5 minute read
New Zealand's 10 Great Walks
1. Tongariro Northern Circuit in the North Island is an adventure of Tolkien proportions
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Most walks on Earth don’t look like this. With desert plains that crash into red craters, steaming blisters, neon-bright lakes and three enormous volcanic peaks, this is doomsday meets the great Gates of Mordor. In fact, Mt Ngāuruhoe towers one-kilometre overhead and when it’s not brooding silently, poses for The Lord of the Rings’ fans as the ominous Mount Doom. This three-day circuit initially follows the popular Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but when the path splits, a barren, lunar-like landscape dares you to go further.
2. Lake Waikaremoana in the North Island is magical tales along magical trails
No one can resist the promise of a goblin forest, ethereal waterfalls and Patupaiarehe (forest fairies). Lake Waikaremoana is located in Te Urewera, an area long considered the ancestral home of the Ngāi Tūhoe tribe – the ‘Children of the Mist’, and since 2014, an independent legal identity. This means that Mother Nature is 100 per cent in charge here. Since Tūhoe were made legal guardians of Te Urewera, the land has been allowed to flourish. It's a highly spiritual place that full enchants walkers over the course of three to four days.
3. Whanganui Journey in the North Island is the one that masquerades as a walk
Is there any such thing as a 150km walk where you get to sit down the entire time? In New Zealand there is. Paddling a kayak downstream, the Whanganui Journey is a three to five-day river adventure. You can find more information online at www.doc.govt.nz.
4. Routeburn Track in the South Island is larger than life
How strange it is to feel so far removed from the real world, while being in the very thick of the real world. There is no phone reception along the 32km Routeburn Track; no burning emails, social posts, messages or memes. There is only nature. On any given day (there are three in total), you’ll be walking through clouds, staring into crystalline blue lakes or trailing, like ants, between enormous glacial-carved valleys. Easily the most beautiful landscape you’ll ever have the pleasure to walk through. Get ready for this world-renowned walk and head to page
5. Kepler Track in the South Island is mountains for miles
For a trail that spends much of its time above the tree line, bathing in lofty mountainous views and never-ending panoramas, look no further than the Kepler Track. For 60km and four days, navigate knife-like ridgelines, gaze across snow-capped peaks and stare into lakes many miles below. At dusk, the sky becomes a canvas for the sun to slay with colour, and by morning mountain kea, aka naughty alpine parrots, will be tapping at the window. These notorious thieves like to recce the area, like a feathered rendition of Ocean’s Eleven.
6. Milford Track in the South Island is the finest walk in the world
Or so said poet, Blanche Baughan in 1908 having experienced the four-day, 53.5km walk for herself. Arriving here is like being plucked from modern life and deposited in an untouched pocket of the planet. From one beautiful waterfall to the next, mountain-reflecting lakes and a level of green that only nature knows how to create, Blanche may have been an expressive poet, but she didn’t exaggerate this one.
7. Heaphy Track in the South Island is nature like you've never seen it before
If ever there were ‘Seven Natural Wonders of New Zealand’, you’d find them all on the Heaphy Track. There are nīkau palms, which means ‘no nuts’ in Māori because these nutless palm trees don’t have coconuts, and powelliphanta, giant carnivorous snails that feed on huge portions of earth worms like it’s spaghetti. There are also ruru, the native owl, and gnarly Brother Grimms-style trees called rātā, as well as fluffy kiwis, an extremely rare blue duck and the jagged peaks of the Dragons Teeth mountain range. You have 78km and four days to find them all.
8. Paparoa Track & Pike29 Memorial Track in the South Island is the newest Great Walk in 25 years
It’s the newest Great Walk to join the repertoire, but Paparoa Track is hugely historic. From its 1930s miners hut to a 100-year-old quartz crushing battery, remnants of the past are frozen in time; none more poignant than the memorial site commemorating 29 lost lives of the Pike River explosions. Crossing the Paparoa Range on a track built for both mountain bikers and walkers, the trail climbs steeply over 55km and three days.Steadfast trampers are rewarded with river gorges, limestone cliffs and sunsets worthy of applause.
9. Abel Tasman Coast Track in the South Island is a beach holiday
Whereas many Great Walks are about the beech, this one’s all about the beach. With 60km of flat coastal track that ducks in and out of bay-peeking forest, togs are just as necessary as tramping boots. If the weather plays nice, you’ll be presented with one blue vista after another. Navigate various low tide crossings to reach empty beaches and surprising swimming holes such as Cleopatra’s Cove. With a fresh forest scent and near silence, save for the sound of crashing waves, this one not only looks good, it sounds and smells pretty special, too. Familiarise yourself with this track's every detail on page 58 of the e-book.
10. Rakiura Track in Stewart Island is heaven for Kiwis and kiwi!
Stewart Island is the most untouched place New Zealand has to offer. It’s a wild droplet of Aotearoa that has eloped from the mainland but still plays host to the 32-kilometre, long-looped Rakiura Track. Unexpectedly radiant, the trail weaves in and out of verdant forest, dropping into secret beaches lapped by cobalt water. You won’t have to tramp far to find a private sliver of sand, or a preoccupied kiwi rustling in the bush. Stewart Island boasts high numbers of our flightless birds, and better still, they’re tamer than most. Find out more about this beauty on page 86 of the e-book. Stewart Island’s weather is very changeable and difficult to predict, so check online before stepping out.
