Rob Roy Glacier and Roy's Peak

Wanaka was the last big stop on our trip.  We made some friends in Knoxville last year that had told us Wanaka was their favorite place on earth.  We could see why!  It was beautiful (though I think I liked Queenstown a bit better).  

We took two awesome hikes in this area - Rob Roy Glacier and Roy's Peak.  Both of these spots are named for the Scottish hero, Rob Roy McGregor. 

We first visited Rob Roy Glacier.  It was not what I expected at all because there are Matrix bikes at the YMCA that feature hikes while you are walking on the treadmill or riding the stationary bike, and I had "taken a hike" to a glacier on NZ's south island.  Turns out that the YMCA bike took me to Franz Josef glacier, which just looked like dirty ice to me.  But our friends had said this was a beautiful hike.  It really was!  The pictures just do not do it justice because the snow was blinding white and we had to shoot into the sun to get many of the photos.  It was simply gorgeous with many waterfalls.

Just starting out

A really beautiful river

The glacier is in front of that blinding sun.  Easier to see with the naked eye. You could see about 10 waterfalls from this spot. 

You can see the glacier better here

Sadly, this was not open

This and the next two pics are from the drive to the hike which was quite an adventure with many creeks to ford

So many sheep!

These same friends who recommended Rob Roy Glacier told us that Roy's Peak was a hike we should definitely skip - that it was just hot and exposed all the way up and that the view wasn't worth it (though they admitted they had never taken the hike).  Thank goodness we didn't listen!  This hike was fantastic and definitely a great hike to end our trip. 

We started right at sun-up and were worried that the rain that was forecast was going to ruin our hike.  But the rain never materialized.  The hike was long (over 10 miles round trip) and quite difficult (over 4200 ft of elevation change), but we survived and loved it!  

Milford Sound

We spent part of two days in Milford Sound. The first day was dry, and we enjoyed walking around at the mouth of the sound and then took a hike to Lake Marian. 

But we had been told that Milford Sound was spectacular in the rain, so instead of being bummed when it was raining the next morning, we went back to see for ourselves!  Wow!  It was a day we will never forget.  Even the drive to Milford was gorgeous.  

Lake Marian Hike

We started this hike in the rain in the hopes that it would let up - almost turning back about one mile in.  But we kept going.  The rain did indeed stop, and this hike turned out to be a really fun one.  

There were lots of exposed roots, and the place looked very "snaky."  But it was around this time that we discovered that NZ has NO SNAKES AND NO SPIDERS!  What a place!

These were some of my favorite selfies from our whole NZ trip. 

Lake Marian in a mood

I took this photo of a bird, and some gals stopped to ask me what kind of bird it was.  I said it looked like a black and white bird to me.  LOL. I am not a birder at all.