Today was about driving to Glenorchy to see what was there for day 6 of our New Zealand Wanderings. It was another road trip day. Going from one place to another.
We sadly left Queenstown after staying in one of the best places so far. Our place was booked through Airbnb and our host was John. We stayed at Shotover Ridge- Queenstown’s.
New Zealand Wanderings Day 6 – Glenorchy
We really didn’t spend a lot of time in Queenstown, though we did the Skyline last night. The Gondola to the top of a mountain and then dinner. The gondola ride was fantastic. The dinner was nice, but for the amount of money spent on it, it was a bit disappointing. It was a buffet meal and with so many others trying to get their own dinner, it was a bit of a fight.
I’m a vegetarian, so there wasn’t a lot for me. I did enjoy all the desserts though.
Glenorchy
This morning we did the drive to Glenorchy. It was a great drive, especially after we asked for our car to be upgraded. The original one really didn’t cope with mountains. We have a SsangYong SUV now and it is a big improvement.
The drive to Glenorchy is quite amazing. The drive is nearly all along the side of a lake. The mountains across it were incredible. It was a very pretty drive and well worth it. We stopped at one place to take some photos, but that was it.
When we got there we found a pier with a boatshed and then I found the trees I was hoping to find when I got there.
This is a long exposure, but I’ve only processed it with Lightroom, so a quick one. I will try and do more when I get home. I used the Wacom MobileStudio Pro 13 to process it.
The long exposure was done on the Fujifilm X-T3 and the XF10-24mm lens. The camera was on the 3 Legged Thing Billy tripod and I was using my Formatt Hitech filters.
When we first got there we were the only ones there. By the time we decided to do some long exposures the place was overrun by others. When you travel, I know there are going to be cultural differences, but when you get to a place like this, it is quiet. We wanted to enjoy the serenity, so to speak, but no, all we could hear was the yelling of all the others there. It was a bit disappointing.
Onto the next place
We have now moved on to Te Anau. We have a couple of cruises booked for here and tonight we are going to the glow worm caves. I’m exhausted from the drive today. I hope that won’t spoil the caves tonight.
We are off to Milford Sound tomorrow, hopefully, some photography and then more on the boat cruise.
Wow! That image is stunning. It really does capture and convey a sense of solitude and serenity. I can so relate to your food experience. I am a vegetarian too so eating while travelling can be a bit stressful and never more so than when a buffet is involved.
Thank you Laura. I’m glad you think that it does. It was what I was after. Being a vegetarian can be very challenging. Thankfully many places are very happy to change things around.
Picking places to go and who to tour with is very challenging. One of the best I ever went on was with a small group of 10 to Grand Manan Island, Canada. We all go along, no crowds to compete with, the best food and places to stay. It was a birding trip but I had plenty of time to photograph. I didn’t want to make long exposure landscapes.
We are driving ourselves Sherry, I don’t think I could deal with a tour group. New Zealand is enough like Australia that we felt comfortable doing it on our own. Sounds like you were very lucky with your group. You do hear some horror stories. Thank you Sherry.
A plus to using a good tour guide is they know the less popular quieter locations.
If you can have a guide to yourself, that would be good, but having to be around 20 or so people not so good.
Up to 10 is my max. In Panama I did one guided tour, worth it to find local hot spots, the rest on our own.
That would still be too many for me. I like the ability to go where I want.
An individual guide, if affordable is best. I used one to take us to the Blue Mountains, AU. A truly unforgettable trip.
I don’t know, if you do your research then you can often figure things out for yourself, I look at lots of photos of an area, then use google to help me work out where they were taken, that has been great. I certainly don’t think I’ve missed a lot and have been really happy. We have also found some amazing spots just by stopping at many places and seeing what was there. We also spent 6 months researching the trip.
Too right. Lots of research makes a trip go well. I enjoyed being surprised by the guides local knowledge and the people we met. Both ways work well.
I don’t have the money for tours, and I find I’m nearly always surprised when I see things for the first time.
It seems that crowds and general rudeness is the norm globally, NZ included. Sometimes you’re better off on the beaten track away from humanity. I’m still in shock re the chubby comment, no one has the right… having said that, comments like that make me want to start up the Chubby Photography Club! Complete with Tee shirts and other chubby merch! What a loser! Just brush it off and enjoy the glow worms! Your trip is amazing so far and I hope the weather is on your side when you cruise Milford Sound. Kindest Regards Ian
Yeah, I haven’t travelled much, so it has been a shock.I think off the beaten path is the way to go, which is part of why I love photographing where I live. Yeah, you know, after the chubby comment and the responses I’ve had from it I’m starting to think I need to step out and show myself more, be a chubby photographer. Stuff them. The weather was fantastic Ian for Milford Sound, it was a glorious day. So beautiful there. Let me know when you get the t-shirts printed. Lol. Thank you..
I loved Glenorchy although I went there to shoot at night. Beautiful sky, and great meal at the local pub.
It was a great place, though it sounds like our experiences were very different, lol. We had a so so coffee at a cafe. Thanks Craig.
Unfortunately so many of the places that used to be quiet and serene are now overfill with people – tourists. It’s almost like an epidemic at times. I hope you manage to get some peace and quiet at times.
Cushla
I am starting to see that, though was pleasantly surprised to see that Milford Sound was really good. We got a lot of peace and quiet today. It was great. It was a nice break. Thank you Cushla.