14.12.2017: Off to Paradise!

Glenorchy is definitely not on the list of New Zealand travelers who only have 3-4 weeks to spend at the other end of the world; unless it's an ardent 'Lord of the Rings' fan who visits all the filming locations. In and around Glenorchy, Isengard was brought to life, the home of the Elves in the Lothlorien Forest was found in Paradise Forest, and the scene was filmed where Sam, Frodo, and Gollum discover the Harad army with the Oliphaunts and Sam talks to Gollum about potatoes (to name just a few). Parts of 'The Chronicles of Narnia' and 'X-Men' were also filmed here - as you can see, Hollywood has long discovered the area around Glenorchy for its successful movies.

We already got a first impression of the small town and the Scenic Drive to/from Queenstown a few days ago when we were picked up from the Routeburn Track. Today, we take our time and stop along the way for photos of the incredibly beautiful view. The town 'Paradise' deserves its name and Lake Wakatipu shines in deep blue - we even see two couples who have chosen this dreamlike backdrop for their wedding photos. I also find a new buddy here in the form of an apparently stray, old dog who enjoys being petted and friendlyly encourages passing walkers to throw his stick. When Eric throws a different stick once, he even brings both back.

We drive around for a while and pass by the milky blue Dart River. Some popular multi-day hiking trails like the Routeburn, Greenstone, or Rees Dart Track start nearby.

Once we have seen enough (as far as that is possible), we slowly make our way back, but on the way we take a short walk on the Bob's Cove Track, where we reach a beautiful bay that unfortunately is firmly in the hands of sandflies.

Less than 3 km further, we turn right at the sign 'Twelve Mile Delta' and park in front of the gates of a campsite. Here we search for the spot where Sam, Frodo, and Gollum hide and observe the Harad army with their Oliphaunts, and Sam talks to Gollum about potatoes. The point is even saved under the keyword 'Ithilien Camp (LotR)' in Google Maps. When we try to approach it, we fight our way through the waist-high dense undergrowth. Not an easy task, but we are not the first. Broken branches, trampled vegetation, and hardly recognizable footpaths bear witness to other film location seekers. As we get closer to the point on the map, we realize that either the scene was filmed on the other side of the river, the point on Google Maps is not quite correctly marked, or the impassable bush did not exist at that time. Either way, we can't go any further here, but at least we were very close. The beautiful weather invites us to swim at the nearby beach, of course, we both don't have our bathing suits with us, as the weather forecast actually said it would be increasingly cloudy after 11:00 am. Well, better that way than the other way around.

Since the day is still young, we continue to Arrowtown, a former gold mining town that I already 'visited' during my first trip to New Zealand. We visit the very simple, small huts in the former Chinese settlement, walk through Arrowtown's charming promenade where we treat ourselves to an ice cream, and take a look from the outside at the prison, which has now been turned into a museum.

A very successful trip is coming to an end - time for us to drive back to the hostel and plan the next day, because tomorrow we leave Queenstown.