Lonely Planet Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand

Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand

Contents

PLAN YOUR TRIP

Welcome to New Zealand

New Zealand Map

New Zealand’s Great Walks

Need to Know

If You Like...

Itineraries

Choosing Your Tramp

Outdoor Pursuits

New Zealand’s Birds

Safety in the Outdoors

Clothing, Equipment & Food

Regions at a Glance

ON THE TRACK

NORTHLAND, AUCKLAND & COROMANDEL

Te Paki Coastal Track

Cape Brett Track

Rangitoto Island Loop

Aotea Track

Coromandel Walkway

Kauaeranga Kauri Trail

Karangahake Gorge

Towns & Facilities

Auckland

Kaitaia

Russell

Whangarei

Thames

TONGARIRO, TE UREWERA & CENTRAL NORTH ISLAND

Tongariro National Park

Tongariro Alpine Crossing

Tongariro Northern Circuit

Te Urewera

Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk

Towns & Facilities

Taupo

Turangi

National Park Village

Wairoa

TARANAKI & SOUTHERN NORTH ISLAND

Egmont National Park

Around the Mountain Circuit

Pouakai Circuit

Pouakai Crossing

Mt Taranaki Summit

Ruahine Forest Park

Sunrise Track

Tararua Forest Park

Mt Holdsworth–Jumbo Circuit

Cape Palliser

Putangirua Pinnacles

Towns & Facilities

New Plymouth

Napier

Palmerston North

Masterton

Wellington

QUEEN CHARLOTTE & MARLBOROUGH

Queen Charlotte & Marlborough Tramps

Queen Charlotte Track

Pelorus Track

Kaikoura Coast Track

Towns & Facilities

Picton

Kaikoura

ABEL TASMAN, KAHURANGI & NELSON LAKES

Abel Tasman National Park

Abel Tasman Coast Track

Kahurangi National Park

Heaphy Track

Tableland Circuit

Nelson Lakes National Park

Lake Angelus Track

St Arnaud Range Track

Travers-Sabine Circuit

Towns & Facilities

Nelson

Motueka

Takaka

Karamea

CANTERBURY, ARTHUR’S PASS & AORAKI/MT COOK

Banks Track

St James Walkway

Arthur’s Pass National Park

Avalanche Peak

Goat Pass Track

Harper Pass

Bealey Spur

Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park

Mueller Hut Route

Hooker Valley Track

Towns & Facilities

Christchurch

Akaroa

Hanmer Springs

Arthur’s Pass

Mt Cook Village

WEST COAST

Old Ghost Road

Paparoa National Park

Inland Pack Track

Westland Tai Poutini National Park

Welcome Flat

Towns & Facilities

Westport

Greymouth

Punakaiki

Fox Glacier

Franz Josef Glacier

MT ASPIRING NATIONAL PARK & AROUND QUEENSTOWN

Mt Aspiring National Park

Routeburn Track

Greenstone Caples Track

Rees-Dart Track

Cascade Saddle

Rob Roy Track

Gillespie Pass Circuit

Queenstown & Wanaka

Ben Lomond

Roys Peak

Diamond Lake & Rocky Mountain

Towns & Facilities

Queenstown

Wanaka

Glenorchy

FIORDLAND & STEWART ISLAND/RAKIURA

Fiordland National Park

Milford Track

Hollyford Track

Kepler Track

Gertrude Saddle

Hump Ridge Track

Stewart Island/Rakiura

Rakiura Track

Towns & Facilities

Te Anau

Invercargill

UNDERSTAND

Understand New Zealand

New Zealand Today

History

Environment

SURVIVE

Directory A-Z

Accessible Travel

Children

Climate

Customs Regulations

Electricity

Emergency & Important Numbers

Entry & Exit Formalities

Food & Drink

Health

Insurance

Internet Access

Legal Matters

LGBT+ Travellers

Maps

Money

Opening Hours

Post

Public Holidays

Safe Travel

Telephone

Time

Toilets

Tourist Information

Volunteering

Women Travellers

Transport

GETTING THERE & AWAY

Entering the Country/Region

Air

Land

Sea

GETTING AROUND

Air

Bicycle

Boat

Bus

Car & Motorcycle

Hitching & Ride-Sharing

Local Transport

Train

Accommodation

B&Bs

Camping & Holiday Parks

Farmstays

Hostels

Pubs, Hotels & Motels

Rental Accommodation

Booking Services

Glossary

Behind the Scenes

Our Writers

Welcome to New Zealand

There may be no country on earth as naturally diverse as New Zealand. Here glaciers leak through rainforest, volcanoes form a beating heart, sun-blazed beaches frame coastal national parks, and ice-tipped mountains hack at the sky.

Jewels of Nature

It’s the extraordinary natural architecture that lures trampers, but NZ also comes jewelled with one of the planet’s finest and most extensive track networks. The natural drama all around the country is worthy of the theatre, but the boards you’ll tread are tracks that climb through mountain passes, or trace the lines of rivers or lakes, or disappear momentarily into the soft sand of long beaches.

Hut Havens

Almost 1000 huts dot the trails, which are headlined by a Great Walks system that has long been envied and mimicked by the rest of the world. Even in the most remote reaches, huts await – often with historical tales as engrossing as the views. DOC maintains more than 950 huts in its national parks, conservation areas and reserves. While many were purpose-built for trampers and climbers, others stand as a legacy to industries such as forestry, farming, mining and deer culling. Today they form a network that offers cheap, character-filled accommodation in the most unlikely places, a unique and highly treasured feature of the NZ backcountry.

Easy Does It

Reward here doesn’t always require effort. Certainly, you can slog it to the top of hard-earned alpine passes such as Cascade Saddle for mountain views beyond excellence, but there are equally worthy prizes that can be found in committing just a few hours to walk to points beneath the hanging terminus of Rob Roy Glacier, or along empty and wild bays around the northern tip of Coromandel Peninsula.

Space Invaders

Evidence of what awaits comes in the numbers. There are just 4.8 million New Zealanders, scattered across more than 260,000 sq km: bigger than the UK with one-fourteenth of the population. Filling in the large gaps in between are the sublime mountains, forests, lakes, beaches and fiords that have made NZ one of the world’s most desirable hiking destinations. Stand on a Fiordland pass with mountains rearing above, beside a dazzling volcanic lake in Tongariro, or on an Abel Tasman beach lined with forest, and you’ll see why NZ tramping tracks have labels such as ‘finest walk in the world’ and ‘best day walk in the world’. And yet those very tracks may not even be the best in the country.

Mt Taranaki | RONNIE LI/500PX ©

By Andrew Bain, Writer

They call them Great Walks for a reason, but any time I’m on one of these showpiece tramps, I find my eye wandering elsewhere on the map. The New Zealand landscape reads like an open invitation to explore on foot – into that valley, onto that pass, along that beach. Like few other places on earth, you can wake with a hankering to hike a particular landscape – be it mountains or beach, forest or alpine – and find that there are possibilities in quick reach of wherever you stand in the country.

For more about our writers

New Zealand’s Great Walks

Abel Tasman Coast Track

Routinely touted as New Zealand’s most beautiful Great Walk, the Abel Tasman Coast Track is also the most popular. Located in the country’s smallest national park, this track brings together great weather, granite cliffs, golden sands and a bushy backdrop. Spot seals and birds, explore fascinating estuaries, hidden inlets and freshwater pools, study bizarre rock formations and significant trees…or simply laze around on that beach towel you packed. Water taxis and kayak trips offer endless options for maximising enjoyment.

GUAXINIM/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Great Walks

Tongariro Northern Circuit

New Zealand’s oldest national park is also home to one of its most dynamic and imposing Great Walks. The Tongariro Northern Circuit loops among a trio of volcanoes that provided one of the most dramatic backdrops in Lord of the Rings, and wears dazzling lakes, steaming vents, lava bombs and craters like bling. Add in a couple of waterfalls and the country’s only desert and you get a sense of what makes this a truly great walk.

Taranaki Falls, Tongariro National Park | NARUEDOM YAEMPONGSA/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Great Walks

Lake Waikaremoana

Remote, immense and shrouded in mist, Te Urewera encompasses the North Island’s largest tract of virgin forest. The park’s highlight is Lake Waikaremoana (‘Sea of Rippling Waters’), a deep crucible of water encircled by the Lake Waikaremoana track. This tramp passes through ancient rainforest and reedy inlets, and traverses gnarly ridges, including the famous Panekiri Bluff, from where there are stupendous views of the lake and endless forested peaks and valleys.

WESTEND61/GETTY IMAGES ©

Great Walks

Whanganui Journey

The Great Walk you can have when you’re not having a walk, the Whanganui Journey is actually a canoe or kayak trip along the Whanganui River, NZ’s longest navigable waterway. It’s a journey through sheer gorges, where the reflections can almost induce vertigo, and over short bouncy rapids. The forest is dense and the views are immense. Along the way it passes the folly-like Bridge to Nowhere, numerous bush campsites and the only DOC hut in the country that’s also used as a marae (Māori meeting house).

JANETTEASCHE/GETTY IMAGES ©

Great Walks

Heaphy Track

This wild and wonderful historic crossing from Golden Bay to the West Coast dishes up the most diverse scenery of any of the Great Walks, taking in dense forest, tussock-covered downs, caves, secluded valleys and beaches dusted in salt spray and fringed by nikau palms. It’s a mighty wilderness, and if time’s at a premium you can always mountain bike it (in winter and spring, at least)…

SAM LANE/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Great Walks

Kepler Track

One of three Great Walks within Fiordland National Park, the Kepler Track was built to take pressure off the Milford and Routeburn. Many trampers now say it rivals both of them. This high crossing takes you from the peaceful, beech-forested shores of Lake Te Anau and Lake Manapouri before bumping across the alpine tops of Mt Luxmore. Expect towering limestone bluffs, razor-edged ridges, vast views and crazy caves. The Kepler is a truly spectacular way to appreciate the grandeur of NZ’s largest national park.

MORITZ WOLF/GETTY IMAGES ©

Great Walks

Milford Track

The finest walk in the world? Somebody once thought so, and wrote as much in a London newspaper…and so the mythology of the Milford Track was born. If it’s hyperbole, it’s only by degrees, for this track is a compendium of all good mountain things: gin-clear streams, dense rainforest, an unforgettable alpine pass and Sutherland Falls; one of the highest waterfalls in the world.

TIMHESTERPHOTOGRAPHY/GETTY IMAGES ©

Great Walks

Routeburn Track

NZ’s second-most popular Great Walk is truly a mountain spectacular. The Routeburn Track climbs high onto alpine slopes linking Fiordland and Mt Aspiring National Parks, providing seemingly endless views, though nearer-to-hand sights such as thundering waterfalls, bizarre rock formations, alpine tarns and peculiar plant life will likely capture your attention just as much. The track is regularly compared, and rated against, the Milford Track, but it is its own little piece of walking wonder.

PHILIP LEE HARVEY/LONELY PLANET ©

Great Walks

Rakiura Track

Following the Foveaux Strait coast and shore of Paterson Inlet on tranquil Stewart Island, this leisurely loop offers a rewarding combination of waterside scenery, notable native trees and ferns, and historic relics of bygone days. Bird-watchers will be all atwitter, with a diverse range of species to be seen and heard. These include big-winged coastal birds such as sooty shearwaters and mollymawks, as well as little blue penguins; beaky waders such as dotterels, herons and godwits in the inlet; and forest birds such as kiwis, bellbirds, parakeets, kereru and kaka.

R. VICKERS/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Great Walks

Paparoa Track

Slated to open in 2019, the Paparoa Track will become NZ’s 10th Great Walk. The 55km shared-use trail (tramping and mountain biking) will cross the West Coast’s Paparoa Range, connecting two existing tramps – the Croesus Track and the Inland Pack Track. It takes in the alpine tops of the range, thick swaths of rainforest and the limestone cliffs of the Pororari River, as well as diverting along a side trail to the site of the former Pike River Mine, where 29 miners were killed in an accident in 2010.

JUDITH LIENERT/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Need to Know

For more information, see Survival Guide

Currency

New Zealand dollar ($)

Language

English, Māori

Visas

Citizens of Australia, the UK and 58 other countries don’t need visas for NZ (length-of-stay allowances vary); see www.immigration.govt.nz.

Money

Credit cards are used for most purchases in NZ, and are accepted in most hotels and restaurants. ATMs widely available in cities and larger towns.

Mobile Phones

European phones will work on NZ’s network, but not most American or Japanese phones. Use global roaming or a local SIM card and prepaid account.

Time

New Zealand time (GMT/UTC plus 12 hours)

When to Go

High Season (Dec–Feb)

A Normally the best, most-settled weather.

A Tramping high season starts just before Christmas.

A Huts and tracks can get busy.

Shoulder (Oct–Nov & Feb–Mar)

A Tracks are less busy.

A Fine weather lingers into April.

A Most low-level tracks can be walked October through April.

Low Season (Jun–Aug)

A Weather at its coldest and wettest; river levels high.

A Many high-altitude tracks closed because of avalanche danger.

A Some low-level walks possible, with solitude guaranteed.

Tramping Costs

Lodges, huts & campsites: Free–$80

A Great Walk hut: $24-80

A Backcountry hut: free–$15

A Campsite: free–$18

Track transport $25–250

A Shuttle bus, one way up to an hour: $5–50

A Shuttle bus, longer return-trip: $45–135

A Boat transfer: $25–105

A Flight: $149–250

Guided trips & private tracks: More than $150

A Day tramp: $185–433

A Private track (2–3 nights): $175–260

A Great Walk (3–4 nights): $1375–2130

Note: these costs do not reflect the pricing trial, which will increase Great Walk hut fees for international visitors.

Useful Websites

Department of Conservation (DOC; www.doc.govt.nz) Parks, reserves, tramps, huts, camping and conservation.

Mountain Safety Council (www.mountainsafety.org.nz) Staying safe in NZ’s outdoors.

Federated Mountain Clubs of NZ (www.fmc.org.nz) Umbrella organisation for tramping and mountaineering clubs.

100% Pure New Zealand (www.newzealand.com) Official tourism site.

Lonely Planet (lonelyplanet.com) Destination information, hotel bookings and traveller forum

MetService (www.metservice.com) Weather forecasts and warnings.

Te Ara (www.teara.govt.nz) The ‘Encyclopedia of NZ’.

Exchange Rates

For current exchange rates, see www.xe.com.

Track Standards

NZ’s tracks literally range from easy strolls in the park to full-on, multiday adventures across untamed, unmarked mountainous terrain. Our authors adhere to the following guidelines:

Easy A walk on flat terrain or with minor elevation changes, usually over short distances on well-travelled tracks with no navigational difficulties.

Moderate A walk with challenging terrain, often involving longer distances and steep climbs.

Demanding A walk with long daily distances and difficult terrain with significant elevation change. May involve challenging route-finding and high-altitude travel.

Each track is also graded in accordance with the official DOC (www.doc.govt.nz) categories:

Walking Track Gentle walking from a few minutes to a day on mostly well-formed tracks.

Great Walk/Easy Tramping Track Comfortable multiday tramping on generally well-formed tracks.

Tramping Track Challenging day or multiday tramping on mostly unformed tracks. Moderate to high backcountry skills and experience required.

Route Challenging multiday tramping on unformed and natural tracks. Navigation and high-level backcountry skills and experience required.

The Hut System

A DOC maintains more than 950 huts in its national parks, conservation areas and reserves. While many were purpose-built for trampers and climbers, others stand as a legacy to industries such as forestry, farming, mining and deer culling. Today they form a network that offers cheap accommodation in the most unlikely places, a unique and highly treasured feature of the NZ backcountry.

A Huts come in all shapes and sizes. The flashest are generally Great Walk Huts, large multiroomed buildings equipped with such comforts as solar lighting, kitchen sinks, gas cookers, flush toilets and a hut warden. But even at the bottom end of the scale – in bivvies and basic huts – you’ll still get a mattress, some kind of water supply, a toilet (possibly a long drop) and a fireplace, all going well.

A With some exceptions, such as Great Walk huts and campsites, huts and campsites are paid for with Backcountry Hut tickets and passes. These should be purchased in advance online, or at DOC offices, i-SITEs or outdoor gear shops.

A Each hut ticket costs $5. You simply deposit the appropriate number of ticket butts in the box at the hut when you arrive. If you plan to do a lot of tramping, a Backcountry Hut Pass (six months/one year $92/122), valid for Serviced and Standard Huts, might prove a wise investment.

A In late 2018, DOC introduced a differential pricing trial. International visitors can expect to pay higher rates than locals on some of the Great Walks.

If You Like...

Volcanoes

The New Zealand landscape has serious indigestion. Straddling the collision boundary of two major tectonic plates, it regularly burps, steams, bubbles and hisses to life.

Tongariro Northern Circuit This spectacular four-day loop circumnavigates Mt Ngauruhoe, passing through desert-like lands and always in sight of Ngauruhoe’s conical shape.

Tongariro Alpine Crossing The abbreviated version of the Northern Circuit is a compendium of volcanic features – luminous lakes, steaming vents, angry red craters.

Rangitoto Island Loop A day trip from Auckland takes you onto the volcanic island of Rangitoto, which is blanketed in 600-year-old black lava.

Mt Taranaki Summit Stand atop this slumbering volcano with its near-perfect volcanic figure at the end of a challenging but achievable 1570m climb.

Wildlife

Isolated from the rest of the world, New Zealand is a veritable menagerie of unique animals that evolved without the interference of predatory mammals. Brace yourself for freaky critters!

Kaikoura Coast Track Look to the sea for dolphins, seals and soaring seabirds, and inland for riflemen, bellbirds, grey warblers and long-tailed cuckoos.

Rakiura Track Stewart Island contains the largest and most diverse bird populations in NZ; the tokoeka (kiwi) population alone is around 15,000.

Heaphy Track Get thee to Kahurangi for a field trip of curiosities – giant snails, bats, weta (insects), spiders, beetles and 60 native bird species.

St Arnaud Range Track The feathery fruits of the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project’s labour include kaka (parrots), bellbirds, tomtits, robins, riflemen and kiwi.

Fur seal, Kaikoura Coast Track | YONGYOT THERDTHAI/SHUTTERSTOCK ©

Glaciers

They’re the rivers that flow in slow motion, and they lace New Zealand’s Southern Alps, feeding the brilliantly coloured lakes and rivers and providing ice-perfect views.

Hooker Valley Track Pooled at the foot of NZ’s highest mountain is Hooker Lake, typically with icebergs cruising about its silty waters.

Rob Roy Track Sit for a while at the upper lookout and you’re almost guaranteed to see an avalanche or two from the hanging glacier across the valley.

Rees-Dart Track Detour out from Dart Hut towards Cascade Saddle and you’ll get to wander along the edge of Dart Glacier.

Mueller Glacier, Hooker Valley Track | MATTEO COLOMBO/GETTY IMAGES ©

Mountain Climbs

New Zealand errs on the mountainous side, with a spine of alpine peaks on the South Island, creating a wealth of lofty but achievable summits.

Mueller Hut Route This 1040m climb is a quintessential alpine experience, with geological wonders, fascinating plant life and a hut with million-dollar views.

Roys Peak From Lake Wanaka’s shores it’s a 1200m ascent to superb views over the lake and a multitude of mighty mountains.

Avalanche Peak The Arthur’s Pass views will have you debating whether the Tongariro Alpine Crossing really is the country’s best day walk.

Ben Lomond How often can you walk from the centre of a busy town to find a 1400m climb with views this good?

Mountain Passes

They’re the beacons through the mountains – the passes that lure you out of the valleys to high vantage points and onwards into other valleys.

Cascade Saddle Ascend from the Matukituki Valley and return the same way, or exit via the Rees-Dart Track.

Milford Track A memorial cairn, tarns, a shelter and breathtaking views all sit high on Mackinnon Pass.

Routeburn Track The view from 1255m-high Harris Saddle is spectacular enough; detour to 1515m Conical Hill and things look better still.

Gillespie Pass Circuit This remote track crosses a 1500m pass overlooked by towering peaks.

Sunrise Track Rise gently through beech forest on this family-friendly trail that rewards with far-reaching views from Armstrong Saddle.

Rivers

Whether they’re roaring, braided glacial rivers or waterways with pools so clear they look pasted into the landscape, rivers are a defining feature – and typically the guiding lines – of NZ tramping.

Whanganui Journey This Great Walk is actually a 145km paddle down NZ’s longest navigable river, through the lush wilds of Whanganui National Park.

Pelorus Track So scenic it starred in The Hobbit, the Pelorus River is followed for two days during this three-day tramp.

Karangahake Gorge A narrow gorge filled with gold relics, a cycle trail and a day walk along the Ohinemuri River’s banks.

Milford Track Primarily a journey along two wilderness rivers – Clinton and Arthur – past deep pools and through riverbank rainforest.

Beaches

With around 15,000km of coastline, NZ boasts more bays and beaches than you can shake a bucket and spade at. They’re less bikini-clad with golden sands, and more…um…windswept and interesting.

Te Paki Coastal Track The vast expanse of Ninety Mile Beach gets the glory, but just around the corner are beautiful white-sand beaches.

Heaphy Track Smooth seas and soft sand are so bland! If you’re looking for some coastal drama, you can’t beat a wild-west beach.

Abel Tasman Coast Track No need to Photoshop this postcard paradise. These golden sands and blue bays are for real.

Coromandel Walkway Bookended by beaches and with intermission at a rocky and wild beach, this day walk is a coastal spectacular.

Waterfalls

Waterfalls? It certainly does, especially in the mountains where the rain gauge can top 11,000mm annually. That’s a lot of falling water…

Tongariro Northern Circuit Tumbling 20m over an old lava flow, Wairere Stream plunges headlong over Taranaki Falls into a boulder-ringed pool.

Rob Roy Track Tear your eyes from the hanging glaciers and you’ll notice a pair of high waterfalls pouring off the cliffs by the upper lookout.

Routeburn Track This truly great track boasts the truly great Routeburn Falls.

Milford Track One of the world’s loftiest waterfalls, Sutherland Falls hops, skips and jumps 580m into a pool a short trip from the track.

History

New Zealand’s backcountry history generally involved gold-mining, logging and plenty of ‘number 8 wire’ (Kiwi ingenuity).

Aotea Track This track follows routes laid down by loggers who came to Great Barrier Island seeking kauri trees, leaving relics in their wake.

Karangahake Gorge History here ranges from ‘windows’ cut into mountains to discard rock debris, to the world’s first use of cyanide to extract gold from crushed ore.

Hollyford Track A typically hare-brained scheme of the era, Jamestown was always a long shot. Cue colourful characters and a dash of drama.

Old Ghost Road Terrain so brutal the track wasn’t completed by the gold miners who tried to build it; 130 years later it was finished by professional builders.

Loop Hikes

There’s such a sense of completion in a loop walk: making it all the way back to where you started, without the complication of transport connections or the déjà vu of backtracking.

Pouakai Circuit This two-day circuit features spectacular views of Mt Taranaki from the top of the Pouakai Range.

Putangirua Pinnacles Wander up a creek bed to a crumbling badlands, then up a ridge for views over the North Island’s southernmost stretch of coastline.

Gillespie Pass Circuit Disappear deep into Mt Aspiring National Park’s quiet northern end, crossing an alpine pass to link two remote valleys.

Kepler Track This memorable Fiordland alpine crossing takes in eye-popping sights such as towering bluffs, razor-edged ridges and crazy caves.

Mountain Biking

Major investment has seen the Nga Haerenga/New Zealand Cycle Trail grow to 22 different trails covering more than 2500km. Some are shared with trampers, others pass very near to trails.

Coromandel Walkway Branching off the coastal tramping route is a dedicated mountain-bike track, climbing 500m to roll along hilltops above the peninsula’s northern tip.

Karangahake Gorge This day walk shares much of its course with the Hauraki Rail Trail, the gentlest of the New Zealand Cycle Trail routes.

Queen Charlotte Track Good on foot, excellent on bike, this Marlborough Sounds track is open to mountain bikers almost year-round.

Heaphy Track Coast down to the coast on this Great Walk that opens to bike riders from May to November.

Old Ghost Road The longest bit of singletrack (85km) in the country has precipitous alpine riding and skills-testing switchbacks.

Itineraries

Southern Highlights

2 WEEKS

Wing into Christchurch and stock up on supplies before heading for some of the South Island’s best tracks.

Head south past gorgeous Lake Tekapo, taking in the obligatory view at the Church of the Good Shepherd, before continuing on to Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. Warm up your tramping legs on the easy hike through the Hooker Valley before giving them a sterner test on the Mueller Hut Route, staying up high in one of NZ’s loftiest huts.

Drive on over Lindis Pass into the adrenaline bowl that is Queenstown. Get perspective from atop Ben Lomond, and detour out past Wanaka into Mt Aspiring National Park to climb to a glacial extravaganza on the Rob Roy Track. Only in Queenstown can you then give your legs a rest by taking a bungy jump, or by skimming across Lake Wakatipu in a shark-shaped vessel.

Cross the Southern Alps on the Routeburn Track before taking a day off to ogle, cruise or kayak Milford Sound, before returning to Queenstown along the Greenstone Caples Track, which horsehoes through two distinctly different valleys – take your pick – that meet near the shores of Lake Wakatipu.

Itineraries

The Grand Tour

8 WEEKS

Kick off your tramping bonanza in metropolitan Auckland. Warm up with a day hike on the volcanic island of Rangitoto, before driving north to the beautiful Bay of Islands. Set out on foot from its shores to rugged, lighthouse-tipped Cape Brett, getting a different perspective on the famed Hole in the Rock along the way.

Head south to the sun-soaked Coromandel Peninsula to explore its myriad attractions as well as venturing in to Kauaeranga Valley to scale the Pinnacles. Travel south, getting steamed and sulphured at Rotorua and Taupo before donning the backpack again among the volcanic landscapes of Tongariro National Park. Savour them on the Tongariro Northern Circuit, or, if time is tight, traverse the much heralded Tongariro Alpine Crossing.

Head to Wellington to wander through the national museum, Te Papa, before crossing Cook Strait to the South Island. Stretch your arms now as well as your legs in Abel Tasman National Park, home to the most popular of NZ’s Great Walks as well as golden beaches and turquoise waters begging to be kayaked.

Two more national parks – Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes – lie nearby. Tramp the Heaphy or Lake Angelus Tracks on your way to the wild West Coast. Follow the stunning coast road, pausing at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.

Keep on trucking south towards glacier country. Take a guided glacier walk onto Franz Josef Glacier before tramping into Welcome Flat for a well-earned soak in the hot springs. Having cleared Haast Pass, head for lakeside Wanaka, from where you can head into Mt Aspiring National Park along the Matukituki Valley, veering away onto the Rob Roy Track to find a dramatic grandstand position beneath a hanging glacier.

Head over the Crown Range to the self-branded ‘adventure capital of the world’, Queenstown. Take your pick from some of NZ’s most fabulous tramps – the Routeburn, Greenstone Caples and Rees-Dart. Head round to the almost-mythical Milford Sound, arriving by vehicle through the Homer Tunnel or on foot along the Milford Track, the tramp once described as the finest walk in the world. Finish by heading back to Queenstown, where you can wind down in one of its many inviting bars.

Itineraries

The Gentle Option

4 WEEKS

Ease into things with a couple of days in Christchurch, before heading inland and upland to Arthur’s Pass National Park, where Bealey Spur rewards trampers with a simple climb that’s blessed with views. Head north to the hot pools of Hanmer Springs before continuing to Nelson Lakes National Park, spending your days on the Mt Robert or St Arnaud Range climbs, and your nights in local accommodation. Meander through the Motueka Valley, popping in to the Tableland in Kahurangi National Park before hitting Abel Tasman National Park and the most idyllic of NZ’s Great Walks. You might want to hang around for a few days to get a different perspective on the park from a kayak or boat.

Indulge in the fine local food and wine in Nelson, then wind your way eastwards to Picton along the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive. Cruise through the Marlborough Sounds, then hit the Queen Charlotte Track while your bags are ferried ahead of you by water taxi. Take a restorative tour of Marlborough’s world-class wineries before hopping the ferry to Wellington.

Stroll into cinematic excellence at Putangirua Pinnacles, with plenty of time left in the day to visit the lighthouse and seals at Cape Palliser. Head north to discover one of the easiest ways to an alpine pass in NZ on the Sunrise Track before stopping for a couple of days in art-deco Napier in sunny Hawke’s Bay. Gorge yourself on the region’s ample produce, then burn off the calories on its flat cycling trails.

Venture into mystical Te Urewera to complete the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk then soak up some Māori culture and a good dose of sulphur at the many geothermal delights of Rotorua. Be sure to soak away any tramping aches in a hot spring here.

Swing across to Taupo, the lakeside resort just a stone’s throw from Tongariro National Park and the legendary Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Check out the twinkling glowworms of Waitomo Caves before heading to Auckland, finishing your journey with an easy day tramp on volcanic Rangitoto Island or heading further north for a couple of days on the rewarding and dramatic Cape Brett Track.

Itineraries

Alpine Explorer

3 WEEKS

Start in vibrant Nelson before heading off on this tour along the spine of NZ’s Southern Alps. Drive to Nelson Lakes National Park, where the Lake Angelus Track climbs up Robert Ridge for sweeping views of the Southern Alps.

Wend your way through the wild Buller Gorge, which doubles as the starting point for one of NZ’s newest tramping tracks, the Old Ghost Road – if time is tight, you can always mountain bike it.

Take in the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki as you briefly touch the west coast, before heading east to Arthur’s Pass National Park to scale Avalanche Peak.

East of the pass, stick close to the mountains on the Inland Scenic Route through to Tekapo and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, where you can climb to Mueller Hut for views of NZ’s highest mountain, or stroll through the Hooker Valley for

Swing through Wanaka and into Mt Aspiring National Park, climbing high to Cascade Saddle or low (but with high views) on the Rob Roy Track. Finally, make an alpine crossing on the Routeburn Track before finishing in Queenstown.

Itineraries

North Island Wonders

3 WEEKS

Begin in Auckland and head south to the geothermal hot spot of Rotorua, where geysers, bubbling mud, steaming vents and Māori cultural performances await.

Venture into densely forested Te Urewera and tramp the Great Walk around Lake Waikaremoana, before driving to Taupo to do a skydive, raft a river or catch a trout.

Nearby is volcanic Tongariro National Park, home to the famed Tongariro Alpine Crossing, almost universally claimed as NZ’s best day tramp. Then retire the boots for a few days as you splash into the Great Walk that’s actually a river paddle: the 145km Whanganui Journey through the North Island’s largest lowland wilderness, Whanganui National Park.

Truck west to Egmont National Park and the near-symmetrical cone of Mt Taranaki. Tracks abound on the mountain, but it’s worth tramping the Pouakai Crossing to decide for yourself whether it’s actually better than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Loop back to Auckland via Waitomo Caves, where you can ogle at glowworms or don a wet suit and abseil and river-tube deep into subterranean passages and caverns.

Plan Your Trip

Choosing Your Tramp

There are many considerations when choosing a tramp in New Zealand, be it the terrain (do the mountains call, or is it sand and sea that beckons?), the views, or your own level of experience.

Go With Those in the Know

If possible tramp with someone else, or in a group, for safety in numbers (and, potentially, more fun).

Hiking companions can be found by lingering around DOC visitors centres, or online through sites such as Meetup (www.meetup.com) or numerous tramping clubs affiliated with the Federated Mountain Clubs (www.fmc.org.nz).

The Mountain Safety Council (www.mountainsafety.org.nz) produces a range of excellent resources, almost all of which are free. Its 29-part Get Outdoors video series on YouTube is highly recommended if you’re considering any tramping in NZ.

If you’re preparing for a specific trip, the Mountain Safety Council has a range of activity-specific guides, as well as e-Learning tools.

Select a track that suits your level of fitness and experience. If you’re tramping with others, consider the ability of all group members. We’ve graded each tramp, from easy to demanding, to help you choose the most suitable ones for you. The DOC website (www.doc.govt.nz) also grades tracks according to a national track standard. Talking to people who have recently completed a tramp is also a great way to source information.

Many of NZ’s most famous tracks are located in mountainous regions, and in winter these will be too dangerous or challenging to all but the most-experienced and well-equipped trampers using specialised winter equipment. There are, however, tracks that can be completed in shoulder seasons or year-round. Choose the right tramp for the right time of year, but be prepared to alter your plans if the weather isn’t right.

If it’s your first tramp, or you’ve just arrived in the country, the DOC Day Hikes and Great Walks are an ideal introduction. Every one of them is incredibly scenic, and they’re also well signposted and maintained, and (during the Great Walks season) monitored by hut wardens who will pass on weather reports, track-condition updates and helpful advice.

CHOOSING YOUR TRAMP

Plan Your Trip

Outdoor Pursuits

New Zealand is the outdoors burger with the lot – it’d be almost criminal to tramp here and not take to a trail on a bicycle, tackle some white water, or leap from something big and scary. Here we bring you a range of readily accessible outdoor activities that will complement your hikes and tramps.

Best Skydive Drop Zones

Queenstown

Fox & Franz Josef Glaciers

Taupo

Bay of Islands

Top White-Water Rafting Trips

Tongariro River, Taupo

Kaituna River, Rotorua

Shotover Canyon, Queenstown

Rangitikei River, Taihape

Buller Gorge, Murchison

Top Mountain-Biking Tracks

Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest, Rotorua

Old Ghost Road, Westport

Queen Charlotte Track, Marlborough

West Coast Wilderness Trail, Hokitika

Alps 2 Ocean, South Canterbury

Bird-Watching

A diverse and fascinating array of birds may be seen in the wild, with many resident (or regularly returning) populations that are well protected and indeed promoted by high-profile visitor attractions. Examples include the Royal Albatross Centre on the Otago Peninsula; the godwits of Farewell Spit in Golden Bay; and the kotuku (white heron) sanctuary at Whataroa on the West Coast.

NZ does a great line in island sanctuaries and, increasingly, ‘mainland islands’ – reserves encircled by predator-proof fences. Such enclaves include Tiritiri Matangi island near Auckland, Ulva Island near Stewart Island, Kapiti Island near Wellington, and Motuara Island in the Marlborough Sounds. Visitor-friendly ‘mainland islands’ include Maungatautari near Hamilton, and Zealandia in Wellington.

Another opportunity to gain insight into NZ bird species and their conservation is at numerous captive-breeding facilities, including the West Coast Wildlife Centre in Franz Josef Glacier, where rowi – the rarest of all kiwi species – are hatched. Another such kiwi hatchery is Rainbow Springs, in Rotorua.

For a selection of some of the wonderful birds you may encounter on the tracks and elsewhere, refer to our bird-spotting guide.

Fishing

Introduced in the 19th century, brown and rainbow trout have thrived in NZ’s lakes and waterways and attract keen anglers from around the world. Many walking tracks follow rivers or skirt lakes, giving trampers ample opportunity to catch supper. Lake Waikaremoana and the Greenstone Caples Track are memorable places to try your luck. Licences (daily adult/youth $20/5, whole season adult/youth $163/25) are essential and can be bought at outdoor/fishing shops, visitor centres or online at Fish and Game New Zealand (www.fishandgame.org.nz), where you’ll also find information on when, where and how to fish.

Sea-fishing options are bountiful too, whether casting off the beach or rocks, or reeling fish in from a kayak or chartered boat. Delicious snapper, cod, tarakihi and groper are all on the menu, but know your limits and release all undersize fish. Fishing rules and guidelines are available from www.fish.govt.nz, while www.fishing.net.nz can hook you up with charters and guides, as will i-SITE visitor centres nationwide.

Horse Trekking

Horse treks in NZ offer a chance to explore some remarkable landscapes – from farms to forests and along rivers and beaches. Rides range from one-hour jaunts (from around $60) to week-long, fully supported treks.

On the North Island, Taupo, the Coromandel Peninsula, Waitomo, Pakiri, Ninety Mile Beach, Rotorua, the Bay of Plenty and East Cape are top places for an equine encounter. There are plenty of options in the South Island, too, ranging from beachy trips in Golden Bay and adventures around mountain foothills near Mt Cook, Lake Tekapo, Queenstown and Glenorchy – as a bonus, you can canter through several Lord of the Rings filming locations. Spectacular treks are offered from Punakaiki into Paparoa National Park. For info and operator listings, check out True NZ Horse Trekking (www.truenz.co.nz/horsetrekking).

Sea Kayaking

Sea kayaking offers a wonderful perspective of the coastline and gets you close to marine wildlife you may otherwise never see. Meanwhile tandem kayaks, aka ‘divorce boats’, present a different kind of challenge.

There are ample places to get paddling. Hotspots include Waiheke and Great Barrier Islands, the Bay of Islands and Coromandel Peninsula, Marlborough Sounds (from Picton) and Abel Tasman National Park. Kaikoura is exceptional for wildlife spotting, and Fiordland for dazzling scenery. Wellington is noteworthy for offering the chance to paddle a traditional Māori waka (canoe).

Mountain Biking

Jaw-dropping mountains interlaced with farm tracks and old railway lines...it would be hard to design better mountain-biking terrain than NZ. The New Zealand Cycle Trail (www.nzcycletrail.com), some 2500km of tracks, helped mountain biking grow from a weekend sport to a national craze. Its popularity among outdoors enthusiasts of a certain age (and the potential for gear one-upmanship) has led mountain biking to be dubbed ‘the new golf’. But no age group is immune, and the variety of trails in NZ brings a choice of gentle pootles in meadows to multiday cycle tours, half-day downhill-thrill rides to challenging week-long MTB adventures.

Mountain-bike parks – most with various trail grades and skills areas (and handy bike hire, usually) – are great for trying mountain biking NZ style. The most famous is Rotorua’s Redwoods Whakarewarewa Forest, but among legions of others are Wellington’s Makara Peak, Auckland’s Woodhill Forest and Queenstown’s downhill park, fed by the Skyline Gondola.

Classic trails include the 42 Traverse around Tongariro National Park, the Rameka on Takaka Hill and the trails around Christchurch’s Port Hills – but this is just the tip of the iceberg. An increasing number of DOC hiking trails are being converted to dual use – such as the tricky but epic Heaphy Track and challenging, history-rich Old Ghost Road – but mountain biking is often restricted to low season due to hiker numbers. Track damage is also an issue, so check with DOC before starting out.

Your clue that there’s some great biking around is the presence of bike-hire outfits. Bowl on up and pick their brains. Most likely cycle-obsessed themselves, they’ll soon point you in the direction of a ride appropriate to your level. The go-to book is Classic New Zealand Mountain Bike Rides (from bookshops, bike shops and www.kennett.co.nz).

If cycle touring is more your pace, check out the Pedallers’ Paradise booklets by Nigel Rushton (www.paradise-press.co.nz). Changeable weather and road conditions mean that cycle touring is less of a craze but there are remarkable road journeys, such as the Southern Scenic Route in the deep south.

Mountaineering

NZ has a proud mountaineering history − this was, after all, the home of Sir Edmund Hillary (1919–2008), who, along with Tenzing Norgay, was the first mountaineer confirmed to summit Mt Everest.

The Southern Alps are studded with amazing climbs. The Aoraki/Mt Cook region is outstanding; but there are other zones extending throughout the spine of the South Island from the Kaikoura Ranges and the Nelson Lakes peaks all the way through to the hotbeds of Mt Aspiring National Park and Fiordland. Be warned, though: this is rugged and often remote stuff, and climber deaths are a regular occurrence. Even confident climbers are strongly advised to seek out a local guide, whatever the route.

The Christchurch-based New Zealand Alpine Club (www.alpineclub.org.nz) has background, news and useful links, and produces the annual NZAC Alpine Journal and quarterly The Climber magazine. It also has details on upcoming climbing courses.

TAKING THE LEAP

Bungy jumping was made famous by Kiwi AJ Hackett’s 1987 plunge from the Eiffel Tower, after which he teamed up with champion NZ skier Henry van Asch to turn the endeavour into an accessible pursuit for anyone.

Today their original home base of Queenstown is a spiderweb of bungy cords, including the AJ Hackett’s triad: the 134m Nevis Bungy (the highest in NZ); the 43m Kawarau Bungy (the original); and the Ledge Bungy (at the highest altitude – diving off a 400m-high platform). There’s another scenic jump at Thrillseekers Canyon near Hanmer Springs. On the North Island, head to Taihape, Rotorua or Auckland, although the most scenic jump is over the Waikato River in Taupo. Huge rope swings offer variation on the theme; head to Queenstown’s Shotover Canyon or Nevis Swing for that swooshy buzz.

With some of the most scenic skydiving jump zones in the world, New Zealand is a fantastic place to take a leap. First-time skydivers can knock off this bucket-list item with a tandem jump, strapped to a qualified instructor, experiencing up to 75 seconds of free fall before the chute opens. The thrill is worth every dollar, from $249 for a 9000ft jump to $559 for NZ’s highest free-fall jump (a nerve-jangling 19,000ft, on offer in Franz Josef). Extra costs apply for a DVD or photographs capturing your mid-air terror/delight.

A surprisingly gentle but still thrilling way to take to the skies, paragliding involves setting sail from a hillside or clifftop under a parachute-like wing. Hang gliding is similar but with a smaller, rigid wing. Most flights are conducted in tandem with a master pilot, although it’s also possible to get lessons to go it alone. To give it a whirl, try a tandem flight in Queenstown, Wanaka, Nelson, Motueka, Hawke’s Bay, Christchurch or Auckland.

Rock Climbing

Time to chalk up your fingers and don some natty little rubber shoes. On the North Island, popular rock-climbing areas include Whanganui Bay, Kinloch, Kawakawa Bay and Motuoapa near Lake Taupo; Mangatepopo Valley and Whakapapa Gorge on the Central Plateau; Humphries Castle and Warwick Castle on Mt Taranaki; and Piarere and popular Wharepapa South in the Waikato.

On the South Island, try the Port Hills area above Christchurch or Castle Hill on the road to Arthur’s Pass. West of Nelson, the marble and limestone mountains of Golden Bay and Takaka Hill provide prime climbing. Other options are Long Beach (north of Dunedin), and Mihiwaka and Lovers Leap on the Otago Peninsula.

Raining? You’ll find indoor climbing walls all around the country, including at Rotorua, Whangarei, Auckland, Tauranga, Taupo, Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton.

Climb New Zealand (www.climb.co.nz) has the low-down on the gnarliest overhangs around NZ, plus access and instruction info. Needless to say, instruction is a must for all but the most-seasoned climbing pros.

Rock climber, Whanganui Bay | TOM HOYLE/GETTY IMAGES ©

Caving

Caving (aka spelunking) opportunities abound in NZ’s honeycombed karst (limestone) regions. You’ll find local clubs and organised tours around Auckland, Waitomo, Whangarei, Charleston and Karamea. Golden Bay also has some mammoth caves. Waitomo is home to ‘black-water rafting’: like white-water rafting but inside a pitch-black cave!

For comprehensive information including details of specific areas and clubs, see the website of the New Zealand Speleological Society (www.caves.org.nz).

Scuba Diving & Snorkelling

NZ is just as enchanting under the waves, with warm waters in the north, interesting sea life all over and some impressive shipwrecks. The flag-bearer is the Poor Knights Islands, where subtropical currents carry and encourage a vibrant mix of sea life. Also rich with marine life is the wreck of the Greenpeace flagship Rainbow Warrior, which slumbers beneath the Cavalli Islands (reached from Matauri Bay).

Other notable sites for scuba and snorkelling include the Bay of Islands, Hauraki Gulf, Goat Island and Gisborne’s Te Tapuwae o Rongokako Marine Reserve. In the Marlborough Sounds, the MS Mikhail Lermontov is one of the world’s largest diveable cruise-ship wrecks. In Fiordland, experienced divers can head for Dusky Sound, Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, which have clear conditions and the occasional friendly fur seal or dolphin. Snorkellers should check out the reefs of Taputeranga Marine Reserve (Wellington) and wildlife-rich Waiheke Island.

Expect to pay anywhere from $160 for a short, introductory, pool-based scuba course, and around $600 for a four-day, PADI-approved, ocean-dive course. One-off organised boat- and land-based dives start at around $170.

Clean seas and diving-safety advocates New Zealand Underwater Association (www.nzunderwater.org.nz) website has safety info, diving tips, gear maintenance advice and more.

Skiing & Snowboarding

New Zealand is a premier southern-hemisphere destination for snow bunnies, where wintry pursuits span all levels: family-friendly ski areas, cross-country (Nordic) skiing, daredevil snowboarding terrain and pulse-quickening heliskiing. The NZ ski season varies between areas but it’s generally mid-June through September, though