Not just a ski town
Something we’re consistently being told by manuhiri (visitors), either on the chairlift or out with us on Starry Night Adventures, is that winter in Queenstown has so much more to offer than skiing or snowboarding. There aren’t many places in the world where this happens. Usually, when you go skiing, you're in a town geared just for snow sports.
Whakatipu-wai-Māori (Lake Wakatipu) is a gateway to some incredible places. Easy to access, yet when you're out there, it feels like you’re the only people on the planet. This is why you come here, and we’re here to facilitate the best possible experience.
Snow-covered mountains surround the lake, their slopes glowing under the soft winter light cast by the sun sitting low on the northern horizon. Cold air meeting warm surfaces creates extraordinary cloud formations. One of those is the inversion layer - a band of fog hugging the lake, often colder at lake level than in the mountains above. While it can create amazing images, most locals will tell you, if you can escape it, you’ll be happier.
We’d seen a strong inversion layer building ahead of the Murphys' Top & Back Adventure. Thankfully, with years of experience and a solid understanding of local weather, we had a good read on what the day might deliver.
Normally we make several stops along the Glenorchy Road, but on this occasion, we kept going and focused our time north of Tāhuna (Glenorchy). As we arrived, the inversion layer began to break, and the light streaming through was unreal. Glenorchy sits right on the edge of the cloudbank, and the wharf gave us fleeting glimpses of the surrounding mauka (mountains) revealing themselves piece by piece.
It was busier than usual, so we continued up the backcountry road. The Murphys are an active family who love the outdoors and were especially keen on experiencing native forest and manu (birds). Like many of our guests, they weren’t looking for formal photoshoots. We focus on capturing natural, candid moments as we guide our guests, giving light direction for a few portraits and letting the landscape speak for itself - meaning our guests can keep their phones in their pockets and be fully present.
By skipping a few usual roadside stops, we gained time and were able to visit both the Dart River and Routeburn. The Routeburn Forest Loop is an extraordinary way to sample one of Aotearoa’s Great Walks without committing to the full journey. In just minutes, you're deep among ancient rakau (trees), immersed in the sights, sounds and scents of our native forest.
What's truly special is the contrast between the two forests — just across the valley from each other, each offers a distinctly different biodiversity. In many other places around the world, you’d have to travel hours just to get into a forest like this, and even further to see meaningful ecological variation. But here, Aotearoa delivers both, quickly and beautifully.
This is the essence of our Top & Back Adventure. You have your own private driver, guide and professional photographer all in one. If it’s been years since you last had proper family photos, this is your moment.
