Glenorchy

Glenorchy sits at the northern head of Lake Wakatipu where the Dart and Rees rivers come in, and the drive out from Queenstown along the lake edge is generally reckoned one of the best forty-five minutes of road in the country. The village itself is small - a few hundred people, a pub, a store, a couple of cafes - and the thing everyone photographs is the red boatshed on the public wharf with the Humboldt Mountains behind it. Behind the village a lagoon has a boardwalk loop through wetland, and beyond that the Dart and Rees valleys run into Mount Aspiring National Park, carrying the Routeburn, Rees-Dart and Greenstone tracks. The valleys have been used as film locations extensively enough that jet boat and 4WD tours market on it. Paradise, a farm settlement further up the road, is worth the drive for the name and the view. The road beyond Glenorchy is unsealed.

What you actually see

• The red boatshed - on the public wharf, with the mountains behind.
• The lakeside drive - forty-five minutes from Queenstown along the water.
• The lagoon boardwalk - the wetland loop behind the village.
• The Dart and Rees valleys - the road into Mount Aspiring country.

When to go

October to April. Early morning for still water and reflections at the wharf. The road beyond the village is unsealed and rough after rain.

Honest expectations

The village has few services - one store, limited fuel, and accommodation books out. Roads beyond are unsealed with fords in places. The drive from Queenstown is winding and slow.

Nearby

Queenstown is forty-five minutes south; the Routeburn trailhead is beyond the village.