Camp Glenorchy, the perfect base camp from which to explore the stunning valley. Photo / Bernado Barbarosa
Camp Glenorchy, Glenorchy, Central Otago
Beautifully designed, immaculately kept luxury cabins with more green credentials than you can shake a sustainably grown stick at.
Location
A 45-minute drive along Lake Wakatipu from Queenstown in the picturesque town of Glenorchy, which sits in a glacial valley, the camp offers 360-degree views of the surrounding Humboldt and Richardson mountain ranges. It's hard to imagine the whole area was at one time sitting beneath a gigantic river of ice.
Style
Camp Glenorchy is not your average camp. The cabins and main homestead have the feel and ethos of a camp in the great American wild but everything is hi-tech and luxurious. Much thought has gone into making it super-sustainable and with its solar array and green technology, it is actually carbon-negative, meaning it produces more electricity than it uses.
Perfect for
A base camp from which to explore the stunning valley and lake. The camp is a great place to unwind and relax after any exertions.
Price
Bunks from $88, including linens, shared bathrooms and continental breakfast. Eco cabin king bedrooms from $285 per night.
First impressions
The camp looks and feels as if it has been around longer than its few years and that's because many of the materials used in its construction were repurposed from other, older buildings in Glenorchy - so in a sense, it's always been there.
Rooms
The aesthetic of washed timber and polished stone floors is true to the style of a camp in the great outdoors but there is upscale comfort here. Rooms have lots of little environmentally conscious touches - what look like overhead lights are in fact sunlights, lighting is timed, there are recycled cardboard coathangers for your clothes and probably many more that you won't even notice. There is a tablet device for adjusting room temperature and checking that your shower use is on the right side of the green divide. There is no minibar.
Bathroom
One of the first things you may notice about the bathrooms is the compostable toilets. In fact you'll notice them every time you sit on one as it draws a cool zephyr across your nether regions (it's part of the process). The toiletries and loo paper of course have green credentials.
Food and drink
In the true style of a camp, most of what you eat and drink here you will have to either hunt or gather yourself. That said, the staff can arrange meals on request but you will need to do your own washing up afterwards. There are takeaway options (including some truly great pies) from the nearby Mrs Woolly's General Store.
Facilities
Kitchen and all necessary potware and cutlery is available for meal preparation in the main homestead. The dining room offers great views while you eat. Guests are welcome to join morning yoga sessions in the Humboldt Room. An onsite massage with a local therapist can be organised on request. There is free Wi-Fi.
In the neighbourhood
While Camp Glenorchy is a relatively new addition to the small town (and initially a not uncontroversial one), it is now fully part of the local makeup. Some of that excess electricity goes to other businesses in town and staff are quick to promote local amenities - whether that be a helicopter trip over nearby Mt Earnslaw or the Humboldt Ranges with Heli Glenorchy, a Glenorchy Brew Co beer in the bar at the nearby Bold Peak Lodge or any number of activities from hiking, kayaking, horse riding, ziplining, jetboating, canyoning or fishing in the surrounding area.
Family friendly
Cabins can be booked in different configurations for single, double or multiple occupancy - meaning an adjoining bunk room for children can be unlocked if required. Family movies are sometimes screened on the huge projector screen in the main homestead before bedtime.
Accessibility
There are two dedicated eco-cabins designed for wheelchair users. The whole site is flat, with easy and wide access all round and buttons for automatic doors.
Online: campglenorchy.co.nz
For more New Zealand travel ideas and inspiration, go to newfinder.co.nz and newzealand.com
When there's nothing as far as the eye can see, you may appreciate the company.