Trip to Middle Earth

We set off on a trip to Glenorchy today. It was a really lovely sunny day and we were hopeful of great views on one of New Zealands most scenic drives.
At first we were a little unsure. Lots of trees and bushes obscured the view to my left that should have looked onto the lake. Fortunately a little further along the winding roads the bushes began to thin out and the road crept up higher to reveal some gorgeous and stunning scenery. The beautiful lake was so still and had a cloudy but glassy sheen to it that made it look a lovely silvery blue/purple. With the backdrop of the mountains it was very Middle Earth. But we were headed for Isengard!
On route to Isengard we came across the spot where Sam and Frodo spotted the Oliphants. Looks exactly the same. We could have done a walk too to more locations on our way back but the sandflies were out in force by then (clouds had come in) and we just weren't up for that, they were there everytime time we tried to snap a shot on the way back, especially loving Robs arms, that we kept having to run back to the shelter of the car.

St this point in time we stopped for photos without the sandflies and moved on to the Misty Mountains. When the snow capped mountains came into view it was stunning. We wanted to keep stopping for photos but with such a narrow and winding road there were fewer opportunities to.

Eventually we got to glenorchy after passing lots of little bays with turquoise blue water. It honestly looked like a Caribbean shoreline in places but with snowcapped mountains in the background. We hoped to stop for a swim on the way back biy yup...the sandflies ruined that too! (plus it got a bit cold).

Glenorchy is a tiny, tiny town with a population of around 400. Cute though, lots of little cafes and whatnot. We had a picnic by the Lake and then followed a long dirt Road further along towards the location for Isengard. We actually thought we were going a much farther distance to get to another cool film location for Letherien but it turns out there is no road to get there and that the guidebook wording wasn't quite what it should have been. It should have said it is a five day hike to get there! Still...we parked up with a good view of Isengard and took in the very moody and dramatic scenery. You can see why they chose it, especially with the clouds rolling in.

As previously mentioned, the way home was a little less sunny and filled with sandflies. Nevertheless we did stop on several occasions to wander to the beautiful bays and take in the surroundings. Oh and I also managed to successfully skim stones too! Yay!

After Glenorchy we headed to Arrowtown to see yet another location filmed by the river. It was bloomin freezing and we had to wander through the river at some points which actually just made my feet so numb I wasn't sure I could walk. Rob managed to stay in for quite some time somehow but didn't use the opportunity to pan for gold. Maybe we could have made our fortune...who knows!

Back in Queenstown it was a beautiful evening and so we enjoyed cooking dinner outside and chilling to some music.Read more