Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain is by far one of the easier hikes in the Wānaka region, but don’t let that fool you into thinking its an easy hike! This one still involves a climb and whilst it’s definitely considered a low-level climb, it still takes a fair amount of effort. The views, of course, are worth it! Try to time this one without any low clouds to make the most of the views.
Bring some snacks to enjoy at the lookouts, but refrain from eating them on the actual mountain climb. This is disrespectful in Māori culture, as mountains are Tāpu (sacred). Use this hike as a gauge for your ability to do the more popular hikes in Wānaka, such as Roy’s peak. If you don’t fancy spending your day climbing to the heights of Roy’s peak, but still want the views, then this is the hike for you!
This hike may not be as popular as Roy’s peak, but we think it is just as instagrammable and certainly a lot less work.
Be sure to check out our Instagram to see more of our favourite hikes!
Details
Starting Point: Diamond Lake Car Park
Distance: 7km
Duration: 3hrs
Difficulty: Moderate/Hard
When: October
Local Iwi: Kāi Tahu
Additional Information: There is limited car parking here, so we recommend getting to the starting point earlier in the day if possible.
Trail Map
Getting to the Starting Point of Diamond Lake and Rocky Mountain
A beautiful drive past Wānaka and out to the Rob Roy track on the Wānaka-Mt Aspiring road. It’s about 17km out of town and you will drive past the track for Roy’s peak on the way. Have a look at the incline of the trail as you go past and rest assured that your day is going to be a lot easier, but just as beautiful.
The Trail
This hike joins together a few loops of the diamond lake and Rocky Mountain trails. The easiest way to complete the hike is to follow the trail anticlockwise, sticking to the eastern track first. This leaves the steeper western track as your descent rather than struggling with it on the climb up.
The trail starts from the Diamond lake car park with a climb to get down to the lake on the other side of a small hill. Stick to the left of the lake track and follow the signs for Rocky Mountain and the eastern track.
Diamond Lake Lookout
The first lookout for the hike. This is a nice place to catch your breath after the short climb and take in the small lake below you. A pretty sight, but definitely the least impressive of the views you will encounter on the trail.
You’ll then continue to gently climb up and meet another junction in the trail. If you stay to the right this time and follow signs for the Lake Wānaka viewpoint and the eastern track, you will find the climb to Rocky Mountain easier.
Lake Wānaka Viewpoint
Make sure to take the quick detour to the Lake Wānaka view point. It’s well signposted and definitely worth the added distance, as the views are stunning from here. You’ll look out across the lake and can see the much harder Roys peak from here too.
It’s also the perfect place to stop for a snack before you start to climb Rocky Mountain. There is a chair here and plenty of rocks to sit on as well. Make the most of the views and gather your energy before we begin the hardest part of the hike.
Rocky Mountain
Once you have returned to the main track, continue to follow it up to the start of the mountain loop. There are some steep sections and lots of zigzagging up the slope of the mountain. You’ll get a quick respite as you meet a plateau just before the top of the mountain. Stop here to take in the view and catch your breath. The climb to the top of the mountain is a little scary in parts, but easy enough.
The trail follows the mountain’s edge and does take you to the summit. We chose to admire the views from just below the summit, as we are aware it is the most Tāpu part of the mountain. We tried to find out if it was ok to summit this mountain but came up empty. From what we could find its best not to summit any mountain in Aotearoa. The mountains that are particularly important not to summit will usually be easy to find info on. However, just because you can’t find the info doesn’t necessarily mean it’s ok to summit.
Our general rule is that we won’t summit a mountain out of respect. It’s easy enough to stand just below the summit and the views are just as good from there too.
Western Track Descent
Follow the signs for the Western Track down the mountain. The descent is gentle at first and gets steeper as you go. The views from this side are less impressive but filled with more bush and some very cool cliffs. You’ll drop down into lush vegetation where the descent gets a little harder. We found the track here less well formed and had suffered some rain damage and collapsed in places.
Once you scramble your way down next to a small waterfall, you’ll find yourself delivered back to the lake lookout. Follow the left side of the lake here to complete your lake loop and find yourself back at the start of the track. It’s a short walk downhill to the car park from here.
Keen for more inspo? Be sure to check out:
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