3-4 Hrs 10 km

Highlights

  • Rob Roy Glacier
  • Cliffs and bluffs
  • Alpine vistas

Proximity

GRADE: EASY

Walk into the alpine zone beneath Mount Rob Roy. This half day on-foot adventure brings you face to face with active glaciers.

Wānaka
Rob Roy Glacier Track, Wānaka

The Rob Roy Glacier Track leads you into Mount Aspiring National Park, an amazing world of mountains, glaciers, river valleys and alpine lakes.

 

From Wanaka, the experience begins with a one-hour drive along the beautiful Matukituki Valley into the national park.

 

At the road's end, the track follows Rob Roy Stream through beech forest. Eenjoy waterfalls and the luxuriant understorey of ferns and mosses. At the tree line, the forest gives way to alpine vegetation and spectacular views of the hanging glaciers beneath Mount Rob Roy.

 

The glaciers are active - from your safe viewing point you can watch and listen for avalanches and other signs of movement. The walk to the viewing point is mostly uphill, but the incline is gradual. If you eat lunch at the viewing point, be aware that the kea (mountain parrots) can be very persistent but should not be fed.

Department of Conservation

Click on the link below for more information and detailed maps about this hike.

Rob Roy Glacier Track(opens in new window)

More information

Getting there

  • The track starts at the Raspberry Creek car park, 54 km west of Wanaka on the Wanaka-Mount Aspiring Road. The last 30 km are unsealed and the last 10 km is subject to washouts and flooded creeks that can be impassable.
  • Transport services from Wanaka to the car park are available.

Need to know

  •  An unstable slip on the lower section of the track has a steep drop-off.
  • Weather  can be unpredictable and alpine conditions can arrive at any time of year – take appropriate clothing, and check conditions before you go.
  • This area has terrain that can produce avalanches that cross the track, usually from May into November. 

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