New Zealand's Great Walks

The "Great Walks" are generally regarded as New Zealand's premier multi-day hikes. They have been afforded special status in order to better regulate the numbers of hikers on the trails to enhance the experience of those people, and to eliminate or minimise overcrowding and erosion isuues. The number of hikers is regulated by requiring pre-booking of beds in the backcountry huts along these tracks. During the main season, the cost for staying in these huts is considerably higher than fgor a normal backcountry hut, which helps subsidise the extra management required, but at the same time, the facilities are far better, with solar-powered lighting, gas stoves and flush toilets.

The tracks that make up the Great Walks are listed below:

North Island

• Lake Waikaremoana Track - one of the more gentle Great Walks, this 46km track circumnavigates the picturesque Lake Waikaremoana over the course of 3 or 4 days, with plenty of opportunities for fishing and swimming.
• Tongariro Northern Circuit, part of which is the Tongariro Crossing. This 3-4 day track traverses up and around some of the most stunning volcanic scenery that New Zealand has to offer.
• Whanganui Journey - not strictly a great walk - this is an odd-one-out as it is actually a kayak trip - 145km down the Whanganui River, from Taumarunui to Pipiriki, which takes around 5 days, though it can be turned into a shorter 3-day trip with an exit at Pipiriki. This is an awesome adventure, visiting places only accessible by river, as it was in the early days of exploration and colonisation, by both Maori and Europeans.

South Island

• The Milford Track is the jewel in New Zealand's hiking crown, an extremely popular 4-day track through Fiordland, from Lake Te Anau to the stunning Milford Sound.
• The Routeburn Track is a 32km, 3-day tramp between Glenorchy and The Divide, crossing through Mt Aspiring and Fiordland National parks.
• The Kepler Track, at 60km, is possibly the most challenging of the Great Walks, taking 3-4 days to complete. It is also the course for the Kepler Challenge - an 'ultra-marathon' trail running race of the entire track, which takes the winners around 5 hours to complete!
• The Abel Tasman Coastal Track is one of the most popular tramps for visitors to the country as it runs along the coastline of the sunniest part of the South Island, featuring some stunning beaches of golden sand and crystal-clear water.
• The Heaphy Track is another hike in the northern South Island and at 79km (4-6 days) is the longest of the Great Walks, with some of the most diverse scenery, from the forests of the Kahurangi National Park to scenic West Coast beaches. It is also unique in that it is open to mountain bikers during the Winter Season.

Stewart Island

• The Rakiura Track is a 2-3 day, 30-37km track with a great mix of beach and forest scenery.