We hiked up the MT Roy Track, a strenuous climb up the 1,578 meter (4,876 ft) high peak where you get 360 degree views of Mount Aspiring National park, the town’s namesake, Lake Wanaka, and the Matukituki Valley.

The upward climb meanders through sheep paddocks so you are walking in among the sheep for about half the way up the hill.   It is sweet being so close to the mamas and their lambs.

The path to the top is populated with all sorts of people from runners and mountain climbers to families with kids making the trek.
The views from the top are breathtaking but most inspiring and magnetic is the view of lake Wanaka.
This magnificent body of water and its sister lake, Hawea, each approximately 40 miles long and 5 miles wide were excavated by massive glaciers more than 10,000 years ago, and lie side by side.

Lake Wanaka is the source of New Zealand’s largest river, the Clutha river which starts at Lake Wanaka and ends at the Pacific Ocean near Balclutha.  Both the lake and river have a rich turquoise color and their waters are remarkably pure and clear being constantly refreshed from thousands of waterfalls thundering down sheer cliffs high up in the mountains where glaciers and snow fields live all year round.

Though you would think the lakes would be a boating Mecca, in actuality, there are very few boats and the whole area is fresh, bracing, and filled with energy.