At a Loss for Words on Roys Peak

“In the dead of summer, in the stunning landscape of Wanaka, I finally managed to summit Roys Peak and was met with one of the most astonishing views of my life,” traveller Hannah Cornish writes for US newspaper, the Greeley Tribune.

“I heard the voice of the girl sitting a few rows behind me on my Qantas flight from LAX to Auckland: ‘New Zealand is like Colorado on steroids.’

“Standing on [the] Roys summit, I finally got what she meant.

“I dedicated five weeks to exploring every nook and cranny of the south island, and in so many spots, it felt like I was right back at home in northern Colorado. Right back in the place where I had visited my grandparents throughout my entire childhood, and where I lived for four years during my time attending Colorado State University. The place where I spent so much time hiking, snowboarding and just enjoying the ability to escape from reality and take in the beauty of nature a bit.

“I would call my friends and family back home, and they would be desperate for me to paint a picture in their minds of what my south island explorations were like. Whenever I found myself at a loss for words, I would use Colorado landmarks to help aid me:

“‘Queenstown [is] like a smaller scale version of Breckenridge, except with a giant, gorgeous lake thrown into the middle of it.’

“Aotearoa is every wonderful bit of Colorado that you want to savour, all rolled into one relatively compact geographical space.

“New Zealand is Colorado’s kindred spirit in the southern hemisphere, fully equipped with everything a true Colorado outdoors lover could ever dream of.”

Original article by Hannah Cornish, Greeley Tribune, January 19, 2017.