We had decided to explore Glenorchy today - partly because the Lonely Planet described it as a beautiful place to visit but also because we love the Bridge of Orchy in Scotland and thought anywhere with the same name must be worthy of a visit.

The road out of Queenstown (past backpacker hostels and then some rather plush apartments and a posh hotel) was definitely more Scottish and less 'bush' than we've seen so far. Deeply undulating in parts and Dave had to use 2nd gear quite a bit whilst Shirl bit her fingernails! The clouds all the while teased and tantalised us by keeping the mountain tops covered.

The mountains on the non-road side of the 40km lake came pretty much straight down to the water although there was some flat ?pasture, we wondered if some of these bits of hillside had ever been walked on. Luxury bungalows and simple cabins dotted the mountainside as we drove along, one right on the top of a small mountain in a clearing, others hidden behind trees and all blending in with the scenery. Many 'lots' are advertised for sale on hoardings along the roadside so we expect this area will become much more populated in years to come, now is the time to visit!

The further we got away from Queenstown (at the bottom of 'V' shaped Lake Wakatipu) the calmer the water got, the almost white horses gave way to mirrors of blue reflecting the mountains and sky and we were reminded of happy summer days spent mucking about in boats on Scottish lochs.

We've been struck by the familiar plants and birds we've seen thus far but today was the first time we've seen Buddleia. Apparently gorse was a real problem plant here for some years, here's hoping the Buddleia doesn't take over where the gorse was eradicated. In North Island it was fantastic blue Hydrangeas everywhere and in South Island its gorgeous orange Croscosmia, growing wild. Many gardens we've seen in both North and South Islands are of the English Country type with nasturtiums, dahlias, lupins, Pieris Japonica and Photinia (Red Robin) to mention just a few. We've seen more Thrushes and Blackbirds here than at home and a fair number of (squashed) hedgehogs. In fact in Te Papa museum in Wellington a whole section is devoted to showing what species of plant or animal was brought into NZ and from where and when, some of which were to become a problem (stoats introduced to control rabbits) and some that would displace local species - the kowhai tree for example is being reintroduced having been replaced by Beech by settlers in the 1800's. Well enough of the David Attenborough....

The Trading Post in Glenorchy offers great service in a lovely setting: organic tea and coffee in china cups, healthy smoothies and shakes, afternoon tea and sandwiches....oh and icecream J We stopped off here after a longer than anticipated walk around a lagoon, an hour we were told, more like two hours we took. Not long into the stroll we paused at a picnic bench and were quickly joined by an older Scottish lady - broad Scottish accent, has lived here for 'many, many' years - who said her husband had gone back for their picnic. We had a good old chin wag for well over half an hour with them both, sharing travellers' tales and talk of Scotland.

Onward we went but paused again at a bench to watch two pairs of black swans glide along and dragonflies dart over the water - sometimes getting eaten by fish 'leaping' out. All the while the clouds were clearing to reveal mountains of amazing beauty, some with snow. Fair to say we got sunburnt and aaaahhhhed out!

Eager for more we enquired about the road to Paradise (!) but sadly it wasn't suitable for our van, so we took an alternative and decided that this time off-road was okay, because it was fairly gently sloping and corrugated and didn't involve any manoeuvres (we hoped). We drove to the head of the Routeburn tracks but reached there too late in the day to walk, so turned around and drove to Kinloch - basically a hotel and campground on the opposite side of the lake to Glenlochy. Idyllic once you've got the Deet on! Stopped for tea and cake before heading back.

We discovered that our van copes better off-road at speed.....but next time MUST keep the windows shut, the dust in the van is everywhere - like plaster dust.

Well another fab fab day, we are two tired and very happy travellers with heads full of all we've seen and belly's full up after a scrummy red-cod and stir-fry home cooked dinner! Tomorrow we up the ante....you'll see!