Roy's Peak: Wanaka, New Zealand
Taken from our Flashmagpie blog: 27/08/2015
Roy's Peak is a popular hike just around the lake from Wanaka, in the direction of Mt Aspiring National Park. The beginning is easily accessible from the road and the summit can be reached throughout the year.
Lots of people talk about Roy's Peak because of the incredible panorama it provides, not only at the top, but the ridge path as seen in the above picture, which is just over 3/4 of the way up.
It is a difficult track as it is a solid up hill the whole way, with some sections being quite steep. You gain 1258 metres in elevation over about 8kms. (The track is 16km return and the stated return time is 5-7 hours). We began at midday and were conscious of the time so we set a good pace and took 5 hours in total, including photo stops.
The return, being so steep, can do a number on your knees. Due to our pace, I definitely felt it in the leg muscles the next day!
The track starts on private land which is occupied by cows and sheep. (And they seem to like to poop on the path). This part of the track is closed from October 1st to November 10th for lambing. It then enters the Stack Conservation Area.
The whole track is exposed, and weather conditions become more severe at the top. As you cross the ridge near the summit, you are faced with weather conditions coming from the West. For us, this meant a strong cold wind. We didn't really have windproof clothing, and a few people coming back down looked at us as though we were crazy.
We trekked up when there was snow covering the path for the top third. Whilst the snow wasn't really an issue, the track became icy in parts where trampers had compacted the snow. The ice is potentially quite dangerous, especially on the way back down. You aren't likely to go over any steep drops, but you could have a nasty fall. Solution: make sure you are wearing appropriate shoes, look for patches of grass to slow your pace and take walking sticks if you feel them necessary.
It is definitely worth completing the trek the entire way to the summit, where a small hut and heavily tagged telegraph pole await. It provides 360 views, looking not only over Lake Wanaka and towards Mt Aspiring NP, but back into the Cardrona Valley as well.
However, if you are out of time (as were several people we ran into on the way back down) the ridge walk is a great place to take the iconic Roy's Peak shots.
The track as a whole is not the most interesting hike. It zig-zags the same paddock for most of the way and I always favour loop tracks over same way returns. (In summer you can continue on from the summit and end up in the Cardrona Valley. It was too snowy for us to do this though.) The ridge and summit are worth the time and effort. Make sure you go on a clear day and you will be rewarded with some pretty un-beatable views.
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