Rocky Mountain – Best New Zealand Hikes

I guess no hike lover will ever want to miss the chance to see the entire viewpoint where the river meets the lake. Yes! Rocky Mountain’s top view is just as it is and visitors love to explore the beach and greenery of one of the best New Zealand hikes.

Location of the Rocky Mountain

The site is not much popularly known among the people, but the common location of it in the South Island makes it easily accessible in case you are planning a series of the best hikes in New Zealand. The maintenance of the Rocky Mountain is done under the control of the Department of Conservation, New Zealand.

Outline of the Rocky Mountain

• Altitude – 2516 feet
• Difficulty level- Moderate to hard
• Trekking Distance- 8 km walk
• Trekking Time Period – 3 hours return
• Preferable time to visit: NZ Summers

How to reach the Rocky Mountain

It will only take 20 minutes to reach the Rocky Mountain from the Wanaka region. The place is also near to the Dunedin city of New Zealand.

The hiking path of the Rocky Mountain

There are two ways through which you can track the Rocky Mountain Lookout, eastern track and the western track. The eastern track leads you to the car park and then the Diamond Lake, the farthest away is to uphill climb to Rocky lookout. On the way, you will also see the spectacular view of Lake Wanaka. The top 45 minutes route to the Rocky Mountain is narrower and tricky, sometimes it’s wet too.

The way out after reaching the point is to double the route back through the eastern track or to take the western track which is a long way out to the plateau. It straight away leads you to the car park. The fantastic view of Wanaka Lake is through the western track journey. The loopy passage makes it worth watching among all the best hikes in New Zealand.

What to expect from the Rocky Mountain

• The spectacular view you can get while hiking the Rocky mountain is the beautiful view of other best hikes in New Zealand like Mt Aspiring (2158 Mt), Roys Peak (1569 Mt) and many others.
• You can also expect to see the Treble Cone Sky Field with the eye-catching view of the most popular Lake of New Zealand, Lake Wanaka.

Things to note down while hiking the Rocky Mountain

• In the rainy season or sudden rain in the upper part of the Rocky Mountain is generally seen, you should take extra care with good boots for uphill. Due to the dangerous steep slope at uphill, it is advisable not to go on this track in winters as the ice gets deposited there.
• There is no drinking water facility, so be prepared for your own water resource.
• Toilet facility is only available at the car park area of Diamond Lake.

Overall, the Rocky Mountain track journey is a hectic hike and one should be careful and plan well before leaving for the hiking to one of the best New Zealand hikes.