After a quiet night next to the Clutha River, I was pleased to wake up to mostly sunny skies. Continuing downstream towards the town of Alexandra, it seemed that I had managed to successfully avoid the weather front that was passing over the island.
We had spend some time in Alexandra the previous summer with my parents, but had arrived just days (maybe hours) after a massive rainstorm that had caused widespread flooding. Our plans to walk or possibly cycle the Roxburgh Gorge were thwarted not only by a couple of broken bones, but also by the fact that the river levels were so high that much of the track was underwater.
I ended up parking close to the house we rented and was easily able to pick up the riverside Roxburgh Gorge trail. The area looked completely different on a sunny autumn morning, and riverside picnic areas and carparks that were completely under water when we were here in February were now perched several metres above the river and all traces of the massive floods were gone.
The track is part of one of the many cycleways that run through this part of Central Otago and just like the Otago Rail Trail that we did manage to walk last time we were here, the well graded track made for a nice, easy walk, despite the odd climb above the river to avoid some of the rocky sections of river bank.
Just a couple of kilometers out of town, the sides of the gorge steepened, and the rocky outcrops reminded me of Glenwood Canyon or the Green River in Colorado. The landscape was unlike anything I had seen before in New Zealand and was such a contrast to the lush valleys and rainforest-like tracks we often walk through.
Currently it is not possible to walk all the way from the town of Alexandra to the Lake Roxburgh Hydro Dam, so when I reach the end of the upper section of track I turned and retraced my steps back towards Alexandra. Despite covering the same section of track, the ever changing views and scenery still make the walk interesting and with the sun higher in the sky the light in the canyon was even better for my return journey.
Although the track was pretty easy, after twenty kilometers of walking I was happy to get back to my campervan and retrace my route back to Cromwell to catch up with a friend for lunch. After a tasty meal at a new-to-me cafe, I continued on towards Lake Hawea, just outside Wanaka.
There are two lakes that run parallel to each other just west of Wanaka; Lake Wanaka and Lake Hawea. Although we have often visited Lake Wanaka, we had never spent much time near Lake Hawea. I found a beautiful campsite on the shore of Lake Hawea and arrived in time to snag a waterfront spot. After getting settled, I decided to explore the trails in the area.
After doing the nature walk through the forest, I decided that I needed a bit more of an adventure and set off up the Sawyer Burn trail. After a pretty steep climb, I arrived at bush line and was rewarded with views down the length of Lake Hawea towards the township at the head of the lake. With plans to hike close to the township in the morning, I decided it was time to head back down to the campsite for some dinner and to rest my legs ready for the morning.