Hiking in New Zealand

"Tramping"

New Zealand is a hiking paradise. The Department of Conservation (DOC) gets a large slice of the country's annual budget, and it is responsible for the care and development of New Zealand's outdoors, making it available and accessible to everyone. DOC manages a huge number of tracks over the whole country, along with hundreds of backcountry huts and campsites. Hiking is known as "tramping" by most New Zealanders, so you will often hear people say they're off for a tramp - which could surprise you if you haven't heard the term before!

The length of tracks maintained by DOC vary from short 30-minute scenic strolls to long-distance back-country trails in remote areas, such as the 8+ day Dusky Track in Fiordland. The style and level of maintenance of track varies - some of the shorter tracks will be well-graded, some even wheelchair-accessible, whereas at the the other end of the scale are the "poled routes" where the trail is marked by poles every hundred metres or so, with no clearly defined trail. The majority of tracks however are marked at regular intervals by bright orange plastic triangles. At the start of each trail, and at every major track junction there are signposts marking the different routes, along with approximate times to each destination along that route. Hiking times are given, rather than distances, in order to avoid trouble or confusion, as depending on "undulations" (aka hills) on the trail, not all kilometres are created equal!

For overnight hikes, for most of the well-used trails there will be backcountry huts spaced at regular intervals, and often camping spots available by each hut, and possibly other campsites along the way. There is a charge for using the huts and campsites, which varies on the facilities available.

The most spectacular and popular overnight hikes in New Zealand have been organised into the "Great Walks" of New Zealand. These tracks are more regulated, with only a certain number of hikers allowed to be on the track at any given time. You have to reserve your bunks in the huts each night in advance, and for some tracks, in particular the world-famous Milford Track, spots are booked out months in advance, so you have to get in quick. You can read more about these tracks on our page about New Zealand's Great Walks.

There are many other amazing multi-day hikes other than the Great Walks though, and we have listed them on our page on Popular New Zealand Tramps

If you are more interested in a "trekking" style hike, where the facilities are better, and you aren't required to carry a heavy backpack, then read more about it on our page on Trekking in New Zealand

Hiking Clothing

The weather in New Zealand can be variable, and so when hiking, you need to make sure you're carrying the appropriate clothing. A layering system is best, where you can add or remove layers depending on the conditions at the time. Most seasoned New Zealand hikers will always be carrying a waterproof shell/Gore-tex rainjacket or similar - even if the sun is shining.

On some of the "scenic" walks you might see people wearing all manner of shoes on their feet, but all too-often people are caught out using inadequate footwear, and we would recommend always using a closed shoe - no sandals or flip-flops! On day hikes, some people are comfortable wearing trail-running or "approach" shoes, but for longer trails, a proper leather or fabric/Gore-tex hiking boot is required.

We've put together a bit of advice on what to pack for your hiking missions - whether for just a day-trip, or a multi-day tramp - read more in our guide to New Zealand hiking gearlists and packing advice.

Hiking Safety

Before heading out on a significant day hike, or any overnight track, you are required to register your intentions with DOC, usually at the local DOC office, in person or over the phone, or in a book provided at the start of the track. Once you have finished the track, you must always remember to sign out again, otherwise a search may be initiated. In each hut there is a Hut Book, which you should always complete when you visit the hut, even if you aren't staying there overnight, as in case you go missing, there is some recorded proof where you had been. The Hutbooks generally make great reading in any case, as there are comments from everyone who has stayed there, often very amusing.

Many of the larger and more popular backcountry hut have resident wardens, who have access to radios in case of ermergencies, but this should not be relied on. Emergency beacons are freely available to hire all around New Zealand, at very reasonable rates. These can be triggered in an emergency, and Search And Rescue services will be notified by satellite of your position, and will organise a team to come and provide assistance - by helicopter in the first instance, or by motor vehicle and/or foot if conditions are poor. Once triggered, you should stay put and wait for help. However, these should only be used in case of emergency - if you trigger one because you've run out of Snickers bars, or forgot that the final episode of "Gray's Anatomy" was on television and you wanted to catch it, then you may be charged for the call-out, and helicopters are expensive!

Hiking Trips

ACTIVE NEW ZEALAND runs a number of trips that include both day hikes and longer overnight and multi-day tramps - you can see see what we have to offer on our page on New Zealand Hiking Tours