Scenic Drive across Haast Pass from Fox Glacier to Wanaka

16 March 2025

This is the day that we would drive from Fox Glacier to Wanaka. The 262 km journey should take about 3.5 hours without any stops but there are many attractions and sights to see along the way so it could take much longer. I had originally planned to do the following activities along the way:

• Do a short walk at Monro Beach where we may have a chance to spot penguins on the beach.
• Enjoy the views of the ocean at Knights Points Lookout and maybe spot some dolphins in the sea.
• Take a short walk at Ship Creek to feed some sandflies.
• View the waterfall at Thunder Creek Falls.
• View Fantail Falls.
• Stop at the Lake Wanaka Lookout for photos.
• Stop at the Lake Hawea Lookout for photos.
• Stop at the Lake Hawea Dam Lookout for photos.

With the activities during the journey, we would arrive at Wanaka in the evening. We had planned to hike up Roy’s Peak for sunrise the next day, departing early at 4 AM on Monday.

We had to ditch our plan due to rain forecasted at Wanaka on the day we were supposed to do the hike.

Rain forecasted for Monday, the day we planned to do the hike up Roy’s Peak for sunrise.

We decided to do a direct drive to Wanaka, timing to arrive at noon so that we could do the hike up to Roy’s Peak in the afternoon while the weather is still good. This meant that we only had time for brief stops at a FEW really nice places.

We left Rainforest Motel in Fox Glacier at first light. It was a good thing I had chosen to make full payment at check-in, so we could just leave the keys in the room upon check-out. We were probably the first car that departed the motel on this day.

Departing Rainforest Motel at 7.50 AM.

Fox Glacier was like a ghost town early in the morning. Ours was the only car on the road.

We took the Coastal Highway 6 southwards. We passed through several one-lane bridges, very common on this stretch of the highway.

Bridge over Fox River. One of the many one-lane bridges along Highway 6.

Another one lane bridge over Cook River.

Karangarua Bridge.

I love driving in the morning. There were lesser cars on the road and the morning light made the scenery more beautiful. We had to look out for cyclists though. We passed by a few groups of them.

Followed behind this group of cyclists slowly across one of the narrow bridges.

Driving through a tunnel of trees.

View of Mahitahi River and the Southern Alps.

Beautiful landscape as viewed from the car.

It started raining as we drove through the coastal area.  We passed by Knights Point Lookout and Ship Creek but did not make any stop. We probably did not missed much since the weather was not good.

We had brief views of a rainbow as we approached Haast.

A bit of the rainbow as seen from the car due to the light rain.

After crossing the long one-lane bridge over the Haast River, we made a stop at the Haast Visitor Center. This place has excellent toilet facilities and information about what to do and see around Haast. Haast is also the place to top up petrol, if needed, before attempting to drive across the Haast Pass.

Haast Visitor Center.

The 140 km stretch of road between Haast and Wanaka is known as the Haast Pass Highway. The road winds among steep mountains cloaked in lush rainforest and cross tumbling rivers. Clouds were seen overhead. Fortunately, there was no rain on this dangerous, narrow and curvy road.

On the Haast Pass Highway (also Highway 6) towards Thunder Creek Falls.

We made a brief stop to view the Thunder Creek Falls and also to get a break from the driving. There are several waterfalls along the Haast Pass highway and this falls is probably the most impressive and accessible.

Thunder Creek Falls.

A few minutes away from Thunder Creeks Falls is the metal bridge over the Haast River, called the Gate of Haast. This is a good landmark on this drive but parking near the bridge is limited and also on the opposite side of the road.

Gate of Haast.

Haast Bridge. This bridge is an impressive crisscross of steel girders – beautifully designed and very sturdy.

We passed by several attractions such as Fantail Falls, Haast Pass Lookout (requires a hike) and Blue Pools (temporarily closed) but we chose not to stop.

The beautiful blue waters of Lake Wanaka soon came into view on our right side.

Lake Wanaka with deep blue water and mountains in the back

For the next 15 minutes or so, we were treated to beautiful views of the lake on our right as we travelled on the winding road that hugged the side of the mountain on our left.

Highway 6 along Lake Wanaka.

There are a couple of lookout points along this stretch of Highway 6 but they were all located on the right side of the road. It was dangerous to access these lookout points so we just enjoyed the views from the car.

After passing through a stretch of land known as the Neck, we stopped at a lookout point (Google Maps location here) on our left. This lookout point provides nice views of Lake Hawea and the surrounding mountains.

Snapping photos at the Lake Hawea Lookout point, just after the Neck.

This lookout point provides good view of the curvy road going down the side of Lake Hawea.

Driving down the highway with Lake Hawea on our left.

Car overtaking a slow vehicle on this dangerous stretch of road.

The drive to Wanaka was so scenic that we took our time to appreciate the scenery. This is not so for the locals who are probably sick of the views by now.

There is another lookout point further down the highway, near the middle of Lake Hawea (Google Map Location here). The second Lake Hawea Lookout Point had just a small area by the road for several cars to park. We managed to squeeze our car into the space.

A path leads to the viewpoint just above the car park where we enjoyed views of the blue waters of Lake Hawea. If we had come on a rainy or cloudy day, the views may not be as good.

Lake Hawea is so blue!

Views from the Lake Hawea Lookout.

This was the last stop we made on our way to Wanaka. We were glad to note that the weather was perfect for our planned hike in the afternoon.

It was slightly past noon when we arrived at the town centre of Wanaka. During the drive, we did research and chose to eat at Gusto168, a Chinese restaurant. 

Hot and spicy Szechuan soup.

Foo Yong Omelette with whitebait.

Stir fried beef with ginger and onions.

Mapo Tofu dish.

The food at Gusto was quite good but I felt that the prices were a bit too high. We were charged NZD 135 for the above food, 3 steamed rice and 3 cans of Coke.

By the time we finished lunch, it was 1 PM. Everything has gone according to our new plan. We even had time to check into our accommodation in Wanaka before starting our challenging hike up Roy’s Peak.

Next post: Overcoming the challenge we set ourselves by hiking up Roy’s Peak.

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Our afternoon hike to Roy’s Peak Lookout

16 March 2025

Roy’s Peak is a difficult hiking trail located just outside the town of Wanaka near the edge of Mount Aspiring National Park. It is one of New Zealand’s most popular trails as the view from the Roy’s Peak Lookout is stunningly beautiful!

Roy’s Peak Lookout with views of Lake Wanaka. Mount Aspiring and the surrounding mountains.

We would only hike to the famous viewpoint at Roy’s Peak Lookout which 30 minutes below the actual summit and end of the trail.

Some facts and figures of the trail: Distance: 16 kilometres return (8 km to the summit, 6.3 km to the lookout point). Elevation Gain: 1,258 metres to the summit and 800 to 900 metres to the lookout point. Equivalent to climbing a 300-storey building. Time needed: 6 to 7 hours Type of trail: Out and back. The journey is fairly steep with endless switchbacks.

Hiking the trail is definitely a challenge for us. It is probably not a challenge for my son who had conquered Mount Kilimanjaro, Mount Kinabalu, Mount Rinjani and also hiked to the Everest Base Camp. It would definitely be a challenge for the two over 60s years of age whose only workout was running after our 12 kg grandson around the house.

Hiking Roy’s Peak trail is on the bucket list of many people. We cannot come to Wanaka and not attempt this challenge. We were a bit concern about our physical fitness and whether we could make it but we took it as a personal challenge.

We arrived at Roy's Peak car park just before 2 pm. It takes just 5 minutes to get there from Wanaka. Although there are 100 spaces available in the free public car park, we saw many cars parked along the side of highway. This is a sign of how popular this hiking trail is and also a sign that public car park was probably full.

We managed to find a space in the car park. I guess some of the morning hikers would have completed their hike and departed.

The entrance to the track is located on the left of the car park’s entrance.

View of the mountain we are about to climb. The end goal is somewhere up there!

The start of the Roy’s Peak track. We need to climb a small ladder over a fence to officially start the trail.

Some section of the trail is on private land, used by farmers for their sheep and cattle to graze on. The track would be closed annually for lambing season from the 1st of October to the 10th of November.

The track fee used to be $2. It had increased from $2 to $5.  We dropped money into the collection box located at the entrance. It is based on the honesty system. We saw a young couple ignoring the fee and just proceed with the hike.

Initial part of the trail with steep incline.

The initial part was steep but we were fresh, so we tackled that part easily. After 30 minutes of toiling up the switchbacks, we saw that we had only ascended a few hundred metres of elevation.

There are some shortcuts across the switchbacks but this would mean a steeper ascend. We, the elderly couple, chose to go with the longer and more gradual route.

Our son taking one of the shortcuts. That was the one and only time he did that.

Took a photo of us after taking the short-cut.

The clay track is a well-maintained and is wide enough to handle the many people on the same track. Sun-screen is a must as the track is on open terrain with no shade. I enjoyed the cool breeze that blew almost continuously with temperature just around 15 degrees C. Occasional gust of wind would kick up some fine dust but our sunglasses protected our eyes.

The views got better as we hiked higher up the path. After an hour of hiking, we were rewarded with fantastic views of Lake Wanaka and also the township of Wanaka below.

After an hour on the track, we get to enjoy views like this.

A rest after 1.5 hours of hiking. The views get better and better the higher we go.

After the initial steep climb at the beginning, the middle section of the trail was slightly flatter but it was still uphill all the way.

Hiking poles really help. Initially I was using one pole and felt one side of my hip feeling a bit sore. My son gave up his pole for me. I found that walking up the steep incline with 2 hiking poles reduces the strain on my lower body.

View of the lake and mountains after 1.5 hours from start.

The hiking poles really made a difference.

After about 2 hours into the hike, we are probably somewhere near the middle section of the trail.

We could already feel a little sense of achievement when we saw the switchbacks we had taken to this point.

Our destination is somewhere there!

The trail gets steeper again nearer to the lookout point. By then, the almost 45 degree incline took its toll on us, the old couple. I had to stop for rests and drinks more often as I felt my leg muscles twitching to almost the point of cramp. It is amazing to see my wife going slow and steady like the Duracell bunny.      

Almost there! We could see people at the Roy’s Peak Lookout.

Up and up we go. Slow and steady with short 30 seconds rest when needed for photos and a drink.

My leg muscles finally cramped when I arrived at viewpoint and sat down on some rocks. The chill of the mountain air and sudden relaxation is a trigger for cramps.

Our journey had taken 3 hours and 20 minutes which was not too bad. We were rewarded with the stunning views that made this hike so popular.

First photo of the Roy’s Peak Lookout. Many people would walk along the ridge to the end for photos.

There is even a long drop toilet at the lookout point.

It was quite chilly once we stop walking. We had to put on our wind proof jackets to keep warm. There is also a drop in temperature up in the mountain at dusk.

Roy’s Peak Lookout is a magnet for photographers and instagrammers. At peak times, there would a queue of people waiting their turns to walk along the ridge to the edge of the lookout point for photos.

There was no queue when we arrived. We took turns to walk down the ridge for photos.

Walking down to the Roy’s Peak Lookout.

The walk along the ridge was a little nerve wracking for me due to the strong wind and my fear of heights. There is also the fear that my overworked legs may give way suddenly.

My wife and I at the Roy’s Peak Lookout.

We told my son to hike to the actual Roy’ Peak summit while we rest at the Lookout Point. It should take him about 30 minutes (an extra 1.5km and 266m elevation gain) but he chose to stay with us.

Sunset at Wanaka is at 7.50 PM at this time of year. After a good rest and shooting lots of photos, we started on our return trip.

The walk down was also challenging due to our aged legs. I would probably just jog or skip down the trail 10 to 15 years ago.

We finally saw some sheep and cows on our way down.

These sheep on the trail moved away once we approached them.

The journey down seemed to take forever. 

The cows giving a stare.

As the sky darkens, we spotted a family of rabbits as well near the bottom.

The sky was a little cloudy, so we missed seeing a spectacular sunset.

Reached the car park after a 2 hours 40 minutes journey down.

We made it back to the car park just in time before darkness sets in. There were only a few cars left in the car park. We had taken about 2 hours 40 minutes to descend from Roy’s Peak Lookout.

We went to New World Supermarket in Wanaka to get ready-to-eat dinner plus groceries for next few days. The supermarket is well stocked. We could buy Korean instant noodles and also roast chicken from the deli.

Dinner was roast chicken and instant noodles back in our apartment. Comfort food after a day on the mountain.

Is the hike up Roy’s Peak worth it? Definitely.

Would I do it again? Probably not. Been there done that!

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