Things to do in Glenorchy

Glenorchy sits 45 km from Queenstown along a lakeside road regularly rated among the country's most scenic, roughly a 45-minute drive that hugs Lake Wakatipu the whole way. The settlement holds around 360 residents and a red boat shed on the wharf that gets photographed more than almost anything else in the district.

It works as the gateway to Paradise and the head of the lake, and as the trailhead for the Routeburn and Greenstone-Caples Great Walks. Several Lord of the Rings scenes were filmed on the surrounding flats. Services are minimal: one petrol station and no bank, so fuel up and carry cash before leaving Queenstown.

A boardwalk over the wetland gives an easy, flat option for anyone not tackling a multi-day track.