Mervin and I take the rental car to Glenorchy which is a scenic small town situated 45 km further along the same lake as Queenstown - Lake Wakatipu. Today I witness for the first time the staggering number of sheep in New Zealand during the drive. All they seem to do is stick their faces in the grass and munch. But that's what makes lamb meat preferred over the other forms of meat, in terms of one's health it doesn't have the level of artificially introduced hormones as the other types of meat since it is essentially 'free range'. As a guy, I would prefer to be without the abnormal levels of estrogen found in chicken/veal/pork. Moobs are not considered sexy in my time.
It is not difficult to find quiet in Glenorchy
Glenorchy is a popular tourist spot due to its proximity to the lake and to many trekking (or 'tramping' as the Kiwis refer to it) tracks. It lies near the borders of Mount Aspiring National Park and Fiordland National Park and trekkers who wish to do the Routeburn Track must pass through this town. Glenorchy received worldwide attention when it was used as one of the settings in the first of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings films. We spend the morning sitting on the jetty fending off vicious sandflies, taking pictures. The water here is very clear and it seems as though the jetty is floating in the air. After 30 minutes, we gas up then head back towards Queenstown for lunch.
After lunch our next destination is Deer Park Heights; Jules told us about this great vantage point on a hill offering great views of Queenstown, the airport, surrounding mountains and unobstructed vistas of both lake arms. It only takes 10 minutes from town and when we get there we encounter an electronic gate demanding NZ$20 to drive up the hill. I am outraged by the exorbitant fee, this would earn me an entire week in a National Park in the States or Canada and here is only a drive up a hill! We opt to pay anyways and begin driving up, at the nearest viewpoint we stop and take some pictures. After 5 minutes we observe a donkey sauntering up towards the car. Hmm... that is unexpected. What's next - Shrek? The donkey sniffs us then dismisses us with a toss of it's head when it realizes we have no food offerings. He/she carries on uphill to the next vehicle where we can plainly observe a rather big social gathering of various domesticated beasts eagerly jockeying for food handouts. Ok, perhaps there's more to this place than we thought... I feel a bit like a loser for showing up empty handed :)
Spare a bite?
As we head higher up the hill, there are more hoofed animals such as different species of deer, ponies, goats, llamas, Tibetan yaks all roaming quite freely. They approach the vehicle and practically stick their heads in for handouts. At the top of the hill, there is an odd sight. An ancient Chinese style fort sits up here with a giant painted face of what looks like Mao Tse Tung on the side of it. It is the only structure here and seems quite incongruous with the setting, looking closer we read on a sign that this was actually a movie set constructed for a Korean film. Mervin takes off with his SLR to hunt more animals with his lens; I find the highest point to sit with my eyes closed and Ascend facing the Remarkables mountain range and braving the cold wind. It feels good to be outside and to discard the residual negative energy from the altercation the night before. I feel anchored and relieved by the time Mervin joins me.
Other residents
Deserving of the name Deer Park Heights
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