Gently
resting against the aqua blue edge of Lake Wakatipu is the historic
town of Glenorchy. Built originally by the Scheelite miners of 1862 and
most recently utilized as the stunning imagery of Middle Earth,
Glenorchy and its surrounding areas have come to be meccas for
adventurous trampers and afternoon wanders alike. Just 40km outside of
the hustle and bustle of Queenstown this little village with just over
200 people, Glenorchy is the ideal gateway for some of the finest
tramping in the world.
Though it was gold which brought many of
the eager miners to the area in the mid-eighteen hundreds, it was not
what kept them in Glenorchy. The discovery of Scheelite, a unique ore
used in the fashioning of metals, was key to the growth and viability
of the township. A major ingredient in war time artillery the booms and
lulls in its demand came from world wide conflict. Mining continued in
one fashion or another until the 1980's. Today Merino sheep stations
blanket the land, and any remaining ore lies quietly undisturbed.
As
J.R.R.Tolkien's epic Lord of the Rings Trilogy receives multiple Oscars
and rave reviews for the breathtaking scenery employed for the movie,
all from various locations around New Zealand, visitors to the area are
becoming more aware of the many scenes that were shot in and around
Glenorchy.
Some of the local operators now offer special tours
and trips to accommodate the many visitors who wish to experience first
hand some of the magical landscape chosen by director Peter Jackson.
The
breath taking landscapes of the region have been captured by local
photographer, Paul Hansen. Most of the imagery which appears on this
website are examples of his work. Having now turned to the digital
medium for his work has allowed him to produce some of the best large
format panoramic prints seen of the area.
