- Est. Median Value
- $522K
- Median Weekly Rent
- $624/wk
- Safety Score
- 97/100
- Green Space
- 67%
- Current Weather
- 3.2°C
- Median Age
- 35 yrs
~28 crimes/1k/yr
broken clouds
Living in Moonlight
Moonlight is a Central Otago gold rush locality tucked into the upper Arrow River country near Macetown, and the name is the most romantically honest thing about it: the goldfields were worked at night by Chinese miners who found the riverbeds more productive and less contested after dark, and the moonlight they worked by gave the area its name in the 1860s. The productivity outlasted the romance; the name outlasted the productivity.
As a functioning locality, Moonlight is now a historical designation for high-country terrain in the Arrow River valley north of Arrowtown, an area of steep gorge, mine workings and beech forest where the gold rush left its archaeology in the riverbanks and the mountain faces. The Moonlight Track, a historic route connecting Arrowtown to Macetown and the upper Arrow, threads the gorge for those equipped to follow it.
The permanent population is effectively zero in the residential sense, the terrain having made clear early in the piece that it preferred mining to habitation. The locality exists on maps as a heritage record and as a navigational reference for the trampers and mountain bikers who use the Arrow River valley tracks, for whom Moonlight is a waypoint rather than a destination.
Arrowtown and its school sit 12 kilometres downstream.
Is Moonlight a good place to live?
Moonlight is home to roughly 1,353 people across 183.1 km². On Suburb's overall livability scale, Moonlight scores 66 out of 100, with a safety score of 97/100 and 67% green space.
Schools: Moonlight has 1 school in or near the suburb, spanning early-childhood through to secondary education. See the Schools tab below for the full list.
Housing: The estimated median value is around $522K, and weekly rent typically sits around $624.
Lifestyle: The current temperature is 3.2°C. See the Weather tab for monthly averages.
Whether Moonlight is right for you depends on what you’re looking for. Use the data and community tips below to decide if it suits your lifestyle, family and budget.
Livability Breakdown
- Safety97
- Amenities10
- Schools77
- Housing Affordability72
- Green space100
- Community89
- Transport19
Property & Economics
- Est. Median Value
- $522K
- Median Weekly Rent
- $624/wk
- Median HH Income
- $155K/yr
- Pop. Growth (5yr)
- +19.9%
- Data Year
- 2023
Key Financial Indicators (NZD)
† Est. Median Value is suburb.co.nz's own estimate, modelled from available public data. We aim for accuracy, but where data is limited, estimates may be imprecise.
Nearby Suburbs
Frequently Asked Questions
- Where is Moonlight?
- Moonlight is a historical gold rush locality in the upper Arrow River valley, around 12 km north of Arrowtown in the Queenstown Lakes district, in the gorge country below Macetown.
- Why is it called Moonlight?
- The name refers to the Chinese goldminers who worked the Arrow River beds at night in the 1860s, finding the ground more accessible under moonlight, leaving both the mining debris and the place name.
- What is the Moonlight Track?
- The Moonlight Track is a historic route through the Arrow River gorge connecting Arrowtown with Macetown and the upper Arrow, used by trampers and mountain bikers as part of the Arrow River Bridges Track network.
- Is there anything to see at Moonlight?
- The upper Arrow River valley holds gold rush era mine workings, water races and stone remnants in the gorge walls, accessible via the Arrow River Bridges Track from Arrowtown.
- How do I get from Arrowtown to the Moonlight area?
- On foot or mountain bike via the Arrow River Bridges Track, a 3-4 hour return trail following the river north through the gorge. The river requires crossing; conditions vary seasonally.
- Which schools are in zone for Moonlight?
- Children living in Moonlight are in zone for Queenstown Primary School. Living in a school's home zone gives a guaranteed right to enrol.
- How do I check my school zone in Moonlight?
- Use the School Zone Checker on this page. Enter your address to check your school zone and see which schools you have a guaranteed right to enrol at.
Schools & Enrolment Zones in Moonlight
Schools in zone for Moonlight
Children living in Moonlight have a guaranteed right to enrol at these school, based on Ministry of Education home zones.
Queenstown Primary School
Full Primary · roll 506 · decile 10
Check your school zone
School Zone Checker
Enter your address to check your school zone in Moonlight. School enrolment zones (home zones) decide which schools your child has a guaranteed right to enrol at.
Address matching is approximate and based on OpenStreetMap geocoding — confirm an exact result near a zone boundary directly with the school.
Shops in Moonlight
Shops(1)
Four Square Franz Josef
Moonlight Weather
Current conditions: 3.2°C, broken clouds
| Month | High (°C) | Low (°C) | Rainfall (mm/day) | Sunshine (hrs/day) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☀️ Jan | 17.49 | 7.92 | 4.11 | 11.13 |
| ☀️ Feb | 15.5 | 6.61 | 4.28 | 10.69 |
| 🍂 Mar | 12.21 | 3.41 | 5.01 | 9.14 |
| 🍂 Apr | 11.14 | 2.85 | 5.02 | 7.6 |
| 🍂 May | 7 | 0.35 | 4.21 | 5.57 |
| ❄️ Jun | 3.68 | -1.5 | 2.98 | 5.12 |
| ❄️ Jul | 2.48 | -3.77 | 3.66 | 5.22 |
| ❄️ Aug | 2.83 | -3.69 | 4.22 | 6.62 |
| 🌸 Sep | 5.34 | -2.27 | 11.9 | 6.83 |
| 🌸 Oct | 7.65 | -1.01 | 8.05 | 8.23 |
| 🌸 Nov | 12.19 | 2.25 | 4.11 | 10.29 |
| ☀️ Dec | 15.79 | 6.64 | 4.68 | 11 |
Moonlight Community
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