Thomas Tobin - Arrowtown
The remains of the Tobin’s cottage in Arrowtown. Thomas Tobin was an Irishman who came to New Zealand when gold was found in the Arrow River in 1862. He won a contract in 1874 to form a section of road to link Arrowtown to the Crown Terrace, which provided access to the goldfields from Wanaka, Cardrona and Cromwell. I took the short walk off Tobin’s Track into the vibrantly green forest to find the remains of the Tobin family home. Tucked in amongst the trees, this cottage is where Mr Tobin and his wife Letitia brought up their 8 children while he built and maintained the track. Incredible to think of these early settlers and the challenges of their daily life here.
