Weekend in Wanaka

On Saturday morning, we set out early to make the three hour drive west towards the mountains and the town of Wanaka. Mark’s brother and sister-in-law actually own a home there so we stayed in luxurious lakefront accommodations which spoiled us completely! Thanks, David and Pia!! The drive up to Wanaka from Oamaru winds through varied terrain--flat valleys, rolling farmland, stark foothills--and melodiously named towns (Duntroon, Otematata, Omarama). We were delighted at Lindis Pass to encounter miles of wild flowers stretched along the highway, especially the many colored lupines. Made us think that Miss Rumphius, the Lupine Lady had been there.  Wanaka is a small, resort town of about 5,000 people situated on the shores of Lake Wanaka, the 4th largest lake in NZ, and surrounded by mountains. It reminds us of Sun Valley, Idaho--ski town in winter, all manner of outdoor activities in summer.

Wanaka from Mount Iron

Saturday afternoon, we stretched our legs by climbing Mount Iron, really just a good sized hill, on the edge of town. Interestingly, the descriptions of hikes in NZ give round trip times rather than length. The same is true of driving to various destinations. Mount Iron was a “1.5 hour round trip hike” and allowed us panoramic views of the city, lakes, river, and mountains. After the hike, we rewarded ourselves by heading out of town northwest along the lake to the Rippon Winery. It is a 4th generation family-owned winery with vines invitingly planted up and down the hills to the lake. We left with purchases and pictures!

Awakening Sunday morning to cloud enshrouded mountains, we contentedly lingered over coffee and breakfast before heading out for our chosen hike of the day: the “easy, 3.5 hours round trip” Rob Roy Glacier hike. Now we are used to our beloved Bob and Ira Spring hike books that give us distance and elevation gain and even designations of easy, moderate, difficult, etc. We would definitely have designated this a moderate hike with significant elevation gain after hiking it. Regardless, it was a glorious hike!

The drive to the trailhead was about an hour and half with most of it on a dry, gravel, washboard road (entrance to the Mt. Aspiring National Park). It wound through beautiful grazing lands along the Matukituki River and also included at least seven stream fordings. (We had been assured that the fordings were low and our little car could most probably handle them--it did.). Arriving at the trailhead we found bathrooms, unfiltered water, and lots of cars. We were ready!

Fifteen minutes into the hike we crossed the rapidly flowing river on a long swing bridge. From there we climbed through fairly dense forest (mostly beech) with intermittent views to the mountains and glacier. Arriving at the top, we were right at the base of the Rob Roy Glacier. At least eight waterfalls cascaded down the face of the mountain fed by the glacier. The sky was a bright blue with few clouds, the mountains black and rocky, the ice glimmering in the sunshine. A feast for the eyes! We were also treated, thanks to a fellow hiker, to an up close sighting of the kea, the only alpine parrot. What a day, what a hike!