Multiple brochures and blogs – even our tour company – describes the hike up New Zealand’s Rocky Mountain at Diamond Lake as moderate. Some sturdy AllTrails contributors dismiss the 4.4-mile loop as easy. Don’t believe them. The trail is deceptively difficult.
Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain Track, 4.4 miles, 1,591 feet (March 5, 2024)
The walk from a bucolic roadside sheep pasture to Otago’s Diamond Lake is easy enough. But the elevation bump and dip just past the lake is a moderate precursor to more difficult trail conditions ahead. The challenge begins at a crossroads, where the trail loops back on itself from the peak. About a quarter of our group opted out as we began ascending a lengthy stone staircase.
Topping the relentless staircase, we found ourselves tottering and occasionally scrambling upward on a decidedly less-engineered trail surface. On one occasion we resorted to grasping tree roots and branches to haul ourselves up to the next switchback. Dan began to grumble: “Moderate, my eye.” Or perhaps something slightly saltier.
Dawn was buoyant as we arrived at the Rocky Peak overlook. Dan was dubious. He remained that way, even after ascending a much shorter set of stairs to the spectacular Lake Wanaka viewpoint. The trip down was on his mind.
But the trip down had been on the mind of our guides as well. With their guidance, an alternate route back to the crossroads proved less arduous. At least no staircase was involved. And no glutes were harmed.
We traveled to New Zealand’s South Island in March 2024 to do some hiking and sight-seeing. This post is one of a series about that trip.
Hi Dan and Dawn, thanks for the travel journal in your south New Zealand trip. If you get the AAA magazine, the recent fall edition has a great article “Isle of Wonder” by Jessica Fender about her camper van trip around the south island of New Zealand. She had a interesting tour of the island in a rental camping-style van.
Cheers, Joel McManus