Roy's Peak

We had a busy day planned today so we were up and on the road early. We left Milford Sound at 7 am. The Milford Sound Lodge packed us a hearty takeaway breakfast to enjoy on the road. Alison was a little nervous about driving the Milford road in the dark, but the upside was that we made it through the most treacherous portions next to no traffic. We were unsurprisingly the only car waiting to go through the Homer tunnel at that hour and we only began seeing tour buses after the road widened. 

Our destination today was Wānaka. It is about a five-hour drive from Milford Sound. To get there we had to go back through Queenstown. We took a pretty straight shot to Queenstown (4 hours) only stopping a couple of times at some quick viewpoints. It was another beautiful sunny day in New Zealand. We have been very fortunate with the excellent weather on this trip. 

Alison had planned an incredible hike for today. It is also a long hike. We were worried about having enough time for the hike after our long drive, so we didn't want to spend much time getting food. Since we were facing a time crunch we did something we don't usually do we ate at Mcdonalds. We knew it would be fast and it was. The food was basically the same as in the States, but the restaurant was clean and had free wifi, which was a plus. 

The main activity on today's agenda was hiking Roy's Peak. This is an amazing hike just outside of Wānaka. It is also a challenging hike. Alison planned this trip before she was pregnant. After we found out she was pregnant we reassessed our plans and made a few tweaks. This is one activity Alison didn't want to give up. In one of the first pregnancy appointments she asked the midwives about travel and if she could go on a ten-mile hike. They approved so we kept Roy's Peak on the agenda. 

We got to the car park a little earlier than we were expecting (about 12:30 pm). Alison was a little nervous about whether we would find a parking spot. It is a popular hike and the parking lot is typically full around 9 am. Fortunately for us a few people had already finished the hike and left so we found a parking spot. 

Before we started Alison reread descriptions of the hike itself. In one of the blogs she read they gave a kilometer-by-kilometer description of the hike. They said the first kilometer of the hike was the steepest with the most elevation gain. That was true. This meant the first kilometer was the most brutal. It was good we knew that going in, or else we may have been tempted to pull the rip cord early on. It was a suffer-fest, particularly during that first kilometer. 

The next couple of kilometers were much more pleasant with milder elevation gain and some relatively flat sections. They were the best part of the hike (except for the top of course). One of the things that is great about this hike is the amazing views throughout the hike. Looking over Lake Wānaka, the town, and the surrounding area is breathtaking. It kept Alison motivated. It was easiest to enjoy these views during kilometers two and three when the hiking was relatively mild. 

After that, the suffer-fest returned. It wasn't as continuous as the first kilometer, but there were brutal uphill sections with serious elevation gain. We had to take plenty of breathers to make it to the top but to make it to the top we did. Alison was pretty proud of herself, rightfully so, for getting our little babe up to her first mountaintop. 

The views from the top were worth every step. We had panoramic views over Lake Wānaka, Mount Aspiring/Tititea, and the surrounding peaks. On such a clear day it was incredible. We could see for miles in every direction. 

We hung out at the top for a while. We took some pictures and I flew my drone. It was a spectacular place to fly the drone. One of the benefits of starting later in the day is that there weren't a lot of people up there, most people were headed down by the time we made it to the top. 

The hike down as easier, but still plenty long and a little hard on the knees. We were happy when we made it back to the car park. 

Silvereye / Tauhou

That night we stayed in Wānaka at the Archway Motels and Chalets. There are relatively few places to stay in Wānaka. Alison picked this place mostly based on availability. It was clean and mostly comfortable (the bed was a little hard). The owner/operator could not have been more friendly and hospitable. He showed us a map of Wānaka and was proud to tell us all about the interesting places to see in the place he lived. His hospitality was endearing. 

We quickly rinsed off the dirt and grime and found a quick dinner. By this point we were tired and a little sore so we called it a night. It sure was a fun day full of adventure.