The Great Walks of New Zealand

Anyone who visits New Zealand will learn quickly that one of the country’s best attractions is the great outdoors.  The country goes to great lengths to provide safe, clean and accessible wilderness, with a strong conservation program.  Whether you’re here just to sample the Kiwi lifestyle or visiting for the Rugby World Cup or other events, one great outdoors activity you might want to consider are the Great Walks of New Zealand.

The Great Walks are a series of 9 walks that the country has designated as some of the best.  These trails are what I’d call “epic” – they are days long, not miles, and they cross viewpoints and terrain considered some of the world’s most scenic.  They’ll remind you why this country was the backdrop for the Lord of the Rings, and show you why so many tourists come back year after year.

If the idea of walking in the remote wilderness for 3 days (or up to a week) sounds daunting, hear me out. Many of the walks offer easier, smaller portioned hikes that you can do as day trips from other towns in the area.

Here’s some more information about the walks – hopefully you can find some time to try one during your next trip.  PS: in New Zealand, hiking is often called “tramping.”

Abel Tasman Coastal Walk

What are the Walks?

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The nine walks include:

• Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk - winds around the lake of the same name. It’s a 3-4 day hike in the northeast corner of the North Island – one of the more remote hikes, with lush greenery the entire way. Although long, it is a moderate difficulty track.
• Tongariro Northern Circuit – smack in the middle of the North Island is this walk, which will take you through the ins and outs of Mt Tongariro and Mt Ngauruhoe. Due to the altitude this hike is often subject to rough weather conditions, so be mindful. 3-4 days of walking.
• The Whanganui Journey – south central on the Northern Island, this is one of the more unique walks on the list because it’s a river walk – you’ll journey by canoe. There is a 3 day and a 5 day journey, and floating down this scenic stretch of the world must be one of the most incredible.
• Abel Tasman Coast Track – one of the easier treks, which includes an easy day journey option, you’ll get sea views almost the entire route, plus hidden beaches. Abel Tasman National Park is on the north shore of the south island, and you’ll need 3-5 days to to do the whole route.
• Heaphy Track – the longest of the the great walks, this route extends around the whole northwest corner of the south islands. There are forests, seas, rivers and streams. Mountain biking is also allowed during May-September. From Karamea, you can drive to the train and spend the day doing a bit of a taster.
• Routeburn Track – down in the far southwest corner of the South Island, this track is very remote and just beautiful. You can get a guide for hikes on this route, if you’re feeling a bit nervous about 3 days without contact with the outside world.
• Milford Track – also in the southwest corner of the south island, this 4 day hike is gorgeous – you’ll see some of the hidden sights of Fjordland, and you can also get a guide for this hike. Day trippers can sample the Milford by basing yourself in Te Anau.
• Kepler Track - another Fjordland walk, this track takes you through some just incredible fjord scenery – Kepler is what many trampers say is the most picturesque, but it’s long, and a 3-4 day journey.
• Rakiura Track - Rakiura is on the tiny island called Stewart island, just off the south coast of the south island. You’ll have to take the ferry there from Bluff, but if you’re going all that way, this 3 day hike is a great way to see much of the island.

What do you need to bring with you?

The golden rule in all parks: leave only footprints.  So, anything you bring with you, must leave with you. And there are no fancy facilities along the trails, just your basics: a cold shower hose, and outhouse with a sink here and there, and the bunk houses, which have nothing more than a plastic mattress for your sleeping bag. So, you will need to bring everything.

Many of the hostels and accommodation units near trails are used to visitors who want to go hiking, and so they’ll loan you (sometimes for a fee) the gear you need, such as sleeping bags or plates and cups.  This makes it a lot easier than packing at home, but be sure to scope these things out before hand.  And of course towns have grocery stores and the like.

For those of you that are experienced campers, this might not be so bad, but if you’ve never done remote wilderness camping where you have to carry everything with you for days, you might want to read up on this some more.  (The DOC website mentioned below is a great start.)

Even daytrippers need to consider gear.  Know where you’re headed and be sure to pack some warm, waterproof gear in case rain, fog, or other bad weather catches up with you.  Water, snacks are also important.

And always, always make sure someone is expecting you.  In most of New Zealand, there is little or no mobile coverage, so you will want someone waiting for you on the other end, who can alert rangers if you do not show up.  On most tracks, there is a sign in board, so that the rangers know if you’ve entered and haven’t left – please take advantage of this helpful service.   Better safe than sorry.

Kepler Track

To Learn More

The Department of Conservation (DOC) maintains all of New Zealand’s official park spaces, and runs the accommodation and trail maintenance.  Their website has a wealth of information on parks, admission fees, what to bring, what to expect, and even has online booking capacity – making it easy for foreign tourists to have a great experience while being respectful of the environment.  Check the website’s Great Walks page for a great place to start planning your great walk.

Photo Credit: Hector Garcia, Tim Musson