EXPERIENCE THE DIAMOND OF WANAKA
12 MARCH 2023
View from the Diamond Lake viewing platform
Argh, Are We Lost?!
We have been really lucky with the weather here in Wanaka which means we have been able to check out some beautiful viewpoints and do some incredible hikes and little did we know, the Rocky Mountain trail was going to be one of our favourite in New Zealand. We have done A LOT of hikes all around New Zealand so that's saying something!
The weather was perfect for a hike - it was sunny with some cloud and a cool wind. We have had some HOT days this summer (especially doing the Kaipupu Sanctuary Fundraiser hike up Gondola Hill and the Tirohanga Track, both in Picton) and hiking can get a little tricky when you're absolutely drenched in sweat and feel like you want to pass out, so we decided that this was definitely the day for hiking.
The Rocky Mountain & Diamond Lake Track is a 30-minute drive from Wanaka town and later on in the blog we'll share how to get there because Google took us to a gravel road with no carpark in sight! Luckily we had reception, so we were able to find the correct spot to drive to and start the hike.
The drive out to the track is really beautiful and it reminds me of Scotland. It was a fairly straight drive and when we passed the Roys Peak carpark on the way there, we told the girls about the hike and they have INSISTED that we do it. It takes around 7 hours to complete with kids - around 3.5 hours up and 3 hours down and it's a pretty monotonous hike because it's uphill THE WHOLE WAY UP and downhill the whole way down! Most of our hikes are diverse, like Smugglers Bay Loop Track, Te Henga Walkway and the Kea Point Track in Mt Cook with things to find along the way like the beach, insects, crystals and bush huts. The girls did love all the hikes we did in the Wither Hills in Blenheim like the Sutherland Stream Track and their favourite the Lower Quail Stream to Upper Harling Track and there isn't much to do on the whole track, bar a few sheep and cows to say hello to. But the views... ohhh the views are just spectacular and it's the most well-known hike in Wanaka (and possibly the whole of the South Island). So we're seriously considering going and who knows, maybe the next blog will be about Roys Peak!
Update: We did the Roys Peak track and WOW the views were incredible!! Click here to check out the blog.
When we finally arrived at the carpark for the Rocky Mountain track, it was completely full! We ended up waiting around 15-minutes till a couple came down from the track and got in their car. There wasn't much else we could do but wait as there was no option to park on the road, so if you're planning on doing the track on a beautiful day in the summer months, go early or later in the arvo when it's quieter.
We aren't used to hiking on such busy tracks, but Wanaka hikes seem to be really popular, which is no surprise because the town is PACKED and it's hard to even get a carpark (we once drove around for 30-minutes trying to find a park for a playground).
The first part of the track is uphill but it's a breeze and the girls found a rock wall to climb up and walk along to entertain themselves on. The track is surrounded by so much flora and fauna and there was always some sort of treasure to find.
The weather was perfect for a hike - it was sunny with some cloud and a cool wind. We have had some HOT days this summer (especially doing the Kaipupu Sanctuary Fundraiser hike up Gondola Hill and the Tirohanga Track, both in Picton) and hiking can get a little tricky when you're absolutely drenched in sweat and feel like you want to pass out, so we decided that this was definitely the day for hiking.
The Rocky Mountain & Diamond Lake Track is a 30-minute drive from Wanaka town and later on in the blog we'll share how to get there because Google took us to a gravel road with no carpark in sight! Luckily we had reception, so we were able to find the correct spot to drive to and start the hike.
The drive out to the track is really beautiful and it reminds me of Scotland. It was a fairly straight drive and when we passed the Roys Peak carpark on the way there, we told the girls about the hike and they have INSISTED that we do it. It takes around 7 hours to complete with kids - around 3.5 hours up and 3 hours down and it's a pretty monotonous hike because it's uphill THE WHOLE WAY UP and downhill the whole way down! Most of our hikes are diverse, like Smugglers Bay Loop Track, Te Henga Walkway and the Kea Point Track in Mt Cook with things to find along the way like the beach, insects, crystals and bush huts. The girls did love all the hikes we did in the Wither Hills in Blenheim like the Sutherland Stream Track and their favourite the Lower Quail Stream to Upper Harling Track and there isn't much to do on the whole track, bar a few sheep and cows to say hello to. But the views... ohhh the views are just spectacular and it's the most well-known hike in Wanaka (and possibly the whole of the South Island). So we're seriously considering going and who knows, maybe the next blog will be about Roys Peak!
Update: We did the Roys Peak track and WOW the views were incredible!! Click here to check out the blog.
When we finally arrived at the carpark for the Rocky Mountain track, it was completely full! We ended up waiting around 15-minutes till a couple came down from the track and got in their car. There wasn't much else we could do but wait as there was no option to park on the road, so if you're planning on doing the track on a beautiful day in the summer months, go early or later in the arvo when it's quieter.
We aren't used to hiking on such busy tracks, but Wanaka hikes seem to be really popular, which is no surprise because the town is PACKED and it's hard to even get a carpark (we once drove around for 30-minutes trying to find a park for a playground).
The first part of the track is uphill but it's a breeze and the girls found a rock wall to climb up and walk along to entertain themselves on. The track is surrounded by so much flora and fauna and there was always some sort of treasure to find.
Soggy Shoes? No Thank You Ma'am
One of the best parts of the Rocky Mountain track is passing by Diamond Lake. There are two viewpoints of the lake with the first being a small clearing beside the lake and if you're lucky enough to be there during Autumn like we were, the yellow leaves from the trees offer a beautiful frame of the lake and mountain!
We were hoping it would be a windless day so that we could capture the reflections on the lake, but alas, the wind was winding and the lake remained winded (poor lake). It was still really beautiful and the water was relatively clear which made Bella want to jump on in but it looked kind of deep from the get-go, plus we didn't have a towel so we decided it wasn't the best idea for her to be doing that. We didn't stay too long as it was a small clearing and the track was really busy so we wanted to let others enjoy the view.
The track up to the lookout for Diamond Lake is mostly stairs but our bodies are getting used to stairs and steep hills so we didn't find it too bad at all. It had rained heavy the night before so some of the steps were full of puddles which the girls tried to jump in... could you imagine hiking with kids that have wet and soggy shoes? No thank you ma'am! In our research, we had read that the track can be really slippery and muddy after rain so we contemplated whether we should go or not and decided just to go (obbbbbvs) as some people's version of muddy is not ours. So we're glad we went as it really wasn't that bad at all, especially with the amount of rainfall there was the night before.
Along the stairs is a mahooooosive rock face that absolutely dwarfs anyone who is standing next to it and thankfully no rocks came tumbling down onto us!
High above Diamond Lake, the small viewing platform offers sweeping views across the whole area and it's a beautiful place to stand and take it all in. When we got there, we were surprised at how high up we were above the lake as we didn't feel like we had climbed that far to get there.
We saw loads of ducks swimming in the lake and a trail of brown behind them, that one only hopes was mud and not poop.
If you're short on time, heading to the lookout is well worth it if you can't head up to the Rocky Mountain summit. There isn't much space to sit down and spread out all your belongings, but there is a bank you can sit on.
We were hoping it would be a windless day so that we could capture the reflections on the lake, but alas, the wind was winding and the lake remained winded (poor lake). It was still really beautiful and the water was relatively clear which made Bella want to jump on in but it looked kind of deep from the get-go, plus we didn't have a towel so we decided it wasn't the best idea for her to be doing that. We didn't stay too long as it was a small clearing and the track was really busy so we wanted to let others enjoy the view.
The track up to the lookout for Diamond Lake is mostly stairs but our bodies are getting used to stairs and steep hills so we didn't find it too bad at all. It had rained heavy the night before so some of the steps were full of puddles which the girls tried to jump in... could you imagine hiking with kids that have wet and soggy shoes? No thank you ma'am! In our research, we had read that the track can be really slippery and muddy after rain so we contemplated whether we should go or not and decided just to go (obbbbbvs) as some people's version of muddy is not ours. So we're glad we went as it really wasn't that bad at all, especially with the amount of rainfall there was the night before.
Along the stairs is a mahooooosive rock face that absolutely dwarfs anyone who is standing next to it and thankfully no rocks came tumbling down onto us!
High above Diamond Lake, the small viewing platform offers sweeping views across the whole area and it's a beautiful place to stand and take it all in. When we got there, we were surprised at how high up we were above the lake as we didn't feel like we had climbed that far to get there.
We saw loads of ducks swimming in the lake and a trail of brown behind them, that one only hopes was mud and not poop.
If you're short on time, heading to the lookout is well worth it if you can't head up to the Rocky Mountain summit. There isn't much space to sit down and spread out all your belongings, but there is a bank you can sit on.
Diamond Lake
The stairs heading up to the Diamond Lake viewing platform
View from the Diamond Lake viewing platform
Bella on the viewing platform
Same, Same But Different
We were surprised at how busy the track was here because most of the tracks we have done in New Zealand have been really quiet and we were alone on so many of them (which is the beeeeest!). There were all sorts of ages hiking the track, we passed a few older couples who struggled to get down the rock paths and we also passed a couple of other kids Bella's age. The track itself is fairly easy to moderate so it's no wonder there were so many people doing the track.
The views along the track up Rocky Mountain are incredibly beautiful and even though it's pretty much the same view the whole way, it looks different every corner you turn as you can see from the photos.
As you know, we love finding the weird and wonderful wherever we are and we came across some treasures! The girls found some crystals in the dirt and we saw a few friendly insects - grasshoppers, alpine moths and a ladybug. The most interesting thing we saw was the berries on the mountain... we saw 3 colours in total and they were at different altitudes. The red & orange berries were at the lowest altitude, the white/green berries were higher up and the clear/blue berries were up the highest. They looked like the same plant yet the colours were so different.
The higher up we hiked, the less of a track it became and at some points we were scrambling up the rocks with both hands and feet and on the way down in the same area we would be almost jumping down onto the next part of the path. Don't let you put this off, it wasn't as bad as it sounds and it added some excitement and diversity for us all. If you're really adventurous, you can slide down on your bum like Arabella and Sienna did!
There are some really beautiful viewpoints up Rocky Mountain, with wide open spaces for everyone to enjoy the view without sitting on top of each other (not literally, that would be weeeeird!). We set up on the end of one of the grassy viewpoints, had some snacks and took in the views while the girls went mining for crystals aka calcite. We had amazing views of Lake Wanka, Roys Peak and beyond!
The views along the track up Rocky Mountain are incredibly beautiful and even though it's pretty much the same view the whole way, it looks different every corner you turn as you can see from the photos.
As you know, we love finding the weird and wonderful wherever we are and we came across some treasures! The girls found some crystals in the dirt and we saw a few friendly insects - grasshoppers, alpine moths and a ladybug. The most interesting thing we saw was the berries on the mountain... we saw 3 colours in total and they were at different altitudes. The red & orange berries were at the lowest altitude, the white/green berries were higher up and the clear/blue berries were up the highest. They looked like the same plant yet the colours were so different.
The higher up we hiked, the less of a track it became and at some points we were scrambling up the rocks with both hands and feet and on the way down in the same area we would be almost jumping down onto the next part of the path. Don't let you put this off, it wasn't as bad as it sounds and it added some excitement and diversity for us all. If you're really adventurous, you can slide down on your bum like Arabella and Sienna did!
There are some really beautiful viewpoints up Rocky Mountain, with wide open spaces for everyone to enjoy the view without sitting on top of each other (not literally, that would be weeeeird!). We set up on the end of one of the grassy viewpoints, had some snacks and took in the views while the girls went mining for crystals aka calcite. We had amazing views of Lake Wanka, Roys Peak and beyond!
View of Lake Wanaka
Grasshopper sitting on calcite Calcite we found along the track
Parts of the track up Rocky Mountain are... rocky
I Wanaka See It
One of the most popular lookouts on the track is the Lake Wanaka Viewpoint. The start of the track is after the Diamond Lake viewing platform so unfortunately, you'll have to endure all that beauty before heading on up!
We made our way back down through the bush and rocky track, enjoying the cool breeze and shade away from the sun, and it wasn't long until we reached the track out to the viewpoint. The track was mostly flat and surrounded by golden grasses that were gently waving in the wind - it was really pretty to watch.
The lookout has a bench seat which can either be amazing to sit on and enjoy the view, or if the wind is not in your favour it could be a place you perch for 2-minutes and decide to get out of there before you blow off the hill.
We spent some time just soaking up the view, looking at all the greens, blues and browns surrounding us and thinking how this was one of THE BEST hikes we have done in New Zealand! It took us around 3-4 hours as we stopped so many times to enjoy the view and also to explore the nature surrounding us.
On the way back to our car, we briefly stopped at both viewing areas at Diamond Lake again because it's too pretty not to! We watched the ducks swimming around and once again enjoyed the yellow leaves framing the lake below which gets us excited about Autumn here in the South Island as the colours are going to be spectacular!
We made our way back down through the bush and rocky track, enjoying the cool breeze and shade away from the sun, and it wasn't long until we reached the track out to the viewpoint. The track was mostly flat and surrounded by golden grasses that were gently waving in the wind - it was really pretty to watch.
The lookout has a bench seat which can either be amazing to sit on and enjoy the view, or if the wind is not in your favour it could be a place you perch for 2-minutes and decide to get out of there before you blow off the hill.
We spent some time just soaking up the view, looking at all the greens, blues and browns surrounding us and thinking how this was one of THE BEST hikes we have done in New Zealand! It took us around 3-4 hours as we stopped so many times to enjoy the view and also to explore the nature surrounding us.
On the way back to our car, we briefly stopped at both viewing areas at Diamond Lake again because it's too pretty not to! We watched the ducks swimming around and once again enjoyed the yellow leaves framing the lake below which gets us excited about Autumn here in the South Island as the colours are going to be spectacular!
Track out to the Lake Wanaka Lookout
Track out to the Lake Wanaka Lookout
Park ya bum at the Lake Wanaka Lookout
Views across Lake Wanaka
Rocky Mountain
Know Before You Go
- Parking can fill up so it's best to go early in the morning or later in the afternoon
- There is a toilet at the carpark. Take toilet paper as there was none in there when we visited
- Take your camera!
- The track is a 3-hour loop track
- The track can get a bit muddy after rain. We went after heavy rain the day before and it was slightly muddy in places
- The track isn't suitable for prams
- Wear decent shoes if you're heading up rocky mountain. You'll need shoes with decent grip, like hiking boots or a good pair of sneakers
- The track is really diverse which makes it fun for kids
- It can get windy at the viewpoints so take a jacket on those cooler days
Mappy McMap Face
Getting There
If you're using Google Maps, you need to search for Diamond Lake Conservation Area and not Rocky Mountain otherwise it will takr you to a gravel side road and you will be left scratching your head, looking for the trail head!
It's a 20-minute drive from the Wanaka township and there is lots of parking but it can get completely full some days - it happened to us!
It's a 20-minute drive from the Wanaka township and there is lots of parking but it can get completely full some days - it happened to us!
Conclusion
The Rocky Mountain and Diamond Lake is one of the best day hikes in Wanaka and is a Tartan Coconuts family favourite. The whole track takes around 3 hours return and if you're short on time or short on patience, then hiking up to the Diamond Lake lookout is pretty magical and well worth it. The track is really diverse which makes it fun for everyone, especially when there are 'crystals' to mine and new insects to discover!
Gallery of the Rocky Mountain & Diamond Lake track
Check out the rest of the awesomeness that didn't make it to the main blog but deserves to be shown.
More to do in New Zealand
INTERNATIONAL ANTARCTIC CENTRE
CANTERBURY Experience a MINUS 18-degree Celsius windstorm in the snow, play with huskies and see rescued little penguins under water!
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ROYS PEAK
OTAGO An iconic hike in Wanaka that's 16km to the summit and back with non-stop views and breathtaking views from the summit. |
LOWER QUAIL STREAM TO UPPER HARLING TRACK
MARLBOROUGH An incredible 4-hour hike through the rolling Wither Hills and along the ridges. Breathtaking is an understatement!
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