The main street in Middle Earth

Located in prime Lord of the Rings country at the head of Lake Wakatipu, the teensy mountain-ringed town of Glenorchy is the gateway to some of the best tramps in the South Island - the Greenstone, Routeburn and the Caples tracks.

Lying some 50km northwest of Queenstown, Glenorchy has also become a hot-spot for horse riding and adrenaline-fuelled jetboating on the Dart River.

Across the lake from the town itself is the remote Kinloch Lodge, one of New Zealand's loveliest accommodation options.