Day 17 - Roy's Peak, perfect view of Mt. Aspiring

Wanaka, the town we are currently in, has its own little mountain right on its doorstep, Roy's Peak. This mountain was our destination for today. With a total of about 1300 meters of elevation gain (up and down) spread over 16 kilometers, it was not an easy hike. But for our last hike in New Zealand, we wanted something more challenging.

After a hearty breakfast and replenishing our supplies for the upcoming climb, we set off. The long drive of about 6 minutes flew by. It felt like it was only 5 minutes. From below, the mountain didn't look that high...

So we set off towards the summit. At first, it was fairly easy, but we quickly realized that it could get quite challenging. Once we started, the impression that the mountain wasn't that high quickly disappeared. But we didn't let that discourage us and continued steadily climbing up the constant slope. Luckily, the trail was well-maintained and had no unpleasant surprises.

Still, we had to take short breaks every few meters to drink some water. With the sunshine warming our heads and the reflection of the sun in the lake below us, it quickly got very warm. Making sure we drank enough and without jackets, we continued our ascent.

When we reached the first stop, the sight reminded me of something I had read before. Apparently, there is a place in New Zealand where visitors like to have their photo taken because they stand alone in front of a stunning backdrop. However, you never see the long line of people waiting for that photo in those pictures.

The 'Social Media' line

So we just went to a small viewpoint further up and took our photos there.

As we continued to climb higher, we encountered more and more hikers dressed warmly coming down from the summit. We knew it would get colder at the top, but surely not so cold that you have to walk around with a thick jacket and a hat, right?!

When we reached the ridge where the wind was blowing nicely, we quickly put on our jackets and hats... it was indeed very cold up here. After a short break to capture the view, we made our way to the last few meters to the summit.

The view to be captured...

From the summit, a single glance towards the valley was enough to forget about all the hardships for a moment. The view was simply incredible. Especially the view of Mount Aspiring on the other side of the lake. That was also the reason why we chose this mountain instead of Mount Aspiring itself.

With this scenery, we were even able to recreate the picture that people were queuing for below without any waiting time.

Mt. Aspiring in the background

On the way up, we passed several people, but there were hardly any other hikers at the summit. In this tranquility and with the incredible view, we enjoyed a nice lunch.

He already had lunch...

Filled with new energy (and a little chilly), we (well, actually me) packed up after lunch and started the descent. It turned out to be just as strenuous as the ascent.

As we stumbled down the steep path with wobbly legs, we noticed that the first few hikers we had encountered in the morning seemed very stable on their feet. We had wondered during the ascent if these hikers might have started very early and were now already walking back to the car. During the descent, comparing our own slow legs with those of the said hikers, we were certain that they had probably not reached the summit. They were probably just in the social media queue for a photo and then returned to the parking lot.

It seems that a social media photo is more important to some people than reaching the summit.

Eventually, we reached the parking lot and the car. We were able to complete the estimated time of about 6 hours for this trail. We were back down in just under 5 hours (despite taking photos and having lunch). Afterward, we quickly got some dinner and then went to the accommodation to rest.

Now I'm lying in bed, resting my tired feet, and hoping I can still walk tomorrow. We're both exhausted, but it was worth it. The view was breathtaking, and we conquered another mountain.

A worthy last hike for this vacation!