TRAVEL TALES

Between Snow-covered Mountain Peaks and Deep Blue Lakes

Hiking on the South Island in New Zealand

I just stood there in awe. The delta of the Matukituki River reminded me of Whitehaven Beach in Australia, the water of the lake with the mountains in the background looked like the fjords in Norway just that I hadn’t been to either of them.

It wasn’t a pretty morning. At least not in the vineyards where we live. The wind was howling and the sky was overcast. But that didn’t stop us from sticking to our plan and going for a hike.

We loaded the backpack with water, some snacks, and our jackets and drove toward Wānaka. David had looked up a trail just a bit past the city and I was gaping out the window as the road was winding between the shore of Lake Wānaka and the mountain on the other side.

Just as we came around the bend spotting the parking lot packed with cars he mentioned ‘it said there it was a popular trail’. So what. There is usually a reason why a trail is used by many.

We tied our hiking boots and hit the trail. The beginning was flat leading past Diamond Lake into the forest at the foothills of Rocky Mountain.

I stopped to glance at the lake where a few ducks were playing in the water and countless birds were singing in the trees covering the lakeshore.

The sky was mostly clear and the sun was burning down at us.

The broad and easy trail soon stopped and countless steps were leading up in the forest hugging the cliffs on the one side. It was remarkably cooler down here and I enjoyed the lush vegetation.

It only took us a few minutes before we peaked through the roof of the forest and got rewarded with a mesmerizing view of the small Diamond Lake and the green mountain slopes in the background.

We followed the trail to the eastern side at the edge of the mountain overlooking Lake Wānaka for the hike up to the peak. The views of the deep blue water with the spectacular mountains on all sides made me think of the Norwegian fjords and why I wanted to visit the country.

But this isn’t Norway. This is New Zealand in all its grace and beauty.

I couldn’t stop staring in awe at the landscape. I stopped a few more times than I needed to catch a breath and took a few more pictures than I had to.

Following a short side trail, we arrived at a viewpoint with a bench. Despite the decent amount of people on the trail, the crowds did spread out nicely and we had this place for us for a few minutes.

But even a handful of other enthusiastic and respectful hikers can’t break this view, can they?

Hitting back the main trail while not taking off the eyes of the views and forgetting to watch my steps, I was smiling from one ear to the other and from deep inside my heart all the way to the outside.

Just as we were coming around the corner, a couple was descending and the girl stared at me in disbelief saying “you weren’t skydiving yesterday, were you?” as she passed us.

Yes, we were. And these two were our customers. The world is very small. Or at least New Zealand is.

I can’t say the view from the peak of Rocky Mountain was any better than the one just meters below walking along the trail but the panoramic shot I took almost does justice to the beauty we saw and experienced up on top.

To our left, we could see into a few different valleys, one of which was showing off with snow-covered mountain peaks and lush green valleys down below.

Up on top, a cool breeze was blowing, and since we didn’t feel like getting sick but still wanted to embrace those views a little longer, we just walked around the corner and sat down behind the hill sheltered from the wind.

Descending later on, we opted for the western route as this mountain offers a circular trail. The kind of trails we love as you have new things to see and explore on your way up and down, not walking the same route twice.

The trail coming down was a little more challenging, I’d say as we came to some muddy, soaked, slippery, and steep stretches. Not a problem for us, but we slowed down not to slip unnecessarily.

I enjoyed particularly the part when we entered the forest again and walked close to the steep cliffs covered in lush green vegetation.

The trail opened up again for a while to let us cross the mountain and walk on a flat part of the slope before re-entering the thick forest.

One last view from above before it was time to say goodbye to the views and get back to the car.

The trail took us a little more than 3 hours in total with lots of breathing and photo stops. It was incredibly beautiful all around and I can only recommend this hike to anyone in the area. Just please wear proper hiking boots and carry enough water as we passed many unprepared travelers who were struggling on the trail.

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