Isthmus Peak

I noticed that I basically start every entry with a weather report, but the weather has a very strong influence on my current life, so:

The weather today was better than expected, of course it didn't rain. Whenever you need bad weather for a little break, you never get it. Instead, the rain clouds spoil your fun on another day.

Lounging around was canceled, exploring was on the agenda. On the first day in Wanaka, I got tips from travelers about what to do, what's worth it, and what to skip. One hiking trail was highly recommended to me: the Isthmus Peak.

Located about 25 minutes drive outside of Wanaka, it's like the 'Roy's Peak for insiders'.

And I can only confirm that in many ways.

First, you have to climb up to almost 1400m and the incline felt even worse than two days ago. Maybe I was just more tired than two days ago. It probably had to do with...

The path winds up a mountain with endless switchbacks - and behind that, there's another mountain! What a joyful surprise! And behind this mountain - it goes even higher up! Yippie!
And then...

I think you got it.

Until 20 minutes before the end of the track, I didn't know where the path would lead me. That was quite frustrating, especially because it got very windy and very cold above a certain altitude.
At the actual peak, I only lasted 5 minutes, enjoy the view, take photos, and then go back down. The wind was so strong that it blew over my backpack, which I had placed on the ground. My hair blew in my face, my fingers froze, but the view was worth it.
With a blue sky, it would have been even more spectacular, but then I would have had the problem with the sun. So I was pretty happy with the weather, only this wind...

The ascent took a total of 2 hours (like Roy's Peak), the same time to go back down (like Roy's Peak), and the track is a total of 16km (like Roy's Peak).

Roy's Peak for insiders, indeed.

I may have encountered about 20 more people on the track; the solitude was quite pleasant. But I admit: the descent was just boring. Even the brilliant view couldn't salvage it anymore.

Because I had actually done much more than I had planned (Puzzle World and cinema), I took the rest of the day very relaxed: library (WiFi), packing, reading.

Tomorrow I want to get to Queenstown as early as possible, because then I might still be able to see my three girls from the Kiwi Plantation before they leave home in a week. That would be so nice :)