Rob Roy Glacier Track

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When we found out about the Rob Roy Valley track, we used as the perfect excuse for a two day getaway to Wanaka. Wanaka is a small picturesque resort town along the shores of lake Wanaka, and one hour drive from Queenstown. It turned out that this "excuse" would end up being an amazing walk to an area of stunning mountain scenery.

From Wanaka, it is 54 km to the Raspberry Creek car park -end of the public road- in the West Matukituki river valley. The last 30 km is unsealed and the last 10 km section of the road is subject to washouts and flooded creeks which can make it impassable. Believe me, the extraordinary mountain, river and glacier views really worth a little bit of dusty and bumpy road.

This is a 3-4 hour return walk with a well formed track and an easy-medium difficulty level. The track begins crossing a piece of private land well guarded by grazing sheep and cows who watch you as you walk along. After 15 minutes you get to a swing bridge where you get an excellent photographic view of the West Matukituki river, the valley of the same name and the Southern Alps as a background. Once you cross the bridge, the track continues upstream to the junction with Rob Roy stream. This is another very good spot for a panoramic picture of the valley. Remember to bring your tripod with you.

From here, the track climbs up the Rob Roy stream which forms a small but beautiful gorge that well worth photographing it. Be aware of the signs warning about damage on the track and active landslide areas.

Get your camera ready for the last 30 minutes of walk since you can get some really good shots of the beech forest with the glacier as a backdrop. Once you get to the end of the track, feel free to walk around and look for a spot to sit, rest, relax and contemplate the magnificent scenery. Please bring all your rubbish with you.

Back in town, Wanaka has many accommodation and dining options if you want to stay overnight, as well as a good range of adventure activities such as skydiving, canyoning and rock climbing.

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