My Trip to New Zealand - Week 4: Lost my breath at the roys peak summit (E)

Hey!
I hope you're all doing well! I'm doing well. My adventure in New Zealand is slowly coming to an end, but I still have a lot to report. The country becomes more beautiful the longer I travel. Especially the South Island really took my breath away many times. Crazy beautiful. Today, I'll be talking about Franz Josef and Wanaka, which are the most popular places in the so-called Southern Alps. So let's get started!

Franz Josef: Not only the name is Austrian!

After a shorter but BEAUTIFUL drive along the West Coast from Mahinapua, we arrived in Franz Josef at 1:30 p.m. The drive was breathtaking, there was so much to see sometimes couldn't believe my eyes. By the way, the name of the place comes from the Austrian emperor, whose friend named the place after him. But the place reminded me a lot of a small ski resort in Austria, just not quite as beautiful. Our hostel was great. There was even a hot tub. Upon arrival, we first checked into our rooms, and then I took a walk with two of my travel friends. The forest in Franz Josef reminded me a lot of a jungle/rainforest, which had its own vibe. In the evening, there was an All-You-Can-Eat Pizza Night, which was really delicious after 2 weeks of cooking for ourselves and eating instant meals. However, I still went to bed early because I had a program planned for the next day.

The next morning, I took a shuttle to the glacier car park (the town of Franz Josef is part of the glacier of the same name and only exists because of glacier tourism). The Roberts Point Track was often recommended to me, and despite the rain forecast, I wanted to give it a try. New Zealand definitely takes its warning signs much more seriously than Austria; I passed a sign with WARNING written large, indicating that the track was only suitable for experienced hikers and that people have died here. From then on, it was clear to me that I wouldn't hike all the way to the top. I hiked for about 1 hour and 30 minutes and then turned back because I had an uneasy feeling. Back at the beginning, I took another walk, and just as I reached my destination, it started to rain. Fortunately, I turned back, because hiking back there in the pouring rain would have been anything but fun. Unfortunately, the shuttle bus only runs every 2 hours, so I had the choice between waiting 1 hour and 30 minutes in the rain or walking 40 minutes back to town in the rain. So, I walked back to Franz Josef. After this adventure, I treated myself to a chocolate muffin and later in the evening, I joined my girls in the hot tub. It was an eventful day, and accordingly, I was very tired.

Road to Wanaka:
The next morning at 7:30, I headed to Queenstown/Wanaka. Actually, Wanaka is not an overnight stop on the Kiwi Experience Route because there is no longer a Kiwi hostel there that can accommodate so many travelers at once. However, the bus stops there for a break, and if you ask, you can hop off and continue later. I did that, so I stayed alone in Wanaka for 2 days mainly for the famous hike: Roys Peak. But more on that later.

The bus ride should be promising because we first drove along the endless beaches of the West Coast and then crossed a pass into the Otago region. And what can I say: Wow. Giant, bright blue lakes wind through the mountain range there, and the panorama is incredible. Generally, I find the Austrian Alps more spectacular when it comes to rock formations, etc. (e.g., Karwendel), but with the lakes and everything, New Zealand is unbeatable. What I find even better about New Zealand is that even though there are many tourists here, there is no mass tourism. Even in well-known places, you are often alone or with few people, not like in Tyrol, where you have to queue at a bridge to take a photo. New Zealand is simply much more untouched than Austria/Tyrol. Arriving in Wanaka, I made another comparison with Tyrol: Vacation at Lake Achensee. It felt a bit like that.

Wanaka - little Queenstown:
So I got off the bus, packed my things, and walked to the hostel. And the hostel is really well done. The vibe is a bit strange, but the kitchen is clean, you have your own bathroom in the dorm, and a curtain in front of the bed, which offers some privacy. However, I didn't do much more. I finally washed and dried my long-overdue laundry and cooked pasta, then I spent about 1 hour and 30 minutes by the lake and then went to bed. The next day was also very "unspectacular" for my trip through New Zealand. Honestly, I have to admit that such days are simply necessary sometimes. You do so much, see so many things, if you never take a break, you can't really process what you've experienced. I only planned the stop in Wanaka for the hike, Roys Peak, and I would have liked to do it on that day. But I had set my mind on doing it at sunrise, and unfortunately, it was cloudy. So I postponed the hike to the next day. I then went to the lake and bought snacks and food for the next day. I finished packing - I had to check out by 10 a.m., and the hike would take 6-7 hours. I got ready for bed at 7:30 p.m., but I fell asleep much later. The alarm went off at 1:30 a.m., and I woke up to loud snoring. Fortunately, I had to leave anyway, but a roommate was still awake and chatted with me briefly. At 2:00, my booked shuttle picked me up at the hostel, and to my surprise, there were three girls inside whom I already knew from Franz Josef. So I didn't have to do the hike alone, and as it later turned out, I wouldn't have managed it alone either.

The Hike:

So the four of us walked comfortable up together, although I don't believe that the Roys Peak hike can be considered in any way comfortable. And the blogs I read before were right... In my opinion, the hike is not something that can be enjoyable. Compared to Roberts Point in Franz Josef, which was a challenging but fun track, this was more like torture. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit... it was still fun because of my companions and their excellent taste in music! The stars were also a great bonus because there was hardly any light pollution. I must also say I was very glad that I could hike up in the dark because it wouldn't have been fun in the heat either. Slowly, the sun rose, and we got closer to our goal. Arriving at the summit, an absolute spectacle awaited us: the sun rose slowly and painted the sky over Lake Wanaka beautifully pink. It was freezing cold, so cold that my toes slowly froze, but the view was worth every minute of hiking. The hike up, but also the view, literally took my breath away. We then took some souvenir photos and had some snacks, then went back down to the viewpoint. Most people who hike up there during daylight only go to the viewpoint to take photos. So there were already some people there. The hike down became increasingly strenuous as the sun is really not to be underestimated, also in the rest of New Zealand. When we arrived at the bottom, the shuttle took us back, and I managed to check out of the hostel on time. The hostel was very accommodating and stored my luggage and also offered that I could still use all the other facilities. But I went to the lake and slept there in the sun for almost two hours until the bus came and continued to Queenstown and my friends!

Overall, the hike to Roys Peak was definitely one of the highlights of New Zealand for me, and I would do it again, just maybe better prepared. Personally, I don't think Franz Josef is a must in New Zealand, just nice for hiking, and the glacier itself is just a glacier in summer, so dirty. Many did a helihike, which sounded good, but for almost €400, it was simply too expensive for me. Well, maybe next time.

I'm looking forward to my next post about Queenstown! Thank you for making it this far.
Bye,
Valentina