- Chapter 10

After observing the penguins, the next day we headed towards Wanaka. On our route, we drove right past the Cathedral Cave. It is only open when there is low tide so you can walk through it. We were lucky to come by at the right time and decided to visit it, despite the heavy rain. The narrow, small path was not ideal to pass, especially with sudden oncoming traffic, given the muddy ground.

Arriving at the parking lot, we put on our rain jackets and went for a short walk. We first went through the forest until we reached the beach. From afar, we could already see the entrance of the cave, and thus our shelter from the increasing rain.

It was impressive and a bit scary at the same time to stroll along the depths of the cave. When the rain subsided a bit, we made our way back to our car.

Now we continued to Wanaka, where we wanted to spend New Year's Eve. Finding a campsite turned out to be difficult. Our favorite was already fully booked. We were also told that all other accommodations would be fully booked for New Year's. We did not want to give up hope, so we tried the next one. It was also fully booked, but they were trying to find a spot for us. So we ended up staying on the BBQ field for the night.

We had a peaceful evening and started our new year leisurely at Lake Wanaka and even enjoyed a small fireworks display. At this point, we also wish you a happy new year!

The next day, we visited the tourist highlight, the Wanaka Tree, and of course took the famous tourist photo. Then we drove to the Blue Pools. It's amazing how blue the water is, even on cloudy days like ours. The path led us through the forest and over two bridges. One of them wobbled quite excitingly.

We returned to our accommodation and took a day off to plan our next excursion well. This plan was the famous Roys Peak hike, specifically at sunrise.

So we set the alarm for 01:30 am. We also carefully packed our backpacks in advance and prepared provisions. To be as fit as possible for the upcoming ascent, we decided to go to bed early. So we were in bed at 8:00 PM, but we did not expect it to still be so warm at this time. After a while, we were finally able to get some sleep.

When the alarm went off, we put on our clothes and headed to the parking lot. It was 2:37 am when we started our march. Armed with flashlights, we trudged forward step by step. Steep sections were followed by even steeper sections, which did not necessarily make the path easier. As energy boosters, we each enjoyed a banana, which was really necessary to keep our bodies going without breakfast.

We were amazed at how many people were heading to Roys Peak. And that before sunrise.
About 10 minutes before the first lookout, we decided it would be better if we went separate ways from here and each reached the summit at our own pace. From this lookout, it was still half an hour to the highest point of Mount Roys.

When we reached the top, we were simply happy to have made it. But after a few minutes on the summit, we got really cold and hurried with the photos. The view was breathtaking.
Then it was time to go back down. We did well until the first lookout, where we had breakfast. From there, we took the famous vacation photo before descending further.

The longer we went downhill, the more we felt it in our legs. We took short breaks to relax our strained muscles, but also wanted to get through this section quickly. In daylight, the path actually looked more challenging than it did on our way up. This was probably because we could only see as far as the level our flashlights reached.

Even those who crossed paths with us confirmed that the best time to hike up is at night. The sun does not make you sweat even more, and you have more or less peace and quiet, if that's possible on such a popular track.

When we finally reached our car, we were simply overjoyed and exhausted at the same time. We longed for nothing more than a warm shower, which we luckily got.

Conclusion: After walking a good 16 km and 1200 meters of altitude, it is a relief when you are back down. It took us about 7 hours and 20 minutes for the ascent and descent with breaks. We would not claim to be exceptionally athletic, but we were surprised to have made it completely. However, we both agree that we don't need to do it again and we are really looking forward to our muscle soreness for the next few days.