Exploring New Zealand: 14-15 May - Mountainous Glenorchy

Glenorchy Hotel - powered site

Still too cold these recent days to 'make do' with freedom camping (not brave enough)! So, we headed next to another place we hadn't visited before - the Scottish-like mountains and lakes of Glenorchy. This has got to be the most beautiful area of Otago - and the least visited because it's just too far for some tourists to venture outside of Queenstown - down what could be viewed as a 'dead-end-road' (to 'Paradise' - ironically)! LOL! (Although Paradise is apparently named after the species of duck, not the place).

Our Campsite in the Glenorchy Hotel with the glorious mountainous backdrop

The Hotel Glenorchy where we parked for $12 with power also had backbackers' accommodation - so we could also take advantage of the laundry and bathrooms. Warm welcome, friendly staff and delicious food and wine.

Inside the Glenorchy Hotel with a centre fireplace

Lamb for dinner at the Glenorchy Hotel!

Supporting a local vineyard....

There is lots of history connected with the Otago hills in this area - where mining was an attractive financial incentive for the new Pakeha Settlers during those tough early years.

Whilst we were here, we took advantage of the close proximity to Queenstown, left Stan-the-Van behind and treated ourselves to lunch at another World-famous-in-New-Zealand foodie place - Fergburger.

watching the quick work of the Fergburger kitchen staff - fast-food in style!

...there was quite a queue for this popular place, but the result was worth it for the massive burgers and proper chips. (you won't need anything else to eat all day!) All part of the tourist-trap whilst the parking ticket ticks away the expensive minutes...;)

It had been quite some time since we were last here in Queenstown - almost 15 years ago as a tourist. The development of the area, along with the obvious failing infrastructure (by now a familiar issue) was astonishing, as we could see clearly from the top of the famous Gondola:

View overlooking Queenstown from the famous Gondola.

Pretty soon, we'd had more than enough of these crowds of people (it's amazing how we've acclimatized to this much-less populated country, and anything remotely busy makes me feel slightly anxious! How would I cope if I went back of those packed Kensington streets in London at Christmastime?! LOL!

Getting back to the serene, icy wilderness of Glenorchy was a relief - especially when there was a warm fire burning in that well-stocked bar!

Whilst there, we met up with an academic friend who lives nearby. The poisoning is never far away, as I've explained before. I always look at the Government Pesticide Summary to establish whether an area we are camping in is risky for Dizzy or not - and I knew it wasn't too far away here in Glenorchy. My friend confessed she now believed she now understood how German people must have felt during WW2, when they knew a Nazi concentration camp wasn't too far away. This may seem extreme, but to an animal-lover and an intelligent person who understands the science of suffering an inhumane death, it is almost unbearable to cope with the knowledge that so much unnecessary death and destruction is happening as a result of the aerial distribution of these terrible poisons.

The current DoC Pesticide Summary showing one of the many areas surrounding Glenorchy which has been poisoned with Compound 1080 aerially with helicopters recently. To the North Dart and Routburn have also been covered.

The paradox of the dreadful poison - forced upon the residents who are against it in trying to protect their food chain and their environments - is shocking against the beauty of this area. Brought me to tears on the edge of the lake, looking onto these silent mountains...