The Arrow River Trail/Millennium Walkway is a scenic 4.2 km loop that winds along the banks of the Arrow River. The walk starts in Arrowtown from the main river car park and is flat and easy, surrounded mainly by exotic deciduous trees such as poplars and willows. These trees date back to the early settlement period, when the area was largely devoid of trees and Europeans planted what they were accustomed to. Consequently, the walk is particularly attractive in Autumn and adds a nice adjunct to the colourful displays next to the car park and along the Arrow Gorge.
The first section of the trail is on the south side of the river and runs for 2 km downstream to the Tobin Bridge. You can easily reach the shallow river in several locations. From the bridge, the trail becomes a 4.2 km loop that runs along both sides of the river. The total distance to return to the car park is around 8.2 km. If you look at Google Maps, you may notice that “The Gladden Fields” from The Lord of the Rings is marked early on the walk, but there is nothing there of note.
The walk is shared with cyclists as part of the Queenstown Trail, and the section starting from Tobins Bridge is called the Arrow Bridges River Trail. To add to the naming confusion, it is also known as the Millennium Walkway, as it was established in 1998 on the 150th anniversary of European settlement.
There are several options to extend the walk. From Tobins Bridge, you can take Tobins Track instead of the loop. This rises 250 metres with superb views on the north side of the river. Allow an hour return from the bridge. Halfway up Tobins Track, you will see the turnout for New Chum Gully Track, a much rougher tramping track that loops over the ridge and down into New Chum Gully, then connects with the Arrow Gorge Track. Allow two to three hours if you are doing this as a loop from Arrowtown.
The Arrow Bridges River Trail also starts at Tobins Bridge and goes for 13.7 km to Gibbston, with five bridges over the Arrow River. These include the Southern Discoveries suspension bridge and the historic Kawarau suspension bridge.
