New Zealand 2023: Invercargill to Glenorchy

The night was milder than the night before which made for a better night’s sleep. The first order of the day was to line up a place to stay in Queenstown. We checked online last night and all four holiday parks in or near Queenstown appeared to be fully booked. I phoned the holiday park we stayed at in 2019, the Top 10, and the campground in nearby Arrowtown as someone recommended, however, they confirmed they were full. I ended up finding and booking a site at a campground in Glenorchy which is a very small town about 45 kms and 45 minutes away from Queenstown at the very end of Lake Wakatipu, the very long lake Queenstown is located on as well.

The drive to Queenstown was smooth with the last part from Kingston on, along Lake Wakatipu with the mountain alongside the lake definitely scenic. We picked up a last few groceries to supplement what we had and had a picnic lunch in a small park before reaching the centre of Queenstown. It took a bit of searching to find a free parking spot but we found one on the road along the lake maybe half a kilometer from the centre of town. I remember finding Queenstown too busy and too touristy in 2019. This time, even though it was busy, it had the right vibe: it was alive, bustling with people either strolling around or sitting at a table on one of the many restaurant or pub patios. The lively area is partially a pedestrian area, and is right on the lakeside where people boarded or enjoyed a ride in jet boats, on the steam boat or other boats. We strolled, had some ice cream, did a little bit of souvenir shopping and sat down on the patio near the lake and enjoyed a New Zealand (Monteith's) beer (Don) and cider (Gwen). After that we drove out to Glenorchy, a very scenic drive. The campground, Mrs Woolly's Campground, far exceeded our expectation: rustic yet very nice with a fabulous covered outdoor kitchen, and full of other travellers.