HIKING UP ROY'S PEAK IN WANAKA, NEW ZEALAND

TIME VISITED: December 2015 BUSY ? No

WEATHER: 75 🌤 LENGTH: 7 Miles

GRADE: Moderate EXPENSIVE?: Donation

You know those places you look back on and all you can really remember is how alive you felt when you were there!? That’s Roy’s Peak for me. It was the Wednesday before Christmas and I needed an awesome day. I was stuck in Greymouth, NZ a few days prior because the car I had let me down one day into the 30 day rental. I went to start the car and the key broke off in the ignition. 😧 No offense to anyone who lives in Greymouth but it’s probably the last place in New Zealand that you’d want to breakdown in. Especially on a Friday night. Thankfully I met the sweetest family who helped me! Long story short we got the car fixed and a few days later I was on my way. I knew it was going to be a good day when I was welcomed with these views of Lake Wanaka on the drive in.

I didn’t know much about Wanaka so I just drove around for a few hours and gawked at the adorable town and views it had to offer. I visited the the local i-Site (visitor center) and showed them an Instagram picture of a peak I knew was in the area. The sweet woman smiled and said, “Oh yes, that’s Roy’s Peak! You should definitely go today.” I wasn’t really prepared for a hike beacuse it was already noon but the weather was perfect so I went for it.

WHAT TO BRING AND NOTE

Make sure they are open! This track closes for lambing from September-November each year and dates vary so check with someone in town
The hike isn’t easy, it’s straight up the whole time
5-7 hours return
There is no water on the trek so bring your own-at least a liter
No shade, don’t forget your sunscreen
No bathroom along the way so use the one in the parking lot before you start
Start in the morning it was so hot when I went in the afternoon!
The lot will be full most days so keep that in mind-you can take a shuttle or taxi
Not recommended in the winter due to snow and ice
Bring warm clothing for the top, temperatures will drop
Don’t forget to leave a donation, there is a spot to do so in the parking lot.
Don’t try to touch the sheep, you’ll see a lot of them!

Just 30 minutes into my hike I turned around and this was the view already!

The hike up to Roy’s Peak is a half-day or full-day hike depending on your speed and how long you want to stay at the top. The trek to Roy’s Peak offers views across Lake Wanaka and on a clear day up to the peak of Mount Aspiring pretty much the whole way up, so it may take you longer if you want lots of pictures.

The views just kept getting better-here is one from about an hour into my walk.

It wasn’t very busy when so I couldn’t ask anyone to take a picture for me so here are some of my awkward self-timer pictures.

I wanted to do it fast so it took me about 2 1/2 hours to get to the top. I met the nicest girl named Alex and we finished the hike together, it’s definitely easier when you have a friend joining you! We made it to the top and were so fortunate to have such a clear day.