After the Queenstown Marathon: Glenorchy

The Route: Queenstown to Glenorchy to Queenstown Logistics: Scheduled shuttle bus along the western shore of Lake Wakatipu, roughly 45 minutes each way, or a self-drive of about 33 minutes. One night at the head of the lake. Marathon Month: November Duration: 1 night

Queenstown --(45 min Glenorchy Journeys shuttle, or 33 min self-drive)--> Glenorchy
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Queenstown <--(same shuttle, return service)------------------------------------

The Queenstown Marathon finishes in a town of casinos, gondolas and jet-boat operators competing for your attention within about four hundred metres of the finish line. Glenorchy is the opposite of that, and it's less than an hour away.

Glenorchy Journeys runs the scheduled bus service along the lake's western shore, roughly 45 minutes and about NZ$23 one way at the time this route was checked, though fares move and should be confirmed before booking. If you'd rather not manage a coach timetable on legs that are still finding their range two days after a marathon, the drive is closer to half an hour, mostly along the lake edge with the Humboldt and Richardson mountains stacking up ahead of you.

Night One: Glenorchy

Glenorchy is a genuinely small settlement at the head of Lake Wakatipu, a scattering of houses, a general store, and not much traffic. This is the whole appeal. November brings long Southern Hemisphere spring daylight and rivers running high with snowmelt off the surrounding ranges, which makes the drive out towards Paradise and the Dart River valley worth the extra time if you have a car: the road narrows, the braided river channels spread out silver and grey below the mountains, and the whole valley looks like it was scouted for a film before it was scouted for anything else, which, in fact, it was.

The primary recovery asset here is simply sitting still with a view, rather than a specific paved walking route: Glenorchy's own lakefront wharf area is flat and short, a five or ten minute stroll rather than a proper walk, which suits legs that have earned a rest. Glenorchy also sits at the trailhead for the Routeburn Track, one of New Zealand's Great Walks, though nobody two days off a marathon should be eyeing that up as a spontaneous activity. It's worth knowing it's there, and worth coming back for another year.

Where to stay: Glenorchy's accommodation is small-scale by design, lodges and B&Bs rather than hotel chains, given the settlement's population is measured in a few hundred people. No specific property name has been sourced with confidence for this itinerary; check current listings before booking, and book well ahead given how few rooms exist in the town.

Where to eat: The general store and the settlement's one or two cafes cover the basics. No specific venue name has been sourced with confidence for this itinerary.

Getting Home

Return to Queenstown on the same Glenorchy Journeys shuttle or by car, both taking roughly the same time as the outward journey. Queenstown Airport sits on the Frankton side of town, so factor in the drive back through Queenstown itself if you're catching a flight the same day.