Every walk is a great walk. I’ve just come back from a trip to Crosbies Hut in the Coromandel Peninsula, which involved terrific amounts of mud. Not Rakiura North West Circuit levels of mud, but enough to make us well and truly sick of the sight and smell of it by the time we reached the hut. But despite that, you can’t tell me it’s not a great tramp.

On the way I spied Table Mountain through a clearing in the bush. That particular ‘mountain’ was the scene of New Zealand’s worst tramp (I should know, I did it – see the January 2014 issue). The suffer-fest that walk became is what makes it great (trust me on that, because you definitely do not want to go there).

At Crosbies we were treated to incredible views of the Coromandel. Two nurses aged 60-plus were staying at the hut. One, from Tauranga, was training to walk the Camino Way in Spain and testing her pack and gear before setting off. The other, from Thames, used to manage Pinnacles Hut with her husband, who was the hut’s longtime warden. They both had some great stories to share.

Also at Crosbies is a memorial to the two Swedish backpackers who are thought to have been killed nearby. An information board shares more history – of settlement, farming, gum digging and the creation of the forest park. History, even when tragic, adds an element to a trip and helps make it great. (Think how bad the mud must have been for those early settlers who farmed the area and travelled by horse or horse-drawn sledge!) 

Another way every walk is a great walk: I’ve just ticked over 800km for the year on my Walk1200km challenge and I’ve enjoyed every one of my (very nearly) daily strolls. Sure, you’d be hard-pressed to call a walk around my neighbourhood great, but the cumulative effect of these walks has been nothing less than great for my body, mind and fitness. 

So as we celebrate the splendid 11 Great Walks of New Zealand in this issue, remember: whether you’re a walker or a tramper, greatness can be found anywhere, any time.