HEAR ME OUT FIRST! ⬇️ This is by no means the highest elevation gain, the worst condition track, nor the longest day walk in New Zealand. But there are a few reasons why I’d say it’s the most difficult: 🧗 It’s straight up. There’s no reprieve. It seems like an endless slog. And the worst part? The views heading up aren’t that great. Maybe this sounds ungrateful, but it’s the same view of Lake Wānaka and a bunch of farmland the entire way. 💤 Related to my first point, stopping to rest is not pleasant. Between breathing in the dust being kicked up by the countless other walkers (and there are a LOT of them on this trail) and the lack of views, stopping to rest is basically just reminding yourself how much further you still have to go… 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Finally, the sheer number of people ruin this spot. The view at the lookout is the whole point in doing this hike, from my perspective, and even going off-peak (on a weekday in shoulder season) I found the place overrun at sunrise. I almost just turned back and walked down instead of attempting to take it all in. Luckily, I got over myself! Have you been to Roy’s Peak? What do you think? #connecttonature #travelnz #newzealandtravel #bucketlisttravel #adventuretravel #nzroadtrip