Hiking Roys Peak in winter for sunrise.
16 kilometres return with an altitude gain of 1238 meters
Walking time 5-6 hours.
We decided to do the Roys Peak hike in the middle of winter for the sunrise view. It was cold but so worth it!
Roys Peak is a challenging yet very doable hike that rewards you with incredible views over Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps.
The decision was made to make the hike up in the dark so we would hopefully be at the summit for sunrise. This was done in the middle of winter so we were fully prepared with really warm clothing, gloves, thermals and so on. We left the parking lot at about 4 am and started the hike up. Most of the walk is fairly easy you have an altitude gain of 1238 meters spread out over 7.9 kilometers in total from the car park. However, the last 259 meters of climbing from the Roys Peak lookout to the actual Roys Peak Summit is done in 1.5 kilometers making it quite steep and a little more strenuous than the rest of the climb.
You’re obviously looking for hikes so check out this list of some of the best hikes in New Zealand.
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When we left the car park the sky was perfectly clear with an ocean of stars spread above us as we climbed in the dark. We reached the Roys Peak lookout after about an hour and a half where we stopped, took a few photos in the dark, had something to eat and drink and had a short rest. We had actually decided to take a sleeping bag up so we found a small little hole in the scrub out of the wind and wrapped the sleeping bag around us and just lay and watched the stars for 20 or 30 minutes.
After that, we decided to make the hike to the summit to beat the sun. The sky was still perfectly clear at this point but as we started to hike a thick layer of cloud came in and I began to worry a little that we would not be able to see anything. However after a short distance more we broke through the cloud and as first light hit as we neared the summit we realized we were completely surrounded by snow-covered mountains on all sides and our view was unhindered for as far as we could possibly see!
Roys Peak Summit.
We reached the summit after about 3 and-a-half hours. It was still mostly dark but within about 15 minutes the whole sky turned purple and the world started to light up. There were about 30-40 minutes when we were the only ones up there and we could not believe what was going on around us. We could not see Lake Wanaka which at first kind of upset me but as I looked around and took in the view I started to realise that there was probably not much going on below the cloud that could have added to the show the sky and mountains were putting on for us and as the pinnacle of the sun breached the cloud for the first time it gave light to the world in a way I had never really seen before.
Time was spent hanging around at the top of Roys Peak for a while basking in the sun, taking photos and enjoying the view before we decided to start making the hike down.
The trip down was considerably easier and we stopped again at the Roys Peak lookout to get the ‘essential’ Roys Peak photo over Lake Wanaka. Unfortunately, the cloud did not cooperate with us and it is just a see of blown out clouds. Never the less it was still an amazing view.
The hike up the ridge from Roys Peak lookout to the Roys Peak summit.
The descent continued and we broke through the cloud again and that was when we got our first view of almost the entire lake. Which was also an incredible sight.
All in all, we took just less than 10 hours to do the total Roys Peak Hike. That was waiting around for the light, taking photos, enjoying ourselves and taking about 30 minutes to enjoy the stars. The hike itself is not that intense but a decent level of fitness will for sure make it easier. We saw people breezing up there like it was nothing and others that were not even half way and thought they were going to die.
Roys Peak is a pretty famous one in New Zealand at the moment but it is so for a reason and it was still one of the most incredible views we enjoyed in the entire 7 weeks in New Zealand.
Other New Zealand hikes like the Tongariro Crossing here.
The first bit of light hitting the peaks on the southern Alps.
This is the Roys Peak lookout where you normally see the amazing photos of Lake Wanaka the clouds didn’t really allow that this day but it was still a pretty amazing view.
Getting to Roys Peak.
Getting to Roy’s Peak is pretty simple, it’s only a 6-minute drive out of Wanaka and is worth carpooling if you can find some other eager hikers at your hostel or you can take a shuttle. Depending on the company they will normally pick you up directly from your hostel and drop you home again when you’re finished.
Where to stay.
Unless you’re camping somewhere at Roy’s Peak you are going to have to stay in Wanaka which like I said before is only about a 6-minute drive from the car park for Roy’s Peak. There are a couple of hostels I would recommend.
Flying Kiwi Backpackers has private rooms starting at around $50 a night or 8-bed dorms starting at $20 a night.
If you are looking for something a little more upscale you might want to try Wanaka Bakpaka basic private twins start at $44, Private double rooms are about $50-$65 depending on the room and the dorms start at around $22 per night.
Luxury accommodation is also available try checking out West Meadows of Wanaka it is super highly rated on booking
Packing list for Roys Peak
So Roys Peak in winter requires a little bit of gear to remain safe and warm here is my packing suggestions for the hike. Also what to wear!
- You are going to want thermals top and bottom and warm socks! This seems like common sense but I am from Byron Bay, Australia and when I first started getting into colder climates none of this was common sense to me haha. I had no idea what thermals were.
- Hiking boots or good hiking shoes it gets super muddy up Roys Peak once the sun comes out and the ice starts to thaw.
- A good jacket, personally I wore two. I had a small down jacket on like the one in the link with a Goretex shell over the top because the wind can get brutal!
- Water and snacks are an obvious must. I would say 1 to 2 litres of water in winter will be enough. I took 1 litre and was perfectly happy with that. Summer may be a very different issue though and I would plan for 2 litres.
- Hiking poles are good to have if you have any issues with slipping or if you just want to save your knees a little bit of stress on the way down. I did not use these but saw people that were.
- Gloves and a beanie are also very necessary items!!!
How to hike sustainably
So this is something I think about every time I go anywhere and it ranges from things as simple as buying a banana and making a sandwich instead of buying plastic wrapped products to buying clothing from companies that support sustainable business practices.
Here are a few little tips to help you hike more sustainably.
If you travel and hike often one of the things I would suggest investing in is a Water bladder. Osprey makes a nice series of them that range from 1.5 litres to 3 litres. I use one of these every hike unless it is below negative 5 then the water tends to freeze. The benefit for me is that as you drink the packaging gets smaller and you end up with more room in your pack for a jacket or something else you might take off later and you never actually have to take your bag off to get a drink, just hang the straw over your shoulder and drink as you see fit.
A reusable water bottle is also something that will cut a crazy amount of plastic waste out of your life. Hydro Flask is one super popular company and they make a massive range of sizes and shapes.
Food, food is almost always wrapped in plastic when you buy it but this has been a surprisingly easy one to get around. It may be a little harder if you are backpacking but we’re travelling in our van so we have a small kitchen. We have started to make everything and package it in reusable containers that we just take on the next hike. Sara has been perfecting making these protein balls that are a mix of oats, peanut butter, cranberries, almonds and whatever else we have lying around. Also fruit! But if you buy fruit do not throw the peel along the track. These things can take forever to break down especially if they are not regional fruits and no one really wants to see someone’s old orange or banana peel lying around on the track.
Clothing is something that is often overlooked as a sustainable product as you just kind of wear things till they are old and then throw them away but there is a range of companies out there these days that are making amazing products built to last. Patagonia is one company I can not push enough. They support so many environmental campaigns, they have a lifetime warranty on everything they sell and they give one percent of all sales back to small grassroots charities.
