During the high point of the gold rush the population of Arrow town rose to over 7,000 and became the center of a larger municipality, which covered the new settlements of Mace town, Skippers and Bullendale (today only ghost towns). Arrow town was constituted as a borough in 1867 and became part of the Queenstown-Lakes District in the local governmereorganizationion of 1989.
The town reached a population low of fewer than 200 people in the 1960s before gaining popularity again. According to the 2006 New Zealand census, the usually-resident population of Arrow town was 2,151, a 27.1% increase since 2001. The town has seen considerable growth and construction, but it falls under strict appearance covenants applied by the local authority that aim to preserve the appearance of the town. There are many well preserved buildings used by European and Chinese immigrants dating from the gold mining days of the town. Arrow town is the home of the excellent Lakes District Museum.
Bordering the town is Sir Michael Hill 's Championship Golf Course which is home to the New Zealand Golf Open. This championship golf course is a private membership club, but does allow green fee players by appointment only. The Club also provides a Day Spa that is available to the public.
Nearby is the luxury Millbrook Resort, which has a spa and 18-hole golf course. It was the site of the agreement of the Millbrook Commonwealth Action Programmed, a programmed of the Commonwealth of Nations on the implementation of the Harare Declaration
