When to walk in New Zealand:
Best time: Oct, Nov, Feb, March
OK but busy: Dec, Jan
Avoid: May-Sept [cold and wet, especially the South Island, impassable
tracks etc.]n.b.
The weather is unpredictable at any time so take rain gear whatever
month you go.
There
are easy, short and pretty walks all over New Zealand - too many
to list. But on this page are some easy ones, or head here for tougher Great Walks.
Easy
Peasy:
Art Deco Napier city walk [east of North Island], 1-2 hours.
Season:
Napier has a beautiful Mediterranean climate Oct -March, but is
windy, wet and miserable in winter.
You might think that a city centre has no place in pages on the
best walks in New Zealand, but Napier is an exception. In 1931 Napier
was reduced to rubble by a massive earthquake. The reconstruction
coincided with the peak of the Art Deco movement, and the result
was a city uniquely designed in this one coherent style. It's easy
to imagine you're an extra in a thirties movie as you stroll around
the centre.
The Napier Art Deco Trust offers an excellent 1.5 hour guided walk
in the summer.
The Franz Josef Glacier
Easy:
Franz Josef and Fox Glaciers,
3.5 hours [1.5 hours on the glacier]. Not strenuous. Full
day and overnight heli-hikes are also available on Fox Glacier.
Season: Nov - March. Alpine guides
available but book ahead.
This is what New Zealand is about - huge, fast moving glaciers crunching
down into rainforest and to within 12 metres of the Tasman Sea.
You can take a half or full day guided walk, and there are also
many great trails in the forests around the glaciers. Beware the
parrot vandals in glacier car parks!
Easy:
Coromandel [north of North Island], lots of
walks of less than half a day. Different levels available.
Season: Best Dec-Jan, but OK and quieter
Oct - March.
Coromandel gets busy at weekends with Auckland stress-refugees especially
in the summer. It's not as dramatic or rugged as areas of the South
Island, but the area is a treasure trove of coastal and forest walks.
The west coast has some interesting towns, while the east coast
is more scenic. A good kick-off is Whitianga in beautiful Mercury
Bay.
After a day of bushwacking you can go to Hot Water Beach, south
of Hahei, dig a hole in the sand [two hours before or after high
tide] and bathe in the resulting hot pool. Spades for hire!
Abel Tasman NP walking.
Medium:
Tongariro Alpine 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.
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