GLENORCHY&PARADISE

 

After spending a night in Queenstown for my birthday we woke up to a bluebird day and had a spontaneous trip out to Glenorchy and Paradise. We had already been out this way in the summer, however the clouds rolled in and ruined the views into Mt. Aspiring National Park. I was determined to return one day – this day was a belter with clear skies and plenty white stuff on the peaks.

Heading out of Queenstown along the banks of Lake Wakatipu, the road to Glenorchy is a dancer! You’ll experience epic views of the water, hills, mountains and white stuff. Keep your eyes on the road though, you get the feeling some wanderlust travellers loose concentration on the winding, twisting and narrowing stretches. When you get to Glenorchy, keep going there’s more. Follow the signs for Paradise.

Around these parts of New Zealand, you’re able to get your fix of Lord of the Rings/ Hobbit locations such as the Forest of Middle Earth. We even spotted a couple of class-acts running around the woods dressed as Hobbits.

 

 

 

Houston, we have no problem.

Isthmus Peak

1,386m above sea level, snuggled between Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea is Isthmus peak. From the top you’ll find awesome panoramic views covering both lakes, the mountains of Mt Aspiring National Park, Wanaka and Makarora. We found the hike to the top steep in areas however, in general the terrain was fairly easy going as you follow a quad bike track. The top section takes you to amazing rocky outcrops and crags of schist which stick out like daggers. It’s very ‘Middle-Earthish’ with plenty of photographic opportunities. On a hot day like ours, finding shelter from the sun was tough at times. Nevertheless, chilling out on the peak with a slight cool breeze while we ate lunch was unbeatable. Definitely worth the three hour climb.

Roy’s Peak

Roy’s Peak dominates the majority of Wanaka’s viewpoints as it towers above the town and lake. From the moment I arrived here, the 4-5hr return hike was skyrocketed to the top of my ‘to do’ list.

Although there was always a desire to hike it over the dead of winter when the land was dusted by snow, we ended up leaving it until the end of the season before tramping to the top. Our friend Sarah Goodfellow was visiting for a few days while we had traditionally nice Wanaka weather so it seemed good timing for crossing it off the list.

One discovery we made, not long into the walk was that you could constantly see the peak making things seem prolonged at times. Nevertheless, a quick turn to admire stunning views over the lake quickly took your mind off the physical side of things. from the slopes of the mountain you get fantastic views across Lake Wanaka, over the Hawea Flat and over to the peaks of Mt. Aspiring National Park.

Sitting just below the peak is the ridge line that runs out towards Glendhu Bay. This is the typical ‘picstop’ area of the Roy’s Peak track, more so than the peak itself! We chose this as our picnic spot and chilled out over some pasta with the backdrop of Mt. Aspiring National Park; it was epic.

After parking our arses for lunch, it took a bit of mental stimulation to walk the final half hour to the peak. Ten minutes into it we hit the snow line which had fallen back several hundred meters over the past couple of weeks. The snow was icy, patchy and disappointing when it came top making snowballs… However, on the last part of the hike the track takes you to the south side of the mountain for the first time; what a change! With little sunlight through the winter, the south side of the peak had accumulated snow making it a completely different experience to the rest of the hike.

From the peak there was outstanding views in all directions, to the ski fields, the national park, the other peaks, the flats, the lake and the town. Well worth it if you’re ever in this part of the world!