Day 7

Ah, Day 7. If I had to choose between Day 4 (The Tallest Bungee in NZ, The Biggest Swing in the World, and Skyline Luge), and Day 7 as the highlight of the trip, I won’t be able to. What exactly happened on Day 7, you might ask?

This happened.

We left Te Anau and drove for about 3 hours to Wanaka. On the way, we stopped at this amazing lookout.

Wanaka was one of the larger towns we’ve seen so far on this trip (besides Queenstown). Driving through the town, it was really misty, and it made me second guess going on the hike up Roy’s Peak. What if we went all the way up there only to see clouds? But being above a sea of clouds could be beautiful too, like at that spot we visited on the way to Wanaka.

The night before, after Naz turned in, I stayed up for a bit, reading through people’s experiences about their hike on Tripadvisor. Most said it wasn’t easy – even for those “in good shape” – but doable, and that the steep climb up was worth the view and the feeling of satisfaction. Now, I was far from being in good shape. The last time I went for a run was years back, and I remember struggling on the uphill trails/stairs/slopes at Skaftafell National Park and Skogafoss in Iceland, going up Mt. Bromo, and most recently going up to Sunset Point in Goreme, Turkey. Safe to say, I was hesitating whether to go up Roy’s Peak.

Around 12.15pm, we pulled into the Roy’s Peak car park and saw people just starting their hikes, and some were already done, loading their stuff into their car. It was actually quite late to start the hike as it’s a 6-hour return journey. If we didn’t hurry up, it would be dark on our way down. But there was no turning back – this was THE thing to do if you’re in Wanaka, and Rob Roy’s Glacier trail, another walk I was considering, was another hour’s drive away.

We started walking on the trail, which was steep from the get go. Soon enough I was gasping for air, and Naz had to patiently wait for me to catch my breath at every bend. The trail, while clear and well-maintained, is relentlessly steep with barely any flat surfaces. This was my worst nightmare – going uphill for 3 and a half hours. We got higher and higher, and the car park seemed to shrink every time we looked down, and then it eventually got covered by the clouds.

We passed people who were already on their way down, and got passed by people making their way up in good time. I just stuck to my own pace. It was pretty monotous, as the trail just switchbacks up the mountain, so Naz played some songs from his phone. A pair of Chinese guys sang along to The Killers’ ‘Human’ as they passed us.

Up and up we went, and there it was, the final slope, and we found ourselves at one of New Zealand’s most famous views.

By the time we got up there, there were only 2 other couples (including that pair of The Killers fans) up there. There wasn’t the notorious line of people waiting to get their photo taken at the lookout, which was a relief. This is most likely because it was winter, and it was already quite late in the day.

We took our time to enjoy the stunning view and have our photos taken. The 2 other couples weren’t in a rush, so it was relaxing and not stressful at all.

After 20 minutes up there, we started to make our way back down. The sun started to set, and we were treated to a sunset as dramatic as the day’s sunrise (see previous post).

We jogged the way back down, keen to make it back to our car as fast as we could. Halfway down, it got pitch black and we turned on the flashlights on our phones to light the way. Note to self: bring headlamps on future hikes. We definitely needed to see the track clearly because the lower half of the track had a whole lot of sheep dung! Speaking of sheep dung, were those that looked like pellets of boba, and large blobs (some of which were stepped on by some unfortunate hikers 🤢). Going down the mountain quickly took a toll on my feet, and I got quite a few blisters from that.

Roy’s Peak definitely has a special place in my heart. It’s true what they say – the tougher the journey the sweeter the victory! If you’re planning a trip to New Zealand, do set aside a day to hike Roy’s Peak! You do not have to be a marathon runner to do this, take it from me 😆