The rustic town of Glenorchy, at the western end of Lake Wakatipu, is set against a background of native beech forest and towering snow-capped mountains. It is known as the gateway to the Routeburn, Caples, Greenstone, Rees and Dart Valley walking tracks.
It’s also the place to organise jet boating and kayaking on the Dart River. Call into the Department of Conservation Visitor Centre if you plan to walk any of the tracks. Horse trekking in the area comes highly recommended. The town has an assortment of lodges, one hotel and a few cafés. It’s a good idea to buy hiking supplies in nearby Queenstown.
Glenorchy lies near the borders of Mount Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park. The local scenery received worldwide attention when it was used as one of the settings in the first of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. Vertical Limit was also filmed in the area.