Wanaka is a small town just north of the larger and better known Queenstown. It is well known for its attraction of the ski slopes during the winter season, though since arriving i have also learnt that it is an extremely popular summer destination. The town is situated on the edge of Lake Wanaka, a beautiful large expanse of water covering 192m² making it New Zealand’s fourth largest lake. Standing at the water’s edge in Wanaka you will see many of the surrounding mountains, which since my arrival have become permanently capped with a blanket of white.
One of the most enjoyable and affordable ways to enjoy Wanaka and its surroundings is through many of the local walks.
The day after my arrival I delighted in the most accessible of these, a walk around Lake Wanaka, well, at least part of it. On the advice of the lovely lady in the Post Office with whom I had just spent an hour opening a bank account, I headed to the west around the lake. Surrounded by a gravel edge with a slight incline, it is possible to walk right next to the unbelievably clear water as it laps gently against the shore. I listened to the pebble crunch beneath my feet as I gazed up at the bright yellow autumn leaves and took in the awesome magnitude of lake and mountain. I couldn’t believe my luck at the thought of spending an entire winter in such a breathtaking place.
A couple of days in I headed off to Lake Diamond and Rocky Mountain, around a thirty minute drive from Wanaka. In the company of Adele, an Australian girl I met in the hostel, we hitched a ride to the start of the walk. The woman who picked us up had a life so far from anything we could possibly imagine. Living out in the sticks somewhere between Wanaka and Queenstown, her and her husband had three children who were homeschooled and used a small plane as their main mode of transport! There were four other families who lived in the same area, all in their own lodges, sharing electricity provided by their own hydro generator. Their lifestyle sounded incredible, though very segregated.
Lake Diamond provided some wonderful reflections of the landscape and soon our continuing elevation began to offer amazing vistas both back toward Wanaka and out to the mountain ranges. A good hour and half walk to the top, with a mixture of rocky and wooded terrain, it was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon. Rewarded with beautiful weather we were able to sit at the summit for a good half hour and just enjoy.
Roy’s Peak, the second mountain I combatted, was the largest I have climbed so far with a three hour, 1400m, ascent.Once again out adventuring with Cece, we managed to hitch a ride out with two girls she had just met on an overnight boat tour.
This was, for me, the least enjoyable walk so far in New Zealand. The path was a monotonous grassy, winding walkway, the terrain not changing one iota all the way to the top. The view was amazing yes, but to enjoy it you had to stop and turn around, meaning you had to make a choice between reaching the top or enjoying the landscape. Despite the uninteresting climb, the ultimate vistas most definitely made it all worthwhile.
Later in the week Adele, CeCe and I climbed Mt Iron, the only mountain within walking distance of the town. Barely deserving the ‘Mt’ title, the summit can be reached in around thirty minutes without any rush! However, being only 15 minutes walk from town it was a great way for us to spend the afternoon. On our return journey through the suburbs an ice cream van doing the rounds made Adele’s day with an impressive looking chocolate coated vanilla and flake cone.
By far the most impressive day out for me was to Rob Roy Glacier. With the aid of Adele’s new car, she, CeCe, Liz (another girl from the hostel) and I took the hour long drive out to Aspiring National Park. We were joined by two other of Adele’s friends and together we set off under a blissfully clear blue sky. Before leaving the car park we were already enclosed by incredible beauty. Snow capped mountains, rushing blue stream and a number of very hairy cows! It was very difficult not to imagine the Lord of the Rings fellowship making their way through these mountains.
After crossing the stream on a small suspension bridge, our path took us up through wooded land toward the glacier. Breaks in the trees gave us intermittent views of mountains, expansive green fields, the hairy cows and, eventually, the glacier. Running alongside us as we made our way up, was another smaller, but just as breathtakingly blue stream. I could barely contain my excitement as we came across clumps of ice within the grassy banks on the path’s edge, suddenly feeling very wintery.
Just ten minutes from the top as we stopped once again to gaze up at the huge sheet of white, mesmerised by a section of deep blue ice, we became witness to a small avalanche. A snow stream falling from part of the glacier for a good few minutes. I had never before seen an avalanche, or indeed a glacier, in real life and was finding the whole experience very exciting. Before our return journey we stopped at the base of the glacier for lunch, able to feel the cold emitting from it as we ate.
We have also enjoyed one amazing snow day so far in Wanaka, something which was apparently a rare sight due to its sheltered location among the mountains. I walked down to the lake in the morning to take in the winter wonderland, all the mountains for once completely white. In the afternoon we regressed back to childhood for a few hours making snow angels, having snowball fights and flying down the slide in the children’s playground with our slippery snow gear on.
All in all my time in Wanaka so far has been as incredible as I hoped, gifting me not only with jaw dropping scenery but also some amazing new friends to share in my experiences.
