Sunrise at Roys Peak
When you’re in the middle of dinner during your Hindu wedding and one of your besties mentions that they’re summiting Roys Peak for sunrise the following week. And you say ‘keen, we’ll join you’ not knowing what you’re really getting in for, that’s when memories are made.
The 16km return hike that DOC classes as steep and requires a high level of fitness is no joke. Nor is the elevation gain of 1228m.
7 of us left Queenstown at 2:50am and arrived to an almost packed (yes packed!) car park just before 4am, with another 4 people joining us there. We hit the trail head in the darkness with light supplied by $4 head lamps from K-Mart.
I’m so glad we couldn’t see the summit at that time, seeing it would have been the biggest mental barrier. The track is not forgiving, it literally just goes up and up, it doesn’t plateau and there aren’t any declines. In the darkness of the morning there’s nothing but pushing on and seeing the head lamps of others floating above and rising.
The first photo in this post was taken at 5:52am as the light started to break. This is when the motivation to get to summit for sunrise kicked in. Mon and I got up there last but our timing was great at 6:35am. It was awesome to see 80-100 people between the ledge (where the quintessential Roys Peak photo is taken) and the summit all waiting for the sun to rise.
At 1500m high that early in the morning the temp was cold but lucky the wind wasn’t as brutal as it can be. Mon and I were quite cosy in our merinos (forward thinking) but they quickly came off on the descent.
We stopped at the ledge for the classic gram snaps. Brook and I went live on Instagram with his orderly crowd control and interviews while waiting in line. Then it was back down as quick as we could before a well earned breakfast in Wanaka.
My recommendation for anyone wanting to do it is:
- Don’t read anything about the hike (sorry it’s too late if you’re reading this)
- Do it for sunrise.
- Don’t check Google Maps on how far you have left to go.
- Take plenty of water and snacks.
- When you hit the ‘f*&k this’ barrier, just keep going.
Thanks crew, wouldn’t be as memorable with out you x
I love creating images that speak to me.
I grew up in a small town that nobody really knows about, Levin. Spent a good ten years in Hamilton making some of the best friends anyone could have. And now I’m living, working and playing in the city of Auckland, New Zealand. Also a small country that people have trouble locating – I’m looking at you America!
Life is about stories, and that’s what I love to capture and document. My shooting style is unobtrusive. You may be a natural in front of the camera, or have no idea what to do but before we even start I’ll make sure you’re comfortable and relaxed.
Things I love: Travelling to wherever I can, my partner Monita, homemade burgers, wood fired pizzas, the smell of rain on a hot summers day, mountains, the snow, sunsets and sunrises, star gazing, natural light, the aesthetic of wood, crashing waves and day dreaming.