Forty-five minutes of lakeside road to a village of a few hundred people, then gravel into braided river valleys under the snow of the Southern Alps.
The road from Queenstown to Glenorchy follows the western shore of Lake Wakatipu, swinging round bluffs high above the water with the Humboldt Mountains and Mount Earnslaw growing ahead.
Glenorchy itself is a small, friendly village at the head of the lake, with a general store, a couple of cafés and a red wharf shed that once served the lake steamers.
Beyond it, gravel roads lead up the braided Dart and Rees valleys to a farm and beech forest that someone, long ago, named Paradise. The scenery here stood in for Middle-earth in the Lord of the Rings films.
This is also the gateway to the great tramping tracks: the Routeburn starts a short drive away, and jet boats roar up the Dart into Mount Aspiring National Park.
Take your time; the stops are the point.
Pull over at the viewpoints above the lake, especially Bennetts Bluff, for the long view up Wakatipu to the mountains.
Walk out on the wharf for the classic view of the shed with the peaks behind.
An easy loop on boardwalks around the wetlands behind the village, full of birds and reflections.
Ride a jet boat up the braided Dart, or just stop on the bridge and look upstream.
Drive the gravel road to Paradise and walk among the beech trees, with Mount Earnslaw above.
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Hire a car, or join a tour or jet-boat package that includes transport. Track shuttles run to the Routeburn trailhead in season.
Half a day for the village and lagoon; a full day with Paradise, a jet boat or a short walk on the Routeburn.
Much of the valley is working farmland. Leave gates as you find them and keep to tracks.
Queenstown practical notes →Photographs from Wikimedia Commons and Pexels under their licences.
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