Travelogue

#ThatWanakaTreeSo far, we had pretty much been following our son’s itinerary from his trip here a few months back. We are very similar to him in what we like to see and do and where to eat, so it had been extremely helpful.

Wanaka was a particular favorite of theirs, so they had lots of suggestions for us.

We were not going to be camping in town, but rather about 15 minutes past at the Hampshire Holiday Park directly on Glendhu Bay. That location had the advantage of being right on Lake Wanaka, as well as in close proximity to two of the hikes we were considering - Roy’s Peak and Diamond Lake / Rocky Mountain track.

Federal DinerWhen we got to Wanaka, we found that the road to Glendhu Bay was closed for the next few hours while they prepared the race course for the half triathlon that was happening tomorrow.

We had things we wanted to do in town anyway, so it was no real hardship - except for finding a parking space for a van our size. The town was really bustling, I guess because of the triathlon.

One of the first orders of business, as per our son’s recommendation, was to stop in at the Isite Visitor Information Center in town to reserve e-bikes for the day after tomorrow with Wanaka Bike Tours. They have a shuttle that drives you and the bikes up to Lake Hawea and then you bicycle the 18 miles back to Lake Wanaka.

The Buddha Eggs BenedictThe road to Glendhu Bay still wasn’t open, so we took another one of his recommendations and went to the Federal Diner for lunch.

That boy knows his food. The Buddha Eggs Benedict was to die for - organic eggs, spinach, mushrooms, and roasted tomatoes. Herb had the French Toast.

After lunch, we walked along the lakeshore to visit the Wanaka Tree, the most photographed trees in New Zealand, largely due to its solitary position in the lake, with the backdrop of the Southern Alps, creating a stunning visual.

Our campground at Glendhu BayIts rise to fame is relatively recent, with increased attention following a 2014 award-winning photograph. Then came social media, and thousands of posts with the hashtag “ThatWanakaTree.”

While this lovely willow tree is usually about 50 yards offshore, today it was actually about 10 yards onshore. Not sure if that is typical of late summer or a result of climate change or a drought.

The crowds didn’t seem to care, as people lined up to take their photo beneath it. We, of course, did so as well.

Dinner at our campsiteBy now the road to Glendhu Bay had reopened, so we headed towards the Hampshire Holiday Park campground, right on Lake Wanaka. It was a lovely setting.

This was definitely a campground frequented by New Zealanders, specifically those with watercraft of any kind. There were power boats, jet skis, kayaks, and SUPs, and even a beach for swimming.

That evening we set out our camp table and chairs, which faced the lake, and enjoyed our Mount Cook sashimi, cheese and crackers, and wine.

Quick swim in Glendhu BayOne of the reasons we had chosen this campground was because it was located close to the trailhead for one of New Zealand's most famous, as well as most challenging hikes - Roy’s Peak, a 10-mile hike with over 4,200 feet of elevation gain. It takes about 7 hours to complete, and with the heat of the summer, they recommend starting at 4:30 am.

I admit to feeling intimidated by this hike, but fortunately I got a great excuse to not do it while still saving face. The road outside our campground would be closed until 1:00 pm because the bicycle portion of the half marathon they were setting up yesterday was going right by. Oh well, too late to do the hike. Plus, it was like 85 degrees out.

Diamond LakeInstead, once the road opened we decided that we would do a different hike that our wonderful son recommended - the hike to Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain, the trailhead for which was also close by.

This one was a more realistic (for me) 5-mile hike with 1,644 feet of elevation gain. However, because of its rocky terrain, it is still considered a challenging hike.

In the meantime we had some time to kill before the campground gates opened, so I took a brief swim in the lake and then we walked out to the road to watch the bicycle portion of the half marathon go by.

Lake Wanaka ViewpointOnce that was over, we headed over to the trailhead for the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain hike which was just 10 minutes away at the Diamond Lake Conservation Area.

From the parking lot, we headed up a moderately steep gravel road until we came to a fork in the trail. We could have gone either left or right as this was the loop trail around Diamond Lake. We took the left but the right would have worked as well.

From there, the trail began to ascend up a series of wooden steps, and after about another 10 minutes we came to Diamond Lake Bird View where we enjoyed a view overlooking the lake with some lovely mountains behind.

From the summitA short distance afterwards, we reached another split in the trail. Every trail guide we read recommended going right and taking the steeper route up. Plus, that was the side that had all the great views over Lake Wanaka. To make it a loop, we would come down the left side.

After taking the right trail, we came to our first views of Lake Wanaka. At about 1.25 miles we followed a spur trail to the right to the Lake Wanaka viewpoint where there was a beautiful panoramic view of the lake and surrounding mountains.

Once back on the main trail, we continued up towards the summit of Rocky Mountain, where the trail got steep and more rocky.

From the summitAt the 2-mile point we came to another trail junction. We took the right for more views over Lake Wanaka.

The last half mile up to the summit was the toughest. The trail narrowed and climbed a series of switchbacks, often requiring some rock scrambling.

Once atop the summit, there was of course another breathtaking panoramic view. It was so windy that we didn’t linger long.

Ready to e-bikeWe descended via the other track as we wanted to make it a look, even though we didn’t have any views of Lake Wanaka this way. No worry, as I already had about a hundred photos from the way up.

I am so glad we chose to do this hike. Although Roy’s Peak has a spectacular finish, the Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain hike has great views of Lake Wanaka and the surrounding Southern Alps the whole way. Plus, it is a lot less grueling.

Tired and happy, we returned to our campsite on Glendhu Bay for a well-earned glass of wine.

Hawea WaveThe next morning, we drove into Wanaka where we would meet at the iSite Visitor Center to meet our e-bike shuttle to Lake Hawea.

We had some time to kill, so we went for breakfast at the Federal Diner again. This time we both had the Buddha Eggs Benedict.

At 10:30, we met Stu from Wanaka Bike Tours who drove us and another couple up to Lake Hawea where we would start our e-bike ride back to Lake Wanaka.

Bridge over Clutha RiverAlong the way, he rattled off directions for us to follow that completely went over our heads. Fortunately, Herb had the Gaia app with the aid of which we would be able to find our way.

He dropped us off at the southern end of Lake Hawea, another beautiful, bright blue lake with mountain scenery surrounding it.

The start of the ride pretty much followed the Hawea River Track for the first 9 miles, along a riverside trail with beautiful landscapes along the way.

Using the power of the e-bike made any hills just melt away. It was so much fun. I had ridden an e-bike before in San Francisco, but this was Herb’s first time.

About 5 miles into our ride along the river, to our surprise we came upon a surfer riding a wave in the Hawea River. Unbeknownst to us at the time, we had stumbled across the Hawea Wave," also known as the Hawea Flat Whitewater Park.

Along the Hawea to Wanaka rideThis park features two man-made river waves for kayakers, surfers, rafters, and boogie boarders.

At around 9 miles (the halfway point) we came to the Clutha River, where there was a short side trip into the highly recommended Pembroke Patisserie, a French Bakery in the small village of Albert Town.

Defying Tommy’s recommendations for the first time, we decided to skip because we were in a bit of a hurry because we still needed to drive 3 hours to Te Anau when we got back to Wanaka.

This required riding over a narrow bridge over the Clutha River. There was about 2 inches to spare on either end of my handlebars, so I freaked out a little but made it over okay. I kept telling myself that if my son could do this while trailering his little 9-month old daughter behind it, I should be fine.

Almost backAfter that, we were on the Outlet Track, a beautiful dirt trail through a forest, which traced the shores of the Clutha River. As the trail narrowed in sections to single track (only one bike wide), I once again questioned how (and why?) my son was able to get my granddaughter through here in her little trailer behind him.

I think it was called the Outlet Track, because we eventually reached its source at Lake Wanaka.

From there we continued along a very picturesque lakeside trail leading us back along the lovely shores of Lake Wanaka into the town. Then we locked up our bikes where Stu from Wanaka Bike Tours told us and texted him that we were done.

I then immediately texted my son to thank him for telling us about this amazing ride and gave him big kudos for maneuvering his 9-month old daughter through it.

Before this, Herb and I were seriously considering buying e-bikes, but this ride clinched it.