The Ultimate Guide To Hiking Roy’s Peak At Sunrise

Hiking Roy’s Peak is a bucket-list experience for most people travelling through New Zealand but have you considered making it even better by doing it at sunrise? We woke up at 02:00 to start the trek up, and the views were 100% worth it.

Hiking Data

This hike is located by Wanaka, New Zealand and is less than 1:30 hours away from Queenstown, New Zealand.

• Distance: 16 km
• Elevation: 1,300m
• Time: 6-8 hours (on average)

Key Information

• The parking situation: there is a small parking lot at the bottom of roys peak which is another reason one should opt to do a sunrise hike – the parking lot is packed if you hike during peak hours. If you decide not to come for sunrise I would recommend trying to park in the afternoon to be able to find a spot. When we got back down from the hike in the mid-morning there were no parking spots available! Note: if you are campervanning you cannot camp overnight in the roys peak parking lot.
• The washroom situation: there are washrooms (typical outhouse style trail washrooms) at the bottom of the hike and near the viewpoint for Roys Peak.
• The hiking situation: the trail is completely exposed on the way up and on the way down, meaning if you plan on hiking during mid-day and its a hot one, do not expect any tree coverage! It will be hot – plenty of sunscreen and liquids required. Another point on this is that Roys Peak viewpoint is actually a bit before the peak itself, so once you reach the viewpoint (for the instagram photos ofcourse) plan another 30 minutes to reach the peak.

Why You Should Hike At Sunrise

There are so many reasons, and here is a just a few…

• Crowds: not everyone is willing to wake up so early to get a hike in so you will automatically have less people on your hike. This hike is extremely popular and we ran into a bunch of people on our way down. We left for our hike at 0230 and there were already people starting the hike, infront of us, AND atleast 15 people when we reached the peak at 0500 in the morning! With more crowds also usually leads to longer lines for the iconic Roys Peak pictures at the viewpoint – in the morning we had to wait a maximum of 5 minutes.
• Parking: the parking lot doesnt accomodate as many people as it needs to, so there may not be parking if you do it later in the morning unless you get lucky. The earlier or the later you come leads to higher chances of finding parking (or if you have the virtue of patience you can take your chances!).
• The Hike: whilst the views at the top are incredible, the hike itself is actually quite boring (in our opinion). It is constant switchbacks up the same mountain top, uncovered so a TON of sun exposure during the day, and the same view (incredible, but nothing changes). There is also the peak of the mountain staring you in the face for the entire few hours it takes to hike up the mountain… for these reasons we enjoyed hiking up the mountain in the dark before the sun rose as it was more exciting to be chasing a sunrise.
• The Views: who doesnt want to sit on a summit to watch the sun rise and the sky change colours a million times!? As the sun came up there were so many different reflections that changes the views over an hour period that really added a whole new level of awe to the experience.
• Sunrise Versus Sunset: honestly either could avoid the majority of the crowds and its definitely up to personal preference. I will say we were TAPPED when we got back to the car after waking up so early. However, I did prefer to climb the mountain in the dark and watch the sunrise and the way the sun hit the slopes of the mountain and I am not sure the views would be the same during sunset. You also avoid the majority of the sun exposure and heat from the day when you go for sunrise, as it can still be pretty hot depending on the day.

Our Experience

The night before the hike we didnt have a place planned (we were campervanning) and we obviously wanted to stay nearby so it was less driving in the morning. We ended up parking in a free parking lot called Red Bridge Reserve (found on the CamperMate application) which was about 15-20 minutes away from Roys Peak. However, this was a busier camp ground because it is free so bring some ear plugs if you are going to bed early for the early wake up call!

Sunrise for us was just after 0600 so we wanted to make sure we were at the peak for sunrise before then (for about 0530). Working our way backwards, we read that most people hiked up with about 2:30 – 3 hours time, so we planned for 3 hours. We woke up just after 0200 in the morning to get to the trail head for 0230 AM and get hiking! We hiked the entire way up under the stars and tried to avoid the sheep in our path (dont be startled if you hear them as you pass through private land where the sheep roam free!). It did end up taking us about 2:30 hours to get to the summit and 2 hours to climb down.

For reference we do hike on a semi-regular basis and are very active people. However, this hike was not an easy one especially when you are on a time crunch! The incline does not stop the entire way up. The trail is pretty straight forward until you get to the viewpoint and have to figure out which was to go up to the summit as there are a few different paths. I had the All Trails application open so I just followed where the map said and we made it up easy – we took the route behind the mountain which had some epic views.

Once we got to the very top we stopped for 30 minutes to admire the sunrise and eat some snacks. After watching the sunrise at the top, we went back down to the viewpoint to snap some pics and I honestly found the pictures at the summit and on the way back down to the viewpoint to be better than the viewpoint pictures themselves, but that could have been because the colours were still changing. The snow capped mountains and lakes behind the summit were something else.

After this amazing morning, we headed back down to the car. We spent about 1 hour watching the sunset and visiting the view point. The way down was somehow even worse than the way up. The incline is so steep that it was so hard on the knees to walk down and the entire way the parking lot is staring at you and doesnt seem to get any closer. If you have knee problems I would recommend hiking poles for this hike just due to the incline and make sure you have good footwear on. It took us between 1:30-2 hours to get down to the bottom of the hike back to the parking lot where we were met with MANY more cars compared to the amount at 02:30 AM.

Hindsight: I wish we would have calculated more time to be at the peak (maybe one hour before sunrise) as the colours start changing drastically as the sun begins to rise up. It was also cold at the top so consider bringing more layers especially if you are going to be there a bit earlier to catch the entire sunrise.

If we could sum it up in one word: INSANE. This hike was one of our favourites during our time in New Zealand, and it probably is mostly due to the sunrise effect.

Things To Consider

• Time Of Year: this trail is closed every year between 01 October – 10 November. Other than this, the trail is open all year round, you just may want to make sure you have lots of winter kit if doing it during the snowy season!
• Fees: bring some change, theres a track fee of $2 for the honesty box on your way up.
• Weather: check the weather before your hike for the obvious show stoppers (rain and thunderstorms), but also for cloud coverage – a day where the sun can shine through will make the views that much better. In addition to this, as the trail is completely exposed you want to make sure its not too hot during your hiking hours – and if so, stock up on sunscreen and water.
• Sunrise: check the weather app for the official sunrise time and plan backwards as the sunrise and the time the colours start peaking through are usually different. Plan to be at the top minimum 30 minutes before the official sunrise time to enjoy the most of it.
• Hiking Time: Usual hiking time is 6-8 hours for this hike. However, when you are motivated by the sunrise it tends to get you up there quicker. We reached the summit in 2:30 minutes and it took just under that to get back down. Note: once you reach the viewpoint its about another 30 minutes walk to the summit.
• Packing List: make sure you pack extra layers for the top – the summit is cold. If you are sitting around for sunrise a sleeping bag or puffies and toques may not be a bad idea!
• Trail Condition: the trail is well-travelled so this hike could be done in running shoes. However due to the incline up and down, I would recommend hiking shoes just to be more comfortable.