Join me (Sara!) on the most epic hike I’ve taken so far in New Zealand, Roy’s Peak. I’ll take you along for the adventure and share why sometimes the uphill battle is actually easier.

About the Journey
Hiking Roy’s Peak is a huge test of mental and physical endurance. When I decided to do this hike I again didn’t fully understand what I was getting myself into. But it turned into my favorite hike I’ve done so far in New Zealand and brought me to tears with its beauty.
Located in Wanaka, New Zealand, getting to the trail head of Roy’s Peak is easy. I knew that the entire hike takes up to 6 hours but didn’t want to start the hike too early because I didn’t want to be hiking at the hottest part of the day. The trail is completely unprotected so if you want shade, you have to bring your own somehow. The day I chose to hike it was a beautiful clear day, with just a few clouds here and there and the temperature in the 70s. I got one of the last parking spaces and got ready for the next 6 hours of hiking.
It’s all uphill from here
The track is completely uphill. Some sections are steeper than others, and there are very few parts of the trail that are remotely flat. The trail zigzags up the side of the mountain through farmland, so it’s common to pass by sheep (and their poo) along the way. And to my delight there were some really little sheep with their moms and they were absolutely adorable!
Not long into the hike I was tired. My legs hurt and I had to keep switching which direction I was facing while hiking. I would alternate going up forwards and backwards just to give my muscles a reprieve. I was in no rush so I took lots of breaks for water and for the views, which are stunning, not even that high on the trail.

My vision board is about to come true
The thing about hikes like this is that even though the view is epic, it gets monotonous. And while you’re going uphill you can’t always tell where the trail leads higher on the mountain. All you can do is just keep putting one foot in front of the other, track how long you’ve been hiking, and try and guess at how much longer you have to go. Surprisingly I never thought about turning around. Even after the first few switchbacks realizing how steep and long the hike was going to be, I never thought about quitting.
After about 2 hours and 45 minutes I was finally almost to the viewpoint. I couldn’t believe that I’d actually made it! If you’ve spent any amount of time looking up New Zealand or Wanaka on pinterest then you have undoubtedly seen the view from Roy’s Peak. I actually have it on my vision board for this year! So the fact that within less than 5 minutes I was about to walk across the ridge and see the view for myself was absolutely mind blowing.

4,000 feet high
And in true Prech fashion, I got there at the exact right time. I heard people talking about how there was a queue not long ago and people were waiting almost 30 minutes to be able to walk out to the viewpoint to not just see it but also take their picture on it. Did I happen to ignore the people plotting that they were going to tell the next person to walk by that they couldn’t go and had to wait their turn and just walk by anyways? Yes, yes I did.
It was windy, and the drop on either side of the ridge was steep. But I held onto my hat and walked out to the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen in my life. Thankfully there were some really nice guys ahead of me that agreed to take some pictures and videos of me. As I made those last few steps to the edge of the viewpoint I wept. The sight was overwhelming in its beauty. The sky was vast, the lakes and mountains stretched across the horizon for as far as the eye could see. All around you was a 360 degree view of one of the most beautiful places in New Zealand. And I had made it. I hiked for almost 3 hours and 4,000 feet of elevation gain and I had done it.


The downhill battle
I took time to soak in the beauty and celebrate myself for what I had just done. I took an endless amount of photos so I could remember every detail of this moment and place. And then I started what would be the hardest part of the hike, going back down.
Standing at the top of the mountain and realizing how far you’ve come, and how far the car park is, is almost laughable. Like I really just came all that way? My body is really capable of that!? And wait, now I have to do it all again but go down? Well that should be easy right? Because going uphill was really challenging. Haha no, Sara, going downhill is so much harder than going uphill.
I was under the impression that since I’d have momentum on my side that going downhill would be faster. It actually took me longer and I’m not being dramatic when I tell you that it was excruciating. Every step was worse than the last. Imagine having someone stab you in both knees with a knife, leaving it in, and then twisting it with every step you took for 3 HOURS. Yea I was absolutely miserable on the way down.

People do this for fun!?
I tried everything I could think of to make it more manageable. I walked backwards, I walked sideways, I walked in a straight line, I walked in a zigzag pattern. Heck, I even tried to run a little bit. But eventually it was all miserable. And it’s in those moments where I wonder why people do this for fun?
And finally, I was just one last switchback away from the car. There were two people finishing the hike in front of me. And they just so happened to stop by a cow and her calf. They thought they could get the calf to come up to them and pet them. I could tell that the mom was not having it, she took a defensive stance and moved closer to her baby and stared at the people down, almost daring them to make another move. I observed all of this from a healthy distance and sighed with relief when the people decided to move on. The only problem? I still had to walk by and the cow was still on edge staring me down now!! I gave them as healthy a distance as I could, didn’t make eye contact, and almost held my hands up to try and convey that I meant no harm. And yes I know a cow wouldn’t know what that means but I was desperate. I was less than 5 minutes from the car and my legs were in so much agony I couldn’t run for my life if I needed to.

I’d do it all again
Thankfully I passed by without any issues and let me tell you I almost wept when I got to my car. I honestly think that my body was at its limits and I wouldn’t have been able to go much further anyways.
This hike ended up being so rewarding. And despite the pain and the almost 4 days of recovery for my legs afterwards, I’d do it again in a heartbeat. It proved to me how capable I am. And that I truly can do anything I set my mind to. It also showed me how your mental strength is just as important as your physical strength and that believing in yourself is actually more than half the battle.

As a newbie hiker in New Zealand I’m learning so much about what gear works and what doesn’t! I’ve linked some of my favorite hiking gear here! If you’re new to hiking or have someone in your life that’s new to hiking then check it out! (I do make a small commission if you purchase through my link!)
Sara and Stacy are holistic nurses and transformative mindset coaches working with clients around the world! They believe that the inner work creates your outer results and that you can truly be Well and Whole every day.
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