Sunrises in Queenstown’s Lakes District

Leaving Queenstown we head to Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea with a perfect weather window and an ambitious plan for two consecutive mega sunrise hikes; Roy’s Peak and Isthmus Peak. We then head through the scenic Haast Pass to the West Coast.

Roy’s Peak & Lake Wanaka

After much debate on how long the 8km, 1300m ascent will take with descriptions varying from 2hr-5hr, we settle on a cautious estimate of 3.5hr. At 3.15 am we are at the car park ready to start the hike up to Roy’s Peak, with a handful of other bleary-eyed walkers brushing their teeth and getting ready for this hike to the top in time for sunrise. Headlamp on, headphones in ears, egg and bacon roll in the backpack, we set off on the winding track up the mountain.

It is a beautifully surreal nighttime hike, every right turn turns to face north with the outline of the mountain towering up above as a constant reminder of how far we have to climb. Each left turn puts the Southern Cross ahead pointing down towards the lake which is lit up with moonlight and the reflections of Wanaka’s streetlamps.  I am spurred on by the surreal trail of headlamps above and behind, quickening my pace to close the gap with those in front and pulling ahead from those behind me. Two hours later, I am high above the lake, my heart sinks as I see some light cloud sitting right on top of Roy’s Peak. I pass the sign for the famous lookout and know I am on the last 1.5km stretch. The path takes me up into the swirling mist just as the dawn is starting to light up the horizon, 30 minutes later I reach the top and find Chris and a handful of other hikers sheltering from the cold wind behind a hut wishing they had packed more layers.

The mist is rolling past us, giving glimpses of the other peaks as the sun starts to rise over the ridge surrounded by a warm orange halo. Everyone by now is sitting on the top of the mountain facing east with the sun warming our faces. The mist slowly burns off to reward us with panoramic views of the mountains and the lakes.

Heading back down we stop at the famous lookout point, where normally there would be a large queue waiting to get their picture taken. None today! It’s a long way back down, but we are feeling pretty smug as it starts heating up and we pass people sweating with a long way up still to go. We were outdone however by the pair that pulled paragliders out of their backpacks and glided down.

Practical Notes: Ascent time Chris 2hr30min, Miranda 3hr with very brief stops. Take warm clothes for the top, it is cold. The path is a rough 4×4 track and is very easy to follow, although there are many steep and rough shortcuts if you want them.

Isthmus Peak & Lake Hawea

We drive round to Lake Hawea with a plan to hike up Isthmus Peak the next morning. The lesser tramped Isthmus Peak is about halfway up the eastern side of Lake Wanaka. We freedom camped at the car park for the Isthmus Peak track, which has spectacular views of Lake Hawea.

After our usual debate about how long the 7.7km, 1048m ascent will take, we allow ourselves a 30-minute lie-in on the day before and are up and out of the van at 3.45! The gentle path very quickly turns steep as it follows the edge of a deer fence sharply up the hill through woodland. Once above the woods, it turns into a winding farm track through open pastureland. Every now and then my headlamp lights up the startled eyes of a grazing sheep or deer. Apart from two faint hiker headlamps up ahead of us, we have the mountain to ourselves this morning. After two hours of steady climb, I reach the top of the ridgeline, where the path is carved into steep striated rocks. As the breaking dawn lights the clouds behind me a deep shade of red, I can see the track continuing along the ridgeline for another 1.5km towards Isthmus Peak.

I up my pace a bit, speeding up to reach the peak before the sunrise, constantly turning to take in the dawn colours behind me. As I reach Isthmus peak itself, I meet the two other climbers who were ahead of us, one of whom is lying on the ground exhausted, eyes closed recording the sunrise on his go-pro. I find Chris running around like a maniac, camera in one hand tripod in the other trying frantically to capture every aspect of the sunrise on a panorama of clouds, mountains and mirror still lakes. This certainly made up for the haze the day before as we enjoy an hour of evolving colourful hues, culminating in the sun peeking over the mountains to the East and lighting up the snowcapped Mount Aspiring.

Practical Notes: Ascent time Chris 2hr15min, Miranda 2hr45min with very brief stops. Well marked trail, take warm clothes for the top.

The Siberia Experience

 We have an exciting morning planned for our final day in the area as we drive through Haast Pass to the West Coast. We are doing the Siberia Experience, a classic NZ fly- walk-jet boat adventure in the wilderness of  Mount Aspiring National Park. We are flown in a little Cessna from Makarora up the Wilkin Valley high up into the mountains, a scenic flight with stunning views of the alluvial rivers, glaciers, waterfalls and glacier lakes. We land in a meadow high up in the Siberia Valley, surrounded by towering mountains. Shoes off, we cross the bitingly cold glacial Siberia River to reach the 7km trail that will take us back down to the Wilkin River. The trail steadily climbs up to a pass with lovely views of the mountains before it descends through the native rain forest. Once at the Wilkin River we are picked up by a jet boat. We speed back down the river, in centimetres of bright blue water skimming over pale stones. Awesome experience, I definitely need to get myself one of these!

Haast Pass & The Blue Pools

We continue on the scenic Haast Pass which winds through the mountains to the coast. On the way we pass many waterfalls, enjoying stunning views of the mountains and the alluvial river valley. We stop for a bracing swim at the aptly named blue pools, which had a real weekend mountain beach vibe. People lounging on beach towels, cooling their beers and their bodies in the icy blue glacial water.

Leaving the pools we head through the pass to the West Coast where we plan to spend the next week driving north up to Karamea.