NZ 2009 Day 6 - Glenorchy / Te Anau

We had an early check out (8am) because we had to drive to Glenorchy first before going down to Te Anau. Hotel check out was supposed to be 11am and we didn't want our trip to Glenorchy to be a rush.

another hotel check out family photo

Stopped by Wilson Bay on the way to Glenorchy (which was around 45minutes drive).

And another stop for a good vista of snow-capped mountains

From Glenorchy

beautiful scenery on the way to Glenorchy

From Glenorchy

can't get enough of snow-capped mountains. They were really a sight worth seeing (and taking pictures of).

From Glenorchy

one more shot


Few more minutes and we were at Glenorchy's doorstep.

From Glenorchy

Gateway to Paradise it was.

We drove past the visitor centre to get a map and some brochures. Also asked how we could see some of the LOTR (Lord of the Rings) filming areas. Most of the scenes were taken on private properties. And there were really no signs or anything which states that it was the location so we had to guess if we got the right place!

Before going on our LOTR location hunt, we drove around town.

From Glenorchy

Glenorchy Cafe - the only cafe in town (well, that is according to Melody, in the NZ trip series show in Singapore)

From Glenorchy

Glenorchy Jetty - with clear Lake Wakatipu and overlooking great views of the mountain

From Glenorchy

jetboating in Glenorchy

From Glenorchy

beautiful mountain scenery in front of us

From Glenorchy

more beautiful scenery behind us

Had lunch at Foxy's Cafe (beef curry with rice, and for the kids, as usual, nuggets and fries).

After lunch, we went on a 15minute drive to Lake Sylan, which we were informed to be one of the locations of LOTR. This was a drive on unsealed road. When we got to the end of the road, the river/stream was there, which was supposed to be the location of one of the scenes in LOTR. But since we aren't really fans of LOTR, and we haven't seen all the movies, we didn't quite recognize the area.

where are you, Legolas???

The area boasts of fantastic mountain views (the mountain itself had lots of colors!). It was just sad that because of overcast, we couldn't take brilliant photos of it.

From Glenorchy

crossing the bridge would bring you to Lake Sylvan Walk. We didn't take the walk as it started to drizzle again.

From Glenorchy

does Ira look like he is removing one of the bolts?

With no luck in seeing the exact location of LOTR (or we were already there but we didn't know it), we headed back to Queenstown before continuing our journey to Te Anau.

Back in Queenstown I walked around looking for a replacement for my rubbershoes which already gave up after all the hiking and walking since we got to New Zealand. Unfortunately, I didn't find any that would fit my budget (even in the kids department!).

We drove to Te Anau for a 2 night stay. We stayed at Fiordland Hotel and Motel. Stopped by Subway to grab something for dinner.

The hotel had a solar-heated pool (but because the weather was too cold, the pool was not heated at all) and spa. We stayed in a motel room which had one queen bed and a triple bunk bed.

After dinner, I did the laundry, and while waiting for the dryer, we all went to the spa to relax.

DAY 7