Arrowtown Gaol (Jail)

The gaol (jail) is registered Category One by the New Zealand Historic Places Trust. The gaol is the only surviving gold rush era example and is the fourth oldest gaol in the country.

Prior to its construction in 1876, Arrowtown had a simple wooden building containing two cells. The large stone and concrete gaol was a building where sentences could be served and could hold several prisoners at once. Before any police buildings existed, the only method of restraining prisoners was to put them ‘on the log’. Being chained to a large log with leg irons was no obstacle for one large drunken Irishman who, local legend has it, picked up the log and carried it with him to the pub.

Fun Fact: The local “Mountain Scene” newspaper reported in 1974 that there was only one known escape from the gaol. The warder who was delivering a meal was overpowered by the prisoner and locked in the cell while the prisoner escaped. The warder’s wife could hear her husband shouting from the gaol and assuming it was a prisoner, yelled back that he would just have to wait until her husband returned. She eventually recognised her husband’s voice and released him from the cell.

Despite being described as ‘deficient’ and of ‘no use’ it was still in use until the 1930s (with a one-off use in 1987 for some rowdy New Years partygoers).

Note: If you would like to visit the gaol and explore the inside, the key is available at the Lakes District Museum.