Glamping by the Lake

Glamping in Glenorchy

Not too far from the thriving tourist mecca of Queenstown in New Zealand, is the small and isolated town of Glenorchy. To reach Glenorchy you will need to follow a scenic road beside the lake edge for around forty minutes. This is a quiet road and there are plenty of places to stop and capture a photo or two as you will almost certainly want to...

Once you reach Glenorchy you will be at the head of Lake Wakatipu, surrounded by majestic mountains - usually snow covered - with only a handful of tourists and locals around. But keep in mind we are talking isolated here, but not uncivilized. The food is great and the cafes and bars are welcoming.




There is a  new camping ground complex being developed in Glenorchy - fully sustainable and community focused. At present the project is not quite in full stride but there is an excellent alternative to fill that community gap, and that is Mrs Woolly's Camp Ground.  It is here that you will find the two glamping tents that have recently been installed.












These glamping tents are safari tents with a planked and sheltered deck out the front of each. The tents have solar powered lighting and powerpacks for all those essentials - cell phone charger, ipad, etc… The tents are one roomed, essentially for sleeping and nocturnal activities only, but a delicious light breakfast and good coffee is provided on the under-cover deck out front. Other facilities are in the amenities block a short walk away.






What you will love most about your glamping tent is the luxury linen, the sheepskin rugs on the floor the fresh flowers, and especially the possum skin hot water bottles. The tingling crispness of the Glenorchy mountain air is part of the pleasure of a stay in this unique area of New Zealand.







The multitude of stars in the deep velvet sky is breathtaking.

But snuggling into the cloud soft bed with your possum hot water bottle is hard to beat.

http://www.unusualstays.com/

http://italyoffthebeatentrack.blogspot.co.nz/2016/01/italy-off-beaten-track.html
https://www.facebook.com/Stay-Somewhere-Strange-273777766054597/

The Funky Bunker

The Funky Bunker

Pippy McCurdy

http://www.unusualstays.com/
http://italyoffthebeatentrack.blogspot.co.nz/2016/01/italy-off-beaten-track.html


Once it was high up a mountain - part of a film-set for an action movie set in the Himalayas. It may have only been an ammunition store but this bunker made it to the silver screen. You may have seen it - the movie was called Vertical Limits. Now you can stay in the bunker and maybe even live a little movie history for yourself.

 

Somewhere between a container and a bunk house, there is something about the Funky Bunker. It has angled down corners, - to let the snow slide off of course. You will know as soon as you set eyes on it,  that here is something unusual. This is not your usual tourist town accommodation.

 The bunker and the caravan sit together across a timbered deck. Is it a summer spot or a winter spot? Even though our visit was on a chilly late autumn night, something tells me it would work just as well either way. The outside deck, the deck chairs, the half fire-drum ready to go  -  well you can just imagine the sparks floating up over the big private section into the clear night sky.

But on a cold crisp night such as the one we encountered, the bunker turns into a snug nest with warm plywood walls and a pot belly stove pumping out the heat. Lots of bedding options - we never left the bunker for the sleeping caravan. It was a night of story telling and yarns. My how the time spins by...


The Funky Bunker is in Glenorchy by beautiful Lake Wakatipu. There are some great spots in Glenorchy for a meal or a beer but we couldn't tear ourselves away from the Funky Bunker. It was unpretentious, intimate and exceptionally likable.