1/19 11:41pm, Hogwartz, Dunedin
Yes, we're really staying at a place called Hogwartz. It's even rainy and gloomy out, further enhancing the aura… After our 8am alarm, I cooked up a big breakfast of eggs, onions, tomatoes, and my last red pepper. Wendy's foot was feeling better, and she could walk with nary a limp. We checked out, filled up on gas, and headed up Mt Aspiring road to give the Rob Roy Valley hike a go. Skies were mostly blue with large patches of clouds, especially surrounding the tall peaks. We circled around the lake, and continued on flat road into a long, wide valley, where we encountered a herd of cattle blocking the road. After negotiating the cows, the road turned to gravel. I passed a few slow cars, and didn't mind the clinks of rocks churning in the wheel wells.
Free range cattle blocked the road...
Lots of waterfalls in these mountains. There were several small streams to cross, passable with a sedan...
Ahead we could see glaciers hanging down, though the peaks were shrouded in cloud. After 30km of gravel road, along with 5-6 small creeks to ford, we arrived at the parking lot. Wendy was only planning to hike for 15 minutes, but after reaching the swing bring (which was extremely bouncy in the strong winds), we decided to continue on, as her foot was feeling ok, and it was just 1.5hrs to reach the dramatic views.
A swing bridge appeared ~15 minutes into the hike...
The gusting wind made the bridge a bit bouncy...
The trail was mostly smooth, and gentle, allowing Wendy to continue hiking with her recently bruised foot...
We hiked up the valley, along a gushing glacier stream, and under a couple of overhanging rocks, until we reached the amazing Rob Roy Glacier. Many waterfalls were tumbling down.
Wow, I haven't seen anything quite like this before. Must be windy up there...
We continued up along the stream, towards the glacier...
More of the view unfolded, and yellow flowers lined the trail...
This scene was turning into a dream view!
Wendy poses on the trail next to the yellow flowers. I was happy Wendy was able to hike today, given her nasty injury two days ago. A hike like this is not to be missed!
The trail continued on through the yellow vegetation, eventually ending at a rocky outcropping...
Some keas were visiting the area. Keas are native NZ parrots. They are known for their intelligence, especially when it comes to getting into tramper gear. They have colorful under-feathers, which I was lucky to capture...
We relaxed and soaked up the views. 14ercards also made an appearance for the 14ercards Travel Page...
The views were phenomenal. It was probably the most amazing view I've ever seen, that required 90 or less minutes to hike to. For that reason alone, this was Wendy's favorite hike of all-time. We snacked, took pics, and watched keas, before making our return. Wendy slowly made her way back across the rocky boulders to the trail.
The wind must have died down, cause the waterfall was reaching the bottom of the cliff now...
A look at the blue stream during our hike back...
The sign said to keep moving while crossing under the overhanging rock. It's almost like they're expecting it to fall. Wendy hikes quickly past...
More looks during our descent. What a beautiful trail...
We cross the swing bridge, and head back to the carpark..
After driving back to Wanaka, we stopped to consider our next plans. Wendy's foot was still sore, and wasn't ready for any big treks with a heavy pack, so we decided to drive to Dunedin to visit the city and penguins. As we drove we made arrangements to stay at Hogwartz, a BBH hostel, and ate fish n' kumara chips (NZ sweet potato), and a burger at a takeaway in Alexandra. It was another excellent meal from cheap takeway in a small town. We've now are on constant lookout for local take-away places.
Back on the road, we seem to have caught up with the rain from yesterday, and drove the final 2 hours under clouds and wetness. Some of the terrain looked like Rohan in LOTR, unsurprisingly, since they filmed the location in this general region.
When we arrived at Dunedin, we checked in, then drove to Countdown and bought a half gallon ice cream (hokey pokey flavor) for $4 (cheaper than 2 cones at a stand). When we got back to the hostel, we realized there wasn't a freezer here. Just a huge fridge. Bummer… Well, we ended up eating ~half of it (I ate the most). We'll see if it survives in the fridge over night….
More Hogwartz signs. The gimmick worked on us. This hostel also has very high BBH ratings...
We felt compelled to eat lots of ice cream, since there was no freezer here to keep it from melting...
Still planning what to do tomorrow. Penguins in Dunedin or drive up to Omaru?
Hopefully no more rain…