Living La Vida Loca

Andrew and I had visited Glenorchy and done this beautiful trail in 2019, and we loved it so much we decided to bring our fellow travelers there to enjoy it as well. Just 45 minutes from Queenstown, Glenorchy is nestled on the northern shores of Lake Wakatipu & is the gateway to hiking trails and “Middle‑earth” (for hobbit fans). To be honest, we didn’t do a ton of exploration in the town of Glenorchy – we just stopped at the well-known Mrs. Wooley’s general store for lattes and then headed for the track that leads to Lake Sylvan.

The Lake Sylvan trail starts with crossing a slightly rickety bridge that if you’re afraid of heights and falling into rushing water, it would be a challenge. But we all did it.

The trail itself wanders, through beautiful woods, very shaded and quite flat. The trail ends at an overlook of the lake – a very pastoral scene.

We’d planned to have a special celebratory dinner this night in Queenstown as my brother and sister-in-law were on the eve of parting ways and heading to the North Island as we would go on to our biking adventure with our buddy, Kathy. Dinner at Public Kitchen and Bar is right in the middle of town at the wharf, The food was really very good – lamb shank that just fell off the bone, incredible pasta, and some tasty veggie side dishes. Overall, the food in Queenstown – and really all over New Zealand – is consistently excellent. There is a pride of using fresh, local, and organic produce and preparations – even of “takeaway” foods is great.

Good times!