The Headwaters Eco Lodge

The Headwaters Eco Lodge is an eco lodge at 42 Oban Street in Glenorchy, at the head of Lake Whakatipu. It is about 45 minutes' drive from Queenstown along the lakeside road. The property has previously traded as Camp Glenorchy. It suits leadership retreats, incentive groups and corporate offsites wanting an alpine setting with a strong sustainability focus.

Accommodation and facilities

The property has a main lodge and 14 individual chalets set in native gardens. Chalets have en-suite bathrooms with walk-in rain showers and outdoor decks. The lodge can take retreat groups of 10 to 55 people across its chalets and shared rooms. Shared spaces include lounges, an outdoor firepit and terraces. The events calendar has included yoga, winemaker dinners, stargazing and guest speakers.

Meetings and events

The main meeting space is the Humboldt Room, which seats up to 130 people in a range of layouts and has AV and presentation technology. There are also several breakout and social spaces, and the lodge can host business events of up to 130 people. The team can put together itineraries such as jet boating on the Dart River, fly-fishing, helicopter flights into Mount Aspiring National Park, glacier landings and backcountry walks.

Dining

The Headwaters Dining Room follows a garden-to-table approach, using produce from the lodge's own kitchen garden and local suppliers. It caters for breakfasts, VIP dinners and cocktail functions.

Sustainability and recognition

The lodge was built and operates under the Living Building Challenge framework and describes itself as net-positive for energy, generating power on site from solar panels. TIME magazine named it one of the World's 100 Greatest Places in 2019, and it was a finalist in the 2024 New Zealand Tourism Awards. Profits go to the Glenorchy Community Trust. The lodge also holds Qualmark recognition and is a member of Business Events Industry Aotearoa.

The Headwaters Eco Lodge suits leadership retreats, incentive trips, team-building programmes and conferences of up to about 130 delegates in the Queenstown region.