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New Zealand's Great Walks are eight well-organised and maintained, lengthy hiking [locally known as tramping] trails through some of the country's most spectacular scenery, with 'backcountry' huts placed at strategic locations. The walks are free but huts incur a small fee to use and booking ahead is vital in the busy summer season.
Booking hut information | Great Walks Map
When
to take a hike:
Best time: Oct, Nov, Feb, March
OK but busy: Dec, Jan
Avoid: May-Sept [cold and wet, esp. South Island, impassable tracks]
n.b.
The weather is unpredictable at any time so take rain gear whatever
month you go.
The Abel Tasman National Park
Easy:
Abel Tasman Coast Track
[north of South Island], 3-5 days, 51km [32m]. Well marked and graded,
no technical gear required.
Season: all year round with long dry
spells through summer and autumn.
Accommodation: there are huts with
basic facilities along the track, but take a tent in the summer.
This is the busiest track in New Zealand and it's not difficult
to see why. Easy paths follow the coast around bays, beaches and
headlands. The track also passes in and out of native bush, providing
shady passage in this warm and sunny environment. There's even the
chance to put your feet up and get closer to the sea life; sea kayaking
part of the route is a popular option. Fauna encountered along the
route include wekas [a native chicken-like bird], possums and sand flies.
Easy
- Moderate:
Lake Waikaremoana,
3-4 days. Another popular year-round North Island track. This one
through trundles through native forest with great views, fishing
and swimming holes.
The start of a Tongariro Crossing hike
Moderate:
Tongariro Crossing [the
centre of the North Island, Tongariro National Park, 8 hours,
well marked. 4 and 5 day circuits also available.
Season: All year round, but best Nov
- April. Snow and ice on track in winter.
Booking: You'll need to be picked up
at the end - usually provided by hotels/lodges in the area.
This is the best one day walk in New Zealand, in an area bubbling
with Maori history, live volcanoes, boiling mud pools and craters.
The walk passes through alpine tussock-lands before ascending into
a dramatic lunar landscape, skirting emerald lakes and hot springs.
Moderate :
Tuatapere
Hump Ridge Track [Not a Great Walk but popular, long and organised, south
west of South Island], a new walk, 3
days, 53km [33m]. Well marked, about 18km [11m] per day.
Within a world heritage area the walk goes around the western end
of Bluecliffs beach on Te Wae Wae Bay.
Hikers pass through the Waitutu coastal marine terraces and cross
the historic Rowallan Maori Lands, taking in indigenous wildlife
such as Hector's dolphins, the kea - a New Zealand parrot - while
enjoying diverse scenery from alpine passes to sandstone outcrops.
There are two 40 bunk huts on the track at Okaka [night 1] and Port
Craig village [night 2] equipped with cookers, tables, some hot
water, plenty of cold water, lighting, heating, toilets and hut
wardens with radios from October to April. Book
ahead!
Not recommended for children under 10.
Guided walks available with a helicopter service for those who want
to miss the first day.
The Routeburn Track
Moderate:[continued]
Routeburn Track [south west of South Island],
3 days, 33km [21m]. Must be able to carry cooking equipment and
food. Alpine experience necessary in winter.
Season: all year round, but much harder
in winter. Weather's best Dec - March but can still change suddenly.
Accommodation: There are four well
equipped huts on the route and three camp sites; camping elsewhere
is prohibited to protect the environment. Book
ahead!
After Abel Tasman this is the second busiest track in the summer
and is one of the great walks in the world, covering an amazing
variety of landscapes. Walkers go through temperate rainforests, over high passes and through alpine meadows. The mountainous backdrops and rich flora and
fauna make this many people's favourite, even over the classic Milford
Track.
Rakiura
Track [on an island south of the South Island],
2-3 days, 29km [18m] on a planked track and roads.
Season: All year round, though it rains
a lot [250 days a year].
Accommodation: two huts en route each
with 30 places, first come first served - so carrying a tent is
recommended.
One of the most remote and unspoiled places on earth, the small
community of islanders are outnumbered by abundant birdlife such
as kakas [native parrots] and penguins; bird watching is a favoured
way to pass time and this is one of the few places where you may
see a kiwi on this scenic walk.
Heaphy
Track [north of South Island],
4-6 days.
Through native forest, red tussock downs and valleys to a quiet
beach.
Moderate
- Hard:
Kepler Track [south west of South Island], 4 days.
This is a well planned alpine route, taking in spectacular views
of Fiordland. Some sections are ideal for day walks though the whole route is 60kms long.
The Milford Track
Hard:
Milford Track, [south west of South Island],
4 days, 53.5 km [34m, picture above].
6 hours a day over uneven terrain.
Season: Oct-mid-April, though Dec-March
is better to avoid sudden changes in weather.
Accommodation: only
40 walkers a day permitted, so book ahead!
World Heritage listed, this is the most famous walk in New Zealand
and one of the great walks in the world, though some say Routeburn
[above] is more varied.
The track cuts through glacier-cut fiords, deep valleys, spectacular
waterfalls, colourful bogs and ancient forest.
It ends at Milford Sound, one of the world's natural wonders, with
hundreds of waterfalls thundering down sheer cliffs [weather permitting]. |
