Hiking Roys Peak With Kids

ONE OF NEW ZEALAND'S BEST DAY HIKES

03 MARCH 2023

Early Bird Catches The Carparking Space

Anyone who is researching 'what to do in Wanaka or Queenstown or what to do in the South Island of New Zealand' will have come across the Roys Peak Track multiple times... and for good reason! It's an incredibly satisfying and beautiful hike with views across Wanaka and beyond and it's one of our favourite hikes in New Zealand!

The track zig-zags its way to the top of Mt Aspiring (I think they should have named it Mt Inspiring ;) ) and the peak itself was named after Rob Roy MacGregor who was a Scottish hero.

We hadn't actually planned to do the hike - I had really hoped to do it, but as it was 16kms and a 5 - 7 hour hike, I wasn't sure if we were quite at that point with the girls but when we were doing the Rocky Mountain and Diamond Lake Track, just a hop, skip and a jump away from Roys Peak, and we pointed it out to the girls as we could see it from the track... they BEGGED us to do it. Seriously, begged. No tomfoolery here folks, a 4- and 9-year-old begged us to do a 16km hike.

We did some research on the hike, read reviews and most importantly looked at photos of the track as this is where we base most of our decisions as to whether we'll do a hike or not. It helps us see the lay of the land and the surroundings to make sure we're not hiking along cliffs with the little ones in tow. It actually looked fine so we said HELL YEAH!

We started our hike just before 7am as we wanted to get an early start as we knew it would take a while for us to do the track. We're definitely not early morning people but we wanted to miss as much of the hot sun as we could and we had read that it's a 5 - 7 hour hike so we always add on an hour or two when hiking as we love to stop and enjoy the views, plus we make sure the girls get enough time to explore around the track to keep them entertained.

When we arrived at the carpark it was almost full! We were really surprised and although we knew that a lot of hikers leave at 3am to catch the sunrise from the top... we didn't expect it to be so crazy busy. We're guessing a lot of people camp overnight in the carpark so they can start the hike bright and early without having to worry about driving anywhere. Clever cookies.

It was dark when we got to the carpark but it got light pretty quickly once we started our hike. We had bought a big 50L hiking pack from Macpac the day before as we're always lugging around our Camelbak backpack which is usually bursting with food, jackets and water and we figured with winter approaching, we needed something that would carry jackets, spare clothes and extra layers. We loaded up the packhorse (Lath) with 4 x 1.5L bottles of water, spare clothes and enough food for a whole day. We always pack way more than we need as there are times that we feel ravenous on hikes or we really want to stay and enjoy a view but we've run out of food and have to head back... so we make sure we've covered ALL the bases as we like to go with the flow and don't like to leave places when we're not ready to.

Not long into our hike, the sun peeked over the horizon and it was an incredibly beautiful sight, especially when the grasses around us all lit up in a golden glow. Golden hour is one of the best times to be out hiking, it's so nice compared to the harsh daylight sun, especially when taking photos. It was weird when the sun lifted higher and the gold colours left and the hues became so different.

We were in so many layers as it was a pretty cold morning and we weren't sure what to expect on the hike, especially as we were hiking up over 1500m in elevation. After 15-minutes or so, we were stripping down and changing into our shorts and t-shirts! We were getting changed on one of the corners of the track and there was nowhere to hide, so Sienna was on lookout duty to make sure no one was coming while we got out of our pants and into our shorts! Aaah a hiker's life!

Mooooove, Please!

The track was way easier than we anticipated based on online reviews. I think one person's perception of steep and our perception are completely different! We have done a lot of hikes around New Zealand that we would say are a lot steeper, like climbing Tokatoka Peak in Northland, the Intersect track and the Mt Vernon Track in the Wither Hills in Blenheim, Gondola Hill in Picton and the Tongariro Crossing in the Central North Island, so we didn't find it too bad at all. It was just a constant uphill track that never let up (and also never let up on the way down - oh my knees... more about that later in the blog).

We met a few friendly bulls along the track who were very confused to see us there and we asked them to moooooove (I know how much you guys love my puns!) out of the way. We often see cattle and sheep on the hikes around New Zealand (the Shakespear Loop Track in Auckland, Mt Maunganui Summit Track and the Smugglers Bay Loop Track in Northland to name a few) and I guess it's common knowledge among kiwis that they won't hurt you, but a lot of international tourists get really confused about them. I probably would too if I didn't know better! So if you see sheep or cattle on the track, just move around them slowly and don't forget to say hello as they're very friendly!

At one point to the Lookout (where the famous Roys Peak photos are taken), the girls started to slow down a little so it was time to pull out the bag of lollies, wireless headphones with ipod and the gentle reminder that they begged us to do this track - hey, we're not wrong! We are always prepared to help keep the girls comfortable and entertained along the way on our hikes, especially on hikes like Roys Peak where there is no diversity and not much to explore along the way.

Usually I get my DSLR camera out a lot on hikes, especially with my 50mm lense which I LOVE for portraits and taking close ups of things I find interesting (which is usually eeeeverything and Lath is hurrying me along because I'm now photographing my 150th interesting looking tree trunk and it's time to go home) and I honestly didn't even use it ONCE on this hike - I just used my phone to take pics and videos! I think because it was such a long hike, we didn't want to stop lots to get photos as we just wanted to get to the summit and back because we knew it was such a long hike.

We did, however, take a lot of small stops as we were all feeling it by the top! The clouds were constantly changing below us, so every 5-minutes it looked different which we loved. Also, when we did stop, the wind was cool, so we cooled down instantly to the perfect temperature, as the sun was warm - we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day!

There are loads of shortcuts on the track, as the path snakes its way up the mountain, but we found some of the shortcuts to take longer than the path itself - going both uphill and downhill!

The girls had high fives from every 2nd person on the track, it was pretty special! Although they didn't understand why it was such a big deal and they still don't understand it to this day. I guess when hiking is a weekly (sometimes daily) occurrence with kids, it's such a normal thing to do, especially hikes that are long. We were so proud of the girls for doing the hike and we hope it inspires more families to get out there and just do it. Kids are so much stronger than we give them credit for and they are also so resilient. We got the usual "nearly there!" comment from almost everyone we passed.... even when we were 1 - 2 hours away from the Lookout! What a let down haha.

The Lookout Of All Lookouts

We were stoked when we finally make it to the lookout, to finally see the incredible view that we have seen many times on Instagram and in magazines over the last decade - the view where someone stands at the end of the track, looking out to Lake Wanaka and the Southern Alps and hopefully everyone else takes their turn for the photo! When we arrived at the lookout on the way up, it was really busy as most people stop here for a break then head back down and there was a random cloud hanging around, so we decided to head up to the summit and take photos of us at the lookout on the way down.

When we finally made it back down to the lookout again from the summit (more about that soon!), the random cloud had disappeared and we had the most perfect view from the lookout. There were a few people taking photos, so we were in a line (it can get super long!) to wait our turn. Everyone is pretty awesome and offers to take photos of each other, as do we on most of our hikes as we always see people struggling to take selfies and there is nothing better than someone else being your photographer!

We ended up being last in line, so after someone had taken a photo of all 4 of us, Lath stayed behind while we ran back along the path as fast as we could, before someone else came along to get their photo taken. Seriously, it was such a rush as we didn't want to stop anyone from going along the path and we really wanted to get a photo of just Lath standing at the point. Luckily no one came along and we got the photo - yay! I wish I had gone a bit higher up on the hill but that's what happens when you're rushing!

The views from the lookout are spectacular and it's even better seeing it in person than it is in the photos (as with most things). We did the hike at the start of Autumn so there was no snow, but it must be pretty amazing in winter, surrounded by snow capped mountains!

The view to the left of the lookout is sooooo beautiful and I'm not sure too many people ventured over that side (unless they went for a wee) and we could see Rocky Mountain from here, which is our second favourite hike to do in Wanaka.

There is a toilet at the lookout but it's a long drop and Lath said it was pretty full when he went in! So it's great that there's a toilet there but if you're not a fan of long drops then you'll have to do a bush wee, as we like to call it... also, take some toilet paper in case there isn't any in there - you're welcome.

Views across Lake Wanaka and of the Wanaka township

The infamous cloud

The toilet at the lookout Looking down at Roys Peak from the summit track

Be Gone With You, Civilization

While the views from the Roys Peak Lookout are breathtaking and one to sit and admire, the views from the summit are something else, so even though it was a 30-minute extra hike up to the summit, it was 100% worth it! Now, when I say 30-minutes, I mean 1-hour. I don't know who does that in 30-minutes but everyone we spoke to said it took waaaay longer for them and it sure as hell didn't take us 30-minutes! So it was really a 2-hour return hike from the Roys Peak lookout which added on a whole lot of time. Believe me when I say it's worth it... summon up all the strength you have to get up there, you won't be disappointed... forget about that voice telling you to turn back down as it's 3-hours to the carpark. You'll most likely just do it once, so you may as well do it - that's one of our mottos with adventures.

The track became a bit steeper at the point which made it tougher on the loose stones, but again, nothing we couldn't handle or haven't see before! The views just kept getting better and better the higher we got and each corner we turned and we were fascinated with the layout of the land in certain areas as it was so different to what we had been seeing for the past 3 hours.

Even though the track was SO busy (this was the busiest hike we have ever done in New Zealand), it felt like we were the only ones on top of the mountain and it was really serene. It's always nice to go on a hike where you can't see houses or powerlines everywhere - be gone with you, civilization!

It felt like we would never get to the summit. We could see it on most of the track and it just never seemed to get closer!! It was the same with the carpark on the way down... it felt like we would never get there!

360-Degree Views At The Summit

We were SOOO excited to make it to the summit - it was such a massive hike for the girls (and us!) to do and it took us around 5-hours to reach it. So the whole 5 - 7 hour hike wasn't quite going to plan! We're sure the 5 - 7 hour recommendation we read was just to the lookout and didn't account for the time to get to the summit and back. We were surprised how long it was taking us but we honestly didn't care. For us, hiking isn't about how quick we can do a track.... it's about enjoying the track, getting out into the fresh air, keeping fit and getting and away from technology and the daily grind and stresses. The kids are always so pumped when we're hiking and yes, we get grumps every now and then but the majority of the time the kids are so happy. Plus, they sleep so good after a hike, once their head hits the pillow they're out!

We took our socks and shoes off as soon as we sat down on the boulder... it was bliss! Lunchtime at the summit was delicious - do you ever notice that picnic food always tastes better outdoors, no matter what it is? We took enough food for the whole day as we didn't know what time we'd be back at our car. We had cheese, salami and pesto rolls (baked fresh in the morning), fruit salad and cold cans of fizzy drink which we kept cool with freezer blocks (top hiking tip!!), loads of snacks and of course some lollies for the girls as a way of bribery, if needed!

At the summit there were around 10 - 15 people and they were all pretty quiet which we enjoyed because there is noooothing worse than people talking nonstop in an amazing place that you just want to enjoy in silence! (We had this on the Rocky Mountain track when we were on a narrow section for a while, these two girls were talking NONSTOP so we let them pass when we got to a wider section and it was good to be back to silence again!).

We stayed at the summit for 20-minutes, ate our food and took a few snaps of the 360-degree views before we packed up and headed back down to the Roys Peak Lookout. We wished we had stayed longer but we were aware it was going to be a 4-hour hike back to our car and we just wanted to get going - looking back, we should have stayed for longer to rest our bodies because the hike down was actually harder than the hike up and we probably needed it!

Did My Knees Just Die?

We were buzzing after leaving the summit, knowing we'd made it all the way to the top and we were so proud of all of us! We were especially proud of the girls for doing so well and even wanting to do the hike in the first place. I don't think they quite knew how long 16kms was going to be, but when Bella asked us what the longest hike we had done and we told her that there were a lot of long hikes around 10kms that she had done, such as the Te Henga Walkway track as well as the Shakespear Loop Track in Auckland and various tracks in the Wither Hills in Blenheim like the Lower Quail Stream track... and she told us that an extra 6kms is nothing - wise words from a 9-year old!

We did a lot more exploring on the way down and the kids found a few treasures:
- A little oasis consisting of a mini waterfall with a crystal-clear pool of water
- A dried up cow pat (poo) on which someone had placed rocks on it to make a face
- A small skeleton which we think was from a bird
- A huge bush of Scottish thistle going to seed and all the seeds were fairies (according to Sienna) blowing around in the wind
- We were even treated to watching a guy take off in his paraglider right beside us!

The air started to warm up the further down we got and luckily there was still a cool breeze or it would have been an absolute nightmare walking in intense head with no shade! We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather - the sky stayed completely clear the whole day which is pretty comforting when you're on a 16km hike with no shelter and you want the best views allll day.

We really start to feel the hike in knees when we were about an hour into heading down the track. They started off a bit sore, nothing to write about, but the last 2 hours were an absolute nightmare... I had to stop every 50-metres to take a break as the pain was really intense! At that moment, I realised why people use hiking poles... time to buy some! Lath was struggling a bit too but not as bad as me. I'm fine with uphill and long hikes but downhill is clearly not my forte.

We found a picnic table where we had some afternoon tea and I rested my weary little legs... it was one of the best part of the hikes and it was so sad when I had to drag my body back down the hill... slowly... with many, many breaks.

It was such a good feeling when we got back to the car so we could sit down (dramatically, of course) in our comfy seats, knowing we didn't have to walk one extra step that day! Ok, we had to walk from the car to the house when we arrived... but after that, we didn't move from the couch unless essential and we couldn't stop talking about how proud we were of the girls for doing a 16km hike!

Over the next week, we would look up at Mt Aspiring from Wanaka and say in disbelief that we still couldn't believe that we had hiked all the way to the top of it as it was so high up! It was one of the best hikes we've done in New Zealand and although it's a fairly long hike, it is so doable with kids.

Cow poop art

Know Before You Go

The Roys Peak Track is a 16km return track (out and back) which takes 5 - 7 hours and is an 1578m elevation
The track to the summit takes an extra 1 - 2 hours from the lookout (but it's so worth it!)
Allow the whole day for this track as it's a big hike so well worth spending an hour or two stopping at the top!
The carpark can fill up super-fast, so get there as early as possible
We HIGHLY recommend you walk to the summit which takes an hour or two return from the viewpoint
Between 1st October and 10th November each year the track is closed for lambing
In winter, you will need alpine equipment (ice axe and crampons) and above the 1000m mark is avalanche terrain. Click here to see avalanche status
There's no water available on the track, so bring plenty!
There is no shelter at all on this track, so picking a good weather day is ideal! A cloudless or partly cloudy day is ideal in cooler months as you won't be getting too hot and a partly cloudy day in summer is good so you get some reprieve from the hot sun but also get the views! Going on a completely cloudy day is (almost) pointless
Take appropriate clothing as there is still a risk of hypothermia even in summer
You may come across cattle or sheep on the track - they're harmless but keep your distance so you don't scare them

Mappy McMap Face

How To Get To Roys Peak

The Roys Peak track is less than 10-minutes from the Wanaka Township - just follow the Wanaka Mount Aspiring Road and you'll find the carpark on the left. Parking can fill up fast due to hikers doing the sunset hike, plus it's the most popular track in Wanaka (with good reason!).

The trailhead for the Roys Peak track starts on the left-hand side of the carpark.

Conclusion

The Roys Peak Track in Wanaka is one of the best day hikes in New Zealand and we hiiighly recommend you add it to the top of your 'best things to do in Wanaka' list! So, can kids do the Roys Peak Track? HELL YEAH THEY CAN! Our girls absolutely smashed it and we couldn't be more proud. The views are spectacular, especially on a cloudless day and hiking up for sunrise is extra special. Take a yummy picnic, plenty of water and don't forget your camera!