“Auto racing, bull fighting, and mountain climbing are the only real sports. . . all others are games.” – Ernest Hemmingway

Panorama from the summit of Black Peak

Saving the best to last (see part I and part II of our NZ adventures): my brother and I were given carte blanche for the final day of the holiday so we chose a mountain day that would challenge us – Black Peak. It’s a spiky summit, accessible from the road but still far from the madding crowds, and one which would require just shy of 2,000m height gain (and subsequent descent). It would be a big day out.

A photo essay from the final day in the South Island of New Zealand:

Road from Queenstown to Glenorchy, en route to Black Peak

River crossing early in the day – an unexpected but fun obstacle

We were rewarded with one of the best days of walking I’ve had in a long time. The day had everything: perfect weather, a long and challenging route, a mountain summit, historic huts, jaw-dropping scenery and no other people. It was a sublime.

On the slopes of Black Peak

McIntosh’s Hut

Room with a view

Climbing over the snowfields near the summit

Pete on the summit of Black Peak

Black Peak is the pyramidal summit on the R side of skyline

Mt Earnslaw, Glenorchy valley

“Look how far we’ve come!”

At last…..water. We ran out a couple of hours before but knew we had a refill at the car. Sweet relief!