Roys Peak Start/End — Attraction in South Island

Summary: Great walk - technically very straight forward but the walk is long (about 1300m elevation) which is a big walk. Will take most people about 6 hours. Need to arrive very early to get a space in the free car park.

Car Park: There is a car park at the base for approx 40-50 cars. We were hiking on Friday 7th Feb which is the day after 6th Feb public holiday (so this may have been a particularly busy day). We arrived at 6:50am and got one of the last parking spaces in the free car park (so plenty of people got there a lot earlier than us!) People who arrived after us were paying $5 to park in the neighbouring field.

Route: Path was very good - a long dusty path that zig zags its way to the top. Many walks of this type would feature a lot of steps (like a staircase all the way to the top) but this wasn't the case here - it was a straight forward path (no steps). At around 1000m above the car park is the lookout point (and a toilet) and for many people it may only be worth going this far because you get all the views and you've achieved walking to the lookout. It's then optional if you want to walk another approx 300m elevation (30 mins) to the very top of Roy's Peak (1578m above sea level, car park already at is at approx 270m above sea level or something like that, hence the hike is about 1300m elevation).

Equipment: We walked in hiking boots, but trail runners or trainers would likely have been fine. Suncream, hat, lots of water etc are essential if it's a warm day. There are a couple of small streams on the way up, so if you have a water filter or a lifestraw you may be able to refill your water (but I wouldn't rely on this). 2L is probably a good amount of water to bring for 6 hour hike on a hot day.

Difficulty: 1300m elevation is no joke, so even though the path is very straight forward this is a big walk and the hike back down is a bit relentless.

Fit/young/experienced hikers will likely be able to go up and back in 5 hours. Less if you run.

Less fit and/or people taking more photos / breaks maybe 6-6.5 hours (we did it in 6 hours with a lot of photo stops and stopping for lunch for 20 mins).

People who are older, unfit or overweight may find it takes 7+ hours. Some people may not be able to get all the way to the very top because it is hard work (and the hike back down is hard as well).

Good news is that you get great views all the way up, so even if you only went about half way up to the lookout before turning back, you would still get amazing views of...

(1) Do this hike. Astonishing views from Roy’s Peak Lookout (2h up), Peak (2.30h up). The path is somewhat monotonous, as it is constantly steep and the flora and fauna remain the same. But views are totally worth it. (2) Let’s be respectful guests to the nature and New Zealand & take our trash with us. See picture. Made me angry to see that. (3) Tip for sunrise hikers who want to do freedom camping: nap at the parking lot or next to the parking lot (risky because no camping allowed) or Glendhu Bay (safe, because freedom camping seems to be allowed there). We napped next to the official parking lot at the private one (5$) from 10 PM to 3.30 AM and had no troubles; also saw some people napping in their vans on the official parking lot before doing the hike in the morning (they also had no problems „in this night“); of course we don’t know how this is handled on...

the walk up to Roy's Peak is astounding and unbelievably popular given that it is an 6.5 km hike to the Viewpoint which includes 1000m of ascent. Many of those making the hike seem surprised to find it such a relentless climb, and may be ill-prepared in terms of footwear and suitable clothing for the alpine environment. On our most recent climb, you can see that it was steely grey and calm, with lots of mist wreathing around the mountains and making for magical misty views, but no sighting of Mt Aspiring. Please be prepared for a long hard, relentless climb which goes on for about 2 hours or 2 1/2 hours to the Viewpoint. The summit of Roys Peak is another 30-45 mins further on. Because this walk is so popular, there may be many people at the Viewpoint, creating a queue of people waiting to take their turn at...