous Arts Festival
• NZ Goldpanning Championships
• Alexandra Blossom Festival