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by Scott Stevens - Lakes Weekly Bulletin

How good is Arrowtown in autumn. I just love the simplicity of it. Looking at trees and colourful leaves. Apparently, it’s a thing people travel the world to witness, these autumn colours. Tree Peepers. It sounds too basic to be a real economic driver of the district. But it is, so what is the secret sauce? Keep it simple stupid.

Like it or not most of this region’s businesses and jobs are either directly or indirectly reliant upon tourism. Until the town becomes more diverse in its business sector, a quiet autumn shoulder season is going to have a big knock-on effect across the whole community. It’s lucky then, that Arrowtown let its trees grow. Now those trees and colourful leaves really are the only show in town. Name one place in this country that has more sizzle than Arrowtown right now. Arrowtown has it nailed.

Yes, it’s true, that almost all the spectacular colour is created by wilding tree species. It’s good that our well-meaning “everything must be native or die” fanatics are prepared to show some restraint and accept not all that is wild and exotic on our hill country needs to be exterminated. Another lesson from Arrowtown - the art of community compromise and acceptance of differing options for the greater good.

One thing the local community has always been united on is a love of mixing and mingling with each other, and visitors from near and far. The Arrowtown Autumn Festival epitomises this spirit. It is hard to fail when the community wholeheartedly participate. The parade is the perfect expression of this, but what about the scarecrow hunt? 95% local kids, and quite a few adults as well, on a mission to find every last one. The fun dog show, the duck race, the pie, pint & pinot. Keep it simple stupid.

Timing is everything and it just so happens that those leaves and nature’s spectacle coincide with Anzac Day, arguably the most respected of all public holidays in New Zealand. By accident or design, Arrowtown holds its ‘dawn service’ at 10.30am. Probably due to all the festival mixing and mingling the night before. This later than traditional time to show our respect and stand to attention, has almost every resident in the village at the cenotaph on the top of Soldier Hill. It’s an emotional show of community spirit and a powerful experience.

There are not many things that have remained more or less the same in this region for the past 39 years, the Arrowtown Autumn Festival still draws a strong local crowd and there’s not many other annual events which can boast that. The temptation when you have a winner, is to hit the turbo charge button and make it pay. But when an event becomes more important to ticket sellers and outsiders than the locals who conceived it and the community who embraced it, the end will come sooner rather than later. Keep it simple stupid.