Wānaka, Queenstowns lesser known neighbour

Hiking

Let's start with the star of the show, or at least the most popular of the bunch;

Roy's Peak:

Seen from pretty much every area of town around Wānaka, it makes sense that Roy's peak track is the best known hike around town, plus its epic views of lake Wānaka from the peak and cloud inversion sunrises and sunsets (if you're lucky enough.)

The hike itself is well maintained and not very technical, but bear in mind I'm coming from the Canadian Rockies so my definition of difficult might be slightly different from other hikers. Long switchbacks with a few steep sections, the trail can take anywhere from 2-4 hours depending on your skill level. In that time you'll gain 1,258m over the 16km round trip (make a note that Roy's is closed from October 1st to November 10th for lambing season, but I'll tell you about a similar hike you can do around the corner.)

Many people only hike to the popular Roy's Peak viewpoint, we found a line of about 8-10 people waiting to get the iconic photo over the lake ( can only imagine the wait in the height of the summer), but if you head up another 10 minutes you'll find a second, quieter viewpoint, or just another 20-30 minutes you'll reach the true summit of the mountain!

If you're looking for just a quick easy walk to warm up your body for a busy week of adventures, this next walk is exactly what you want.