Although the rain had stopped in the morning the clouds were very low giving a gloomy feel to the day. Last night we’d found the van had leaked (somehow) in the storage locker over the cab and made the duvet soaking along one edge. Luckily we also have a fleece blanket for cold nights so put that underneath and got away with a good nights sleep.
Today we’d planned a day walking up Roy’s Peak and noticed the car park was not very big on our drive past last night so we made an early start and took breakfast there. Although 1650m high it is an easy steady walk up making it very popular. Whilst we breakfasted the car park filled up disgorging walkers of all ages, sizes and nationalities onto the start of the walk. With the clouds still low and so many walkers setting off we decided to have another cup of tea and read for a while.
An hour later the clouds were still low but the number of walkers had subsided enough for Mr and Mrs ‘Why can’t we have these places to ourselves’ to make a start. It was warm and muggy but the track was wide and level and wound steadily but endlessly up the side of the mountain. After an uneventful hour of plodding the clouds started to break - the wait had been worth it - and many twists and turns later we reached the top of the ridgeline and our first wow moment. In front of us in the distance was Mt Aspiring, the namesake of the park and the tallest summit south of the Mt Cook group we visited a few weeks ago. All around were lower, brownish mountains, very similar to Snowdonia or the Lake District, and directly below us Lake Wanaka wrapping itself around the bases of the foothills and criss crossed with the trails of dozens of small boats - many originating from the busy campsite we passed yesterday.
After wrestling with the camera, which has begun to play up the last few days, Glenn had to resort to using his phone - desperate measures - but still captures some good views. A few more twists and turns and we were on the summit with virtually all the clouds now gone. With what seemed like a German youth club gathered at the top we found a ridge on the far side to ourselves and stopped a while there to take in the views. This ridge connected to another summit a mile away, which we briefly debated on visiting but eventually decided on the easy option of staying put.
A long but steady descent returned us to a, now empty, car park where we had a cuppa before setting off for Wanaka - partly to investigate a replacement camera and partly to ensure we had enough hot water for two showers.
Returning to our previous nights campsite, apparently in the ‘rugged country south of Rivendell’ from the Lord of the Rings, we took long showers and had dinner admiring the views through the wide open rear doors. The sunset tonight was particularly stunning.
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| Half way up as the clouds lifted |
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| Lake Wanaka and distant floating clouds |
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| Mt Aspiring |
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| The sunset - you can just see the moon |
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