Drive from Glenorchy to Queenstown

How to get to Glenorchy New Zealand

Unfortunately, there aren’t many ways to get to Glenorchy by road. So the best way by road is just to drive in from Queenstown on the Glenorchy – Queenstown Road.

And the quickest way to get to Queenstown in New Zealand is to fly into Queenstown airport. However, if you cannot find flights to Queenstown, you can always choose to fly into either Dunedin airport or Christchurch airport, and then drive to Queenstown.

But please bear in mind that the drive from Christchurch to Queenstown can take up to 7 hours or more. Once you’re in Queenstown, there will be only one road going to Glenorchy.

Basic info for the drive from Glenorchy to Queenstown

All of the basic information for the Queenstown to Glenorchy scenic drive has already been listed in the previous article. This information does not change when you drive back on the Glenorchy – Queenstown Road from Glenorchy to Queenstown.

The road is still approximately 44 km (27 mi) long, it still takes about 30 to 40 minutes to drive it, it is still paved and hilly with a few tight corners, and you will mostly enjoy mountains and Lake Wakatipu as the scenery.

What I would recommend however is that you do the Glenorchy to Queenstown drive late morning to early afternoon to get light on the mountains and lake.

The most dominant natural features on the Glenorchy to Queenstown drive will be Lake Wakatipu again, Pig Island and Pigeon Island, and then finally The Remarkables as you get closer to Queenstown.

Video of the Glenorchy to Queenstown scenic drive

In the 5-minute video below, which was shot during a sunny day in spring in New Zealand, you will get to see snow-capped mountains around Lake Wakatipu, and also snow on The Remarkables as it had snowed the night prior to me doing this scenic drive.