I don't do well at sleeping in - the latest I've probably slept in my life is around 9:30AM. I am fully aware this is weird so I am respectful of other peoples sleep. That being the case, I had laid out all of my morning activity necessities and snuck out of the RV around 7AM. There were a handful of people up and about so I went into the common area and made coffee and then went out to the swings. From the top of the swing, I could see both Lake Wanaka but also the mountains over the fence to my left. Deciding the squeak of the swing may be too much for 7AM, I went back into the common area where I read for a little and was slowly joined by the rest of the crew.
Emily made breakfast sandwiches while Jason caught up on some work and Andrew and I assembly lined hiking sandwiches for the adventure ahead. There were several great hikes around us but we settled on the Rob Roy Glacier Trek which was 50km away but on a gravel road so it took a lot longer than we anticipated. However, we had no issue entertaining ourselves stopping for photos and observing all of the sheep, cow and deer pastures where the animals were close enough to touch. A few points in the road got very narrow and also had a few rouge cow crossings but Jason did it with no issue. We also had to ford a few little streams which was iffy but successfully made it all the way through.
We arrived at the Raspberry Car Park and layered up for our hike. The wind was ruthless but we figured if we could just make it through the pasture and across the bridge, we would be protected in the trees. Once we got to the river bridge, it was a bit wild crossing in the elements but we were never in danger - just swaying.
Once across the bridge, the trail continues on a rather steep incline into the woods. There are many pull offs to take photos of the picturesque pastures and surrounding mountains. We faced a few changing conditions with the drizzle and wind but our rotating layers didn't both us especially when surrounded by such beauty. We could hear water almost the entire hike and sporadically would be greeted by glimpses of the turquoise waterfalls and gleaming pools. Mini waterfalls lined our path as did comedic green ferns and moss. I realized that the experience put me in a Dr. Seuss type landscape - where the colors and foliage almost felt brightened through manipulation.
At the top, it was a lot colder but we could see the bright blue traces of the glacier up above. The boys broke our their drones to get a better look while Emily and I broke out sandwiches to distract us from the cooler temperatures. After a few photo sessions, my verbal communication had shut down (I get a bit dramatic when I'm cold) and we started the scurry back down to the RV.
The weather had cleared up a bit on the way down. Once back at the bridge, we got a few more photos and then made our way back through the windy field we started in which was now occupied by free range cows. As much as we wanted to play with them, they wanted nothing to do with us. The drive back to the Holiday Park coincided with sunset which showed the landscape in a whole new light.
Back at the holiday park, we got showered and changed and took the shuttle with Justin into town. Our first choice restaurant, Francesca's, was not taking any more walk in seatings so we went for plan B which is usually the next thing we see open. This happened to be Speight's Ale House which is a franchise (sort of like a Gordon Biersch) but still has great food. We had a drink outside by the fire while we waiting for our table and then enjoyed a meal of salmon and lamb started off with fries/crisps covered in gravy and cheese. Sometimes the weirder sounding combinations turn out best. We also shared a cobbler which was a bad idea because after that dessert all I wanted was cobbler the rest of the trip.
We finished out the night at Cork for a nightcap (at this point I was sleep walking) and then got a taxi back to the holiday park where we stayed up a little later just chatting and going through our photos from the past few days.
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