The 45 minute journey from Queenstown to Glenorchy was one of the most scenic drives we have ever experienced. The road follows the edge of Lake Wakatipu, providing spectacular views of the surrounding mountains which rise abruptly from the lake's shores.  The day started off a little cloudy which provided a mystical backdrop for our multitude of photos.

It makes perfect sense to me that the spectacular landscape around Glenorchy has been the backdrop for many film locations including the Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Narnia movies.


This is the area where they filmed the Lord of the Rings section depicting the Misty Mountains.  We literally saw no one as we drove around the backcountry. It was incredibly amusing to watch the, beautifully fluffy - but mostly deviod of thought, sheep panic as we drove by.  The sheep were fenced in pastures leading right up to the main highway and yet they seemed shocked to see a car coming down the road. As we drove along we would see a mass of sheep, heads down, chomping away on grass, and then all of a sudden they would scatter in a chaotic mix of running, leaping over invisible fences and pushing each other in the rush to get away from our car. If you are the sort of person (and I most certainly am) who enjoys watching such erratic behavior, then sheep watching in New Zealand will provide you hours of entertainment.



Glenorchy is small folksy town with a Tavern and Genuine Possum Fur shop as the main attractions. Here Kingsley is standing in the main intersection in the town.  I am fairly certain he could have stood there for quite sometime before any cars came along.

From the town of Glenorchy we traveled deeper into "Middle Earth" by following the road signs which lead us to the start of the infamous Routeburn track. We ended up driving down a very bumpy gravel road for about 40 min without seeing a single other person or car before we reached the start to the Routeburn track. At the entrance we saw a few hikers preparing to begin the 4 day trek and a few that had just completed it. They all looked very impressive with their backpacking gear and walking poles.  I have to hand it to the Japanese hikers though, they really took it up a notch with matching outfits head to toe.   (Note to self - one of these days I need to find a way to trick Kingsley into wearing matching outfits with me.)


If we had had more time I think it would have been a fantastic trek to do.  I was able to walk a short section of the beautiful track which included crossing a raging river on a swing suspension bridge.