New Zealand's Great Nine
New Zealand has a vast array of well-kept walkways and tracks providing access to unique wilderness areas and virgin rain forests. Energetic hikers (New Zealanders call them trampers) can discover glacier-carved valleys and traverse mountain passes, while the more sedate day-walker can explore golden beaches, bush walks and other sites of scenic interest. About one third of New Zealand's sparsely populated land has been set aside in National Parks or reserves for the benefit and enjoyment of the public and increasing numbers of eco-tourists.
While opportunities for exploration exist all over the country, nine destinations are recognised as special and have been designated ‘Great Walks’ by the Department of Conservation. Ranging in duration from two to six days and covering a variety of original and modified landscapes, they offer basic accommodation in huts, and safe, well-maintained tracks. All except one - the Abel Tasman coastal track in the north of the South Island - are situated in the mountains, and all offer guided tours for which bookings are essential. The high season starts in October and lasts until April.
Milford Track
The Milford Track in Fiordland, New Zealand’s largest National Park, is the most famous of all. Visitors spend four days and three nights following historic Maori routes through a dramatic landscape of forest-covered valleys, mountains and steep fiords from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound. Bookings are necessary well in advance, for both independent and guided walks.
Routeburn Track
Also in the South Island, the Routeburn Track has some of the most diverse scenery: forests, alpine flora, lakes, several waterfalls and panoramic views - all in three days covering 39 kilometres (24 miles).
Kepler Track
The Kepler is a loop track beginning and ending at the Fiordland National Park Visitor Centre in Te Anau. It takes four days and traverses lakeside forest and open tussock grasslands, with one day spent walking along the mountain tops above the bush line.
Rakiura Track
Wilderness explorers wanting to experience the ‘end of the earth’ will head for Stewart Island, New Zealand’s southernmost and least-populated (one village with 400 people) island. It has the most unpredictable weather, the most bird life and more mud than anywhere else, but its Rakiura Track is, nevertheless, a Great Walk. Mud can by avoided by keeping to the planked walkway, which makes this three-day walk possible at any time of year. Its gradients are gentle - the highest point is only 300 metres - and two huts provide accommodation.
Heaphy Track
Similarly undemanding in its gradients is the Heaphy Track, another Great Walk near the north-western tip of the South Island. This covers about 80km (around 50 miles) and is best walked in five days. It is accessible year round, but in winter snow may make the higher sections chilly. Its attractions are the nikau-lined beach at its western end, red tussock downs, lush beech forests and alpine herb fields.
Abel Tasman Coastal Track
Light walking shoes are all you need for the Abel Tasman Coastal Track at the top of the South Island. The time you take to cover its 50 kilometres (31 miles) will depend on how long you linger on its golden beaches. Five huts and 21 campsites offer accommodation, but transport has to be arranged from one end or the other.
Only three Great Walks are in the North Island - the Tongariro Northern Circuit, the Lake Waikaremoana Track and the Whanganui Journey. Each offers a distinctive and different landscape with challenges for the energetic.
Tongariro Northern Circuit
The Tongariro Northern Circuit is a loop track of three and a half days, starting and finishing at the foot of Mount Ruapehu. Nothing equals the drama of this active volcanic region with its lava formations, tussock grassland, fumaroles and geysers and emerald green mineral lakes. The area was the setting for the scenes at Mordor in New Zealander Director Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. Because of its altitude and climatic conditions, it is best walked from late November to March, unless you are equipped with crampons and ice axes. Those with less time can walk one section, called the Tongariro Crossing, one of New Zealand’s most renowned day walks.
Lake Waikaremoana Track
Lake Waikaremoana is situated further east of the central volcanic plateau, in one of the North Island’s most remote regions. The track is 46km (28 miles) long and takes the walker on a four to five day trip around the lake. Except for one day spent climbing a steep bluff, the track follows a leisurely path through rain forest.
Whanganui Journey
While named as one of New Zealand's 'Great Walks', the Whanganui Journey is actually a kayak or canoe journey 145km down the Whanganui River. Beginning in Taumaranui, the journey takes an average of five days to complete, providing a special way to experience early New Zealand history. For hundreds of years the river was an important travelling route for Maori who lived along its shores, and in the early days of European settlement it was a veritable highway for steamboats of every size. Today the river,and the beautiful lowland forest that it wanders through, is protected by a national park for much of its journey.
What you need
For any of these walks a Great Walks Pass is needed to stay in the huts, but no permits or admission fees are required for day walking. Numerous other areas provide day walks through areas of unique flora and fauna and one of note is the Coromandel Peninsula, two hours' drive from New Zealand's largest city, Auckland. The virgin rain forest that once covered much of the peninsula was heavily logged in the late 19th century and visitors can see the remains of enormous dams and tramways used to transport logs of the giant and much-prized kauri trees. The regenerated forest is spectacular and the coast has isolated bays of exceptional beauty.
Options for day walkers
Day-walkers not wanting to leave the city far behind can set out from Auckland with a map of the Waitakere Ranges, which fringe its western shore. These tracks skirt high cliffs and cross wild beaches of black sand.
New Zealand’s sparse population and large wilderness areas mean that most walking tracks are remote from the comforts of civilisation. Facilities at the 900 huts maintained by the Department of Conservation are basic and walkers need to equip themselves with adequate food and clothing. Weather conditions can change rapidly, especially in the mountains, and it is essential, even in summer, to carry warm, waterproof clothing. No hike should be undertaken without consulting a detailed guide book and a map.
Further Information:
Great Walks Booking Desk
Email greatwalksbooking@doc.govt.nz
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