Rock Peak from Crown Saddle, Pisa Conservation Area, Otago NZ
A straightforward walk to Rock Peak (1490m) through tussock grass at the southern end of the Pisa Conservation Area.
This walk from Crown Saddle (1070m) to Rock Peak (1490m) provides easy access to the tussock-grassed Pisa Conservation Area. It’s easy walking along a vehicle track, and there are views the whole way over the Crown Range, the Wakatipu Basin, including the back of the Remarkables, and the Gibbston Valley wine region.
You might be joined at first by holiday-makers who have stopped on their way between Queenstown and Wanaka along the Crown Range Road. But as our local friends promised they would, everybody turned back after less than a kilometre, leaving us to enjoy some easily accessed solitude.
Crown Saddle is the highest sealed pass in New Zealand, so you might need chains to get up there in winter. No need for track notes, but here’s info on the DOC website.
On a vehicle track the whole way.
Rock Peak from Crown Saddle: The Scenery
First some shots from our first time up the mountain, then some from winter that same year.
Double and Single Cone (2319m) are just visible in the background, with Ben Cruachan (1895m) in the mid ground. Both my wife and an Air New Zealand jumbo jet (centre) provided for scale.
Rock Peak (1490m)
The Gibbston Valley wine region.
It was hella windy up there. You can sort of tell from Sophia’s hair in this shot.
The Crown Range
A follower/ee on Instagram identified these flowers for me: “…bidibids (Maori piripiri) When the seeds ripen they hook onto clothing, leg hair etc.”. After reading this I realised that I have a jokey picture of these seeds stuck to my shirt from a few years earlier.
Mountains and hills in contrasting light. Perhaps a bit more colourful than in real life, I nevertheless liked the aesthetic in this photo. The Crown Range Road down there in the middle.
Looking further on in the Pisa Conservation Area, with Quartx Knoll (1593m) on the left. You can walk on to here and beyond, but we didn’t have the time, and it was pretty bloody windy. I took a long time to steady myself enough to get this photo.
On our way back here…
Looking back along the track towards The Remarkables and Wakatipu Basin.
Mt Hocken (1375m), which I didn’t even know was a named peak when we walked past it.
The Crown Range. I think it’s Crown Peak (1735m) centre left.
Looking towards the back of The Remarkables here.
The Crown Range (again!) Looking towards the back of the Remarkables over tussock grass.
Some contrasting light here.
The Crown Range Road, and the Crown Saddle Car Park. I still can’t quite understand why so many people set off walking only to give up before they even make it to the point I took this picture from. There are decent enough views from the car park, but to get more views you have to persist on this walk for maybe half an hour.
Rock Peak, winter 2019
We did this walk again in winter 2019, and here are some shots from that occasion…
The lighting was very tricky but I think made for an interesting shot. I take a lot of pictures of spear grass.
Quartz Knoll to the right. This made for an interesting shot in summer too. Cardrona Valley with the Crown Range Road in the middle. Looking up at the summit. Its an easy climb. Sophia on the summit of Rock Peak (1490m). Quartz Knoll again. Me taking too many pictures. One of my favourite shots from this outing. A bit of wispy clouds can really add to a mountain scene. You can just see Sophia on the track. Gibbston Valley Nice lighting as we descended back to the car park. Nice lighting in the Wakatipu Basin.
