"Social media queue" one Reddit user wryly captioned the telling images, which have since won over 77,000 votes on the social platform. (iStock)
Do it for the… Instagram?
A photo shared to Reddit has revealed the crowded, touristy reality of a heavenly outdoor destination heralded as New Zealand's “most Instagrammed” hike.
On Nov. 26, Redditor Aurify shared an image of a lone hiker at Roy’s Peak, stunning lakeside vista between Wanaka and Glendhu Bay — juxtaposed with a long line of bored-looking visitors, waiting for their own photo opp.
"Social media queue" Aurify wryly captioned the telling images, which have since won over 77,000 votes on the social platform, and sparked some snarky comments on Twitter.
“While enjoying view, they were most likely thinking about hashtags they need to use,” one commenter wrote of the scene.
“It's all becoming too much,” another agreed.
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According to the New Zealand Herald, adventurers must first complete a difficult, hourslong hike before they’re able to reach Roy’s Peak, which offers breathtaking views of Wanaka and Mount Aspiring.
Though the trek may be famed "the most Instagrammed hike in New Zealand,” travel blogger Abbi, the author of Spin the Windrose, says that that no amount of fanfare can detract from the true beauty of Roy’s Peak.
"When you see Lake Wanaka as the sun rises over the hills behind you, nothing else matters. It has got to be one of the most beautiful views in the world,” she wrote online.
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"Who cares if there's loads of other people doing the hike? Does it matter if the ascent itself is boring?? And who cares if there are a billion other photos of that exact same view on Instagram?"
Perhaps, whether one is motivated by social media likes, or simply just memories — the hike is worth all the trouble after all.