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Glenorchy Lagoon Walk, South Island, New Zealand
We woke up in Arrowtown to a smidgen of snow and, with more snow in the forecast, we decided to leave early in the hope of beating the weather. The lake was really choppy as we drove through Queenstown but it was a relief to see that the closer we got to Glenorchy, the calmer the lake was. There were even patches of blue sky so that was reassuring.
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| This was just before the snow clouds rolled in |
We drove along the main street (Oban Street) until the roundabout and turned left into Mull Street (the sign post reads Wharf 1km and underneath another sign reads Township). We drove to the end of Mull Street and turned into the first car park which, just by coincidence, was by the entrance to the Glenorchy Lagoon Walking Track (if you're facing the lake the entrance is located to the right). That saved me having to google where it was!
If you want to see the famous Instagram wharf and red shed then it's a small walk from this car park. Or if you're driving, you can turn left into Benmore Place and park a bit closer but it can get very busy with people and cars. The public toilet is also located a bit further on Benmore Place, the good old long drop toilets.
The Glenorchy Lagoon Walk has two options - the Southern Circuit and the Northern Circuit. We opted in for the full Northern Circuit.
** Side note: If you're pressured for time and just want some iconic beautiful photos, at the end of this post I've added a sneaky little shortcut cheat that you could do instead of walking the entire track. **
We entered the Glenorchy Lagoon Walk and immediately the scenery was breathtaking, even with the snow clouds looming over the mountains.
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The track was easy, flat and well maintained. It was also wide enough for the two of us to walk side by side (though I was lagging behind snapping too many photos haha).
Before long we reached a bridge where we could choose to turn left and cross the bridge or carry on walking straight. We chose to go over the bridge.
Eventually we came to the section where we had to decide whether to head straight on the Northern Circuit or veer right back to the township. The sign was a little confusing to me as both options were 30 mins but did that mean 30 mins back to this exact point for the Northern Circuit or 30 mins back to the car park?
Even though the clouds were starting to come in we took the gamble and trudged on. The path changed into a wooden boardwalk over the swampy grasslands (see photos below) and I must say I was impressed with how much time, work and money had gone into creating the boardwalks.
There were a few bridges as well as areas with seats to rest for taking in the views and even amidst the snow flurries and snow clouds the views were outstanding. I can only imagine what it must be like on a clear blue sky day!
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Then we came to the point where the Northern Circuit met up with the Southern Circuit again. My gut feeling was that I would miss out on some iconic photos if we chose to walk straight back to the car park, so we made a deal to walk back along the Southern Circuit just a little way for a quick look.
And I'm so glad we did!
Not only was the bridge a cute quirky bridge but the views and reflections were beautiful. The sun even tried to shine briefly for us.
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Sneaky shortcut cheat
- Drive down Mull St, turn right onto Argyle St and drive to the end. (I'm not 100% on parking sorry, I didn't take notice of that but hopefully you can park the car on the side of the road.)
- Join the Glenorchy Lagoon Walk from there, making sure to turn right.
- When you reach the first bridge, don't turn left to cross it, instead keep going straight and follow the path.
- Turn left where the Northern Circuit and Southern Circuit meet up.
- Walk over the quirky bridge and get your camera ready.
- Enjoy the views!
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In hindsight, I wish I had known about this but I guess we were not pressured for time and I did take some beautiful photos on the Northern Circuit as well. Timing is everything and if we hadn't walked the long way maybe the sun wouldn't have been trying to shine for my reflection shots.
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| Relieved to capture this reflection! |
And I wouldn't have got this beautiful shot of what I am calling #thatglenorchytree
~ PLEASE NOTE: We completed this walk in October 2022 so there may well be changes to the track or even the scenery. ~
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Thank you for reading about this hike. Check out my blog post Glenorchy Photo Spots for more photos of this beautiful area in New Zealand. I'd love you to share this post and if you use my photos, all I ask is that you credit me please :)
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