Roys Peak

The Roys Peak (1581m) is a mountain in Wanaka. From the starting point at an elevation of 280 meters to the summit, a total of 1300 meters of elevation gain is required. On January 29th, at around 6:30 pm, we set off to complete the 16 km hike. The path was consistently steep and mostly consisted of gravel road. Along the way, we encountered some sheep and rabbits.

After 2 hours, we reached the viewpoint, which is a very popular photo spot. We were lucky to only encounter one other couple in front of us taking photos.

From the viewpoint, it takes about 30 more minutes to reach the actual summit. Because we spent a bit too much time taking pictures, we didn't make it all the way to the top and stopped just before to watch the sunset.

After the sun went down, we started our descent. Going downhill was not to be underestimated as it also required sufficient strength in our legs. In the beginning, we were still walking in partial daylight, but by 11 pm, it was pitch dark. Luckily, we had flashlights with us and reached the parking lot and our car just before midnight.

6 days later...

Because we liked Roys Peak so much and because we wanted to camp in an extraordinary location, we decided to do the hike again, this time camping on the mountain. 6 days after our first ascent, we set off again. This time, we started a bit earlier since we had our backpacks with a tent, sleeping mats, and enough food.

We continued on to the summit to watch the sunset and set up our tent. This time, we made it all the way to the top. After eating our packed sandwiches, we snuggled up in the tent.

I set an alarm for midnight, but I overslept. Luckily, I woke up again around 2 am because I wouldn't have wanted to miss this beautiful starry sky. It was very cold at night, and I was grateful to be back in the tent.

Niklas set an alarm for sunrise, which I intentionally slept through. It was just too cozy in my sleeping bag! By 7 am, there were already a lot of people on the mountain who had climbed up to see the sunrise. After they started making their way back down, we began packing up our tent.

(I realized while packing up that I didn't take a picture of the tent, so here's one of the half-dismantled tent)

We made a stop at the viewpoint to use the restroom and have breakfast. On the way back, we encountered countless people who were still on their way up.

I'm very glad that we decided to do the hike again because the weather was much nicer the second time, and sleeping under the stars at an elevation of 1581m was an unforgettable experience.