The Kids

Kipton (9) and Nathan Parkes (10) did their first Great Walk – the Routeburn – when they were 6 and 8 respectively.

“I was a bit overwhelmed at first, because I’d never done a multi-day hike before,” says Nathan. But once underway, he felt okay.

His mother Jennifer describes Kipton as her “mountain goat”. “We have to weigh him down so he doesn’t walk so fast,” she says. Both boys carried all their own gear.

The family had already ticked off Mueller Hut, Roy’s Peak and Isthmus Peak – all 14–16km day trips – so they figured they could do a Great Walk. They chose the Routeburn because it was just 33km. Their second Great Walk was the 66km Kepler.

“You can shorten the Kepler, but the kids wanted to do the whole thing,” says Jennifer.

The family’s advice for under-tens contemplating a Great Walk?

“Just put one foot in front of the other,” says Nathan.

“Keep walking. Slow down instead of stopping,” says Kipton. “And remember, when you get sore muscles, they get stronger.”

Jennifer says to take food you know the kids will eat. “The biggest mistake we made on our first Great Walk was taking all freeze-dried food, and by the time we got to day three they were over it. On the Kepler we took fresh ravioli, bacon and egg pie and sandwiches – food we eat at home.”

She also recommends doing interesting overnighters beforehand. “Make sure the trails you’re practising aren’t flat boardwalks, to keep the kids entertained. They’ve got no time to complain if they’re busy figuring it out.”

The Young Adult

Samantha Mythen, 26, did her first Great Walk, the Abel Tasman Coast Track, as a school trip in year eight and her second, the Routeburn, with her father when in year 13.

“I grew up tramping with my dad, so we’d done a lot of mountain hikes,” she says. “The Abel Tasman was comparatively easier and beachier. It was so nice to be able to swim at the end of each day. I also enjoyed sharing my love of tramping with friends who hadn’t been tramping before.”

Meeting international travellers on the tracks helped her see the landscape with fresh eyes. “It definitely made me want to do all the Great Walks.”

Samantha went on to do the Whanganui Journey and the Kepler in 2021. She says the uniqueness of the Great Walks is a big attraction – from the sandy beaches of Abel Tasman to snow on the Routeburn.

Her advice for potential great walkers? “As a teenager, it’s a great way to go hiking with your family. In your twenties, it’s a great way to get your friends into hiking. The walks are easy in terms of accessibility, and they’re all well marked with good facilities.

“I also recommend doing them in the off-season when there are hardly any other people.”

Now based in Wellington after a stint overseas, Samantha says hiking is a way of life and she is grateful that she was taught to do it safely. “It’s helped me to become the solo traveller I am. I owe that love of adventure to my dad.”

The Thirty-Something

Rachael Manson walked six of the Great Walks in her thirties, starting with the Whanganui Journey to celebrate a friend’s birthday. Until that invitation, she says she was “adjacent to outdoorsy people”.

“I’d always been interested in tramping, and the Great Walks are quite accessible.”

Next was Rakiura. In terms of favourites, though, it’s a tie between the Milford and the Routeburn.

“The scenery is so incredible on the Milford. I kept pinching myself as I was walking because it’s hard to get a booking and I felt so privileged to be there, and fit enough and able to do it,” says the now 40-year-old.

Wellington was a good training ground in terms of the hills and weather, but she says the Great Walks aren’t all about the challenge.

“I think they offer something else. They’re in such beautiful parts of the country. The tracks are in really good condition so you can appreciate where you are and not have to worry about your feet. In the Tararua you have to focus on your feet, especially if you’ve got dodgy ankles like me.”

After booking the Routeburn, Rachael injured her ankle on a training walk and spent two months in a moon boot. She was left with just six weeks to get fit, and was relieved to find her baseline fitness was enough.

Her advice for other thirty-somethings is that it’s a good age to have a go at a Great Walk, especially if you haven’t done much tramping. “In your thirties you have the fitness, the confidence and life experience and often the money, as Great Walks can be quite expensive.”

Rachael has booked the Heaphy for January 2025 and is keen to do the Kepler or the Hump Ridge in the future.

“I like having a tramp booked – then I’ve got motivation, especially in winter. I know the effort I put in beforehand makes it a more enjoyable experience.”

The Midlifer

Andrea Buchannan got serious about hiking at 54. “My first Great Walk was Lake Waikaremoana,” she says. “I’d got separated from my group on day two and fell flat on my chest with my 15kg pack on top of me. I actually felt my sternum flex. I made it back to the hut in tears and was adamant I would sell all my gear when I got back to Auckland.”

But she didn’t, because hiking satisfies her physical, mental and spiritual needs. “There was more of a need for me to do it. I would have been lacking if I gave it up.”

Andrea went on to walk the Routeburn, then hiked the Tongariro Northern Circuit by herself, where she fell in love with solo hiking. She’s doing the Kepler on her own in November as an early sixtieth birthday present.

“Some people get to a certain age and give up, and I don’t want that to be me,” she says.

After being diagnosed with Ménière’s Disease, which affects balance and hearing, Andrea is mindful of taking her time, especially above the bushline. She has also started going to the gym seriously and says that’s helped immeasurably with fitness.

Her advice to potential Great Walkers of a similar age is to be kind to yourself and do some training. “I’m down to an 11kg pack and I recommend training heavier and doing your walk lighter. Also don’t let age stop you – and stay curious. Ask, what if I could do this? Then go ahead and surprise yourself.”

The Retiree

Colin Smith’s love of the outdoors spans a lifetime. Colin, 77, did his first two Great Walks – the Heaphy and the Abel Tasman – in the 1980s with his intermediate school-aged sons. He’s since gone on to walk another five, including the Kepler and the Rakiura in his sixties and Lake Waikaremoana in his early seventies. In between he’s walked everything from a regular loop around his neighbourhood to the Wangapeka.

“For most of my adult life I was a member of Geraldine Tramping Club. I have kept active doing day walks and multi-day tramps, mostly in the South Island,” he says.

Staying fit in retirement meant Colin didn’t notice much difference between doing a Great Walk in his sixties and one in his early seventies. Now, though, he would need to train. While the keen birdwatcher walks 7km most days, he hasn’t been on any multi-day tramps since Covid lockdowns.

“To go on a Great Walk now would take a deliberate training period to top up my fitness again. I can still walk 15km, but that’s without a big pack.”

He’s considering doing the Paparoa Track in summer.

Colin’s advice to anyone thinking of tackling a Great Walk later in life is to train for it. “As we get older, fitness and stamina reduce more quickly, so it requires regular exercise over an extended period to build up to the level required for a multi-day Great Walk.”

His sixties and seventies have been a chance to embrace tramping on his own terms.

“The period from retirement through to mid-seventies is a lovely tramping time. It revolves around having the time and energy to do whatever you choose.”