Glenorchy is a small town at the head of Lake Wakatipu, a lakeshore shared with Queenstown 45 kilometres to the southeast. The township itself has a very similar panorama to Queenstown, with views of towering mountains over Lake Wakatipu. But similarities end at the road that meanders beyond Glenorchy. The road crossing into alpine valleys, Jurassic forest and snaking river beds leads you through the storybook page into Middle Earth. Glenorchy is a fantastic paradise, straight off the pages (and film screen) of Tolkien. Why simply watch the Lord of the Rings when you can visit Glenorchy and envision the magical worldscape reanimated before your very eyes? Spend your visit imagining stepping into Tolkien’s world and the true magic of Glenorchy comes alive. 

Glenorchy is best known in postcards for its iconic wharf, featuring a bright red boat shed and small pier set at the forefront of the lakeshore. The town is nestled between a number of ranges which make up New Zealand’s Southern Alps, the most iconic of which being Mt Earnslaw and the Humboldt mountains. Custodians of the sequestered town, the mountains watch over the humble lives of many of the towns inhabitants. The town has no supermarkets or chain retailers, it is a preservation of a humble, self-sufficient life no longer lived by the majority. Glenorchy is considered by tourists and locals alike as a wilderness retreat, a sanctuary hidden from the woes of the modern world. I see Glenorchy as a retreat from the real world altogether, a retreat into the pages of a fantasy novel. 

So what is there to do in a place largely out of the reach of commercial tourism? The answer to this is to literally tread into the wilderness. Glenorchy’s hiking system, like most of New Zealand towns, is tiered in the extent that you want to venture into the backcountry. You can simply wander the boardwalk’s of the lagoon walkway and see the rugged mountains reflected in calm waters from afar. Or you can complete a simple out and back tramp to an alpine lake popularised in the 19th century like Lake Rere or trace the footsteps of those same 19th century miners on the Invincible Gold Mine track. 

For those looking for a whistle stop tour of Glenorchy’s backyard, there are multiple viewpoints along the road that intersects Glenorchy and the wider Mt Aspiring National Park. Many of these viewpoints are Lord of the Rings filming locations, such as Ithilien and the Isengard lookout over the lower Dart valley. You can access touchstones of Mt Aspiring National Park, such as the Routeburn nature walk (a very short offshoot of the Routeburn track), without venturing deeper. You can also go trekking on horseback and find yourself in a Hobbit style adventure. 

For those wanting to immerse completely into Middle Earth, Glenorchy is heaven sent for the backcountry hiker. There are endless multi-day hikes which venture deep into Mt Aspiring National Park (a division of the Southern Alps). Glenorchy is the starting point of the infamous Earnslaw burn track, a multi-day hike that straddles Mt Earnslaw and culminates at the foot of a prehistoric icefall. You can also traverse Sugarloaf pass, a saddle that offers panoramic views over the deep glacially carved Rockburn and Routeburn valleys and the Dart River which flow at their floor. 

Glenorchy is most famously the start or end point of one of New Zealand’s Great Walks: the Routeburn track. This hike is typically undertaken over the two or three days and is the setting of several backcountry huts. The alternative starting or ending point is The Divide; Routeburn bridging Mt Aspiring National Park to Fiordland National Park. The entire track traverses 32km of ancient forests, chasmic mountain valleys, deep fiords, meandering rivers and alpine lakes. It is an adventure deep into a wild land lost to modern time. The endless forests and plains are both remnants of an old world and manifestations of a fantastic world. As ultimately, most fantasy novels are set in the concept of the world as it was a thousand years ago. The preservation of Routeburn’s natural integrity is what makes this track so magical and immersive. 

We were unable to secure bunks at the overnight alpine huts, but this was not enough to deter us. We completed a longer out and back hike, resolved to get as deep into the wild as possible within a day. Starting from the Routeburn shelter in Glenorchy, we hiked 12.5km (25km return) to Harris Saddle. From the shelter we navigated through native forest along the valley floor, a journey accompanied by stunning waterfalls and birdsong, to Routeburn flats. The track then climbs above Routeburn valley, offering one the most spectacular panoramic views I’ve witnessed in New Zealand. 

The panorama only becomes less obstructed as you leave the bushline and reach Routeburn falls. These falls cascade along the mountainside at roughly 1,000 metres above sea level and are accompanied by stunning views directly down the valley to the Humboldt mountains. A short climb up the craggy mountain pass leads you on to Lake Harris and Harris Saddle, the end point of our out and back trail. The track hugs a bluff directly above the lake, providing beautiful views of Conical Hill and The Valley of the Trolls on the other side of Lake Harris. Both of these features can be accessed by detouring from the main pathway and provide an even more secluded landscape. 

If we were to venture further, the track then descends onto the Hollyford face. From here, you now look out onto the Hollyford valley and the Darran mountains towards Milford Sound. Descending further, you reach Lake Mackenzie. Another stunning alpine lake nestled amongst ancient forest, Lake Mackenzie waterfront is the setting of the final backcountry hut. The track finally descends through grassland flats known as The Orchard and passes Earland Falls before finishing at The Divide on the Milford Road. Routeburn is a hike that will never leave you wanting, it is equally diverse in natural features as it is increasingly stunning at each turn. 

Glenorchy is a beautiful small town, but moreover it is a gateway into another world. You will seldom feel more like you are in a fantasy epic elsewhere than on the paths of Routeburn. It was the perfect option to portray Middle Earth on screen. But more so, it is the only option to experience Middle Earth yourself.