Kiwi trampers often shun guided walks in favour of the independence and cheaper cost of doing it themselves, but as Paul King discovers there are real benefits to paying for a guide
Long before Tarawera and Mark Twain deposited ash on Lake Waikaremoana, guides have been plying their trade in the New Zealand outdoors. Even so, I never thought for a moment I’d end up standing on top of Gordon’s Pyramid in Kahurangi National Park with a bunch of other guided trampers I’d only just met – and enjoying myself. I love the outdoors and can think of nothing better than bashing through bush or sitting on the deck of some lonely hut, enjoying the view while sipping from a steaming cuppa. So when the opportunity came to do a guided walk around the South Island’s coast and mountains, my first thought was ‘Why?’ Guided walks seemed to rub against the grain of everything I enjoy about being out there: the freedom, the isolation – and most of all, the independence. If nothing else, I like to choose when to stop and start. Surely that’s reason enough not to take a guided walk. But after some thought I decided to give it a go and soon discovered that those who choose to walk in the guided way are as many and varied as there are tracks to walk. Outdoors people the world over have a great deal in common: they love to talk, to share their lives, and to get outdoors to experience the environment, regardless of their background. And it’s not simply baby-boomers having a final cash re-distribution flurry in their golden years. The youngest tramper one company has guided is four years old, the oldest 83. With many guiding companies providing serious adventure options, there appears to be no shortage of couples, singles, backpackers, retirees and young professionals who want to enjoy the friendship and safety found in a group of like-minded people. I could be forgiven, too, for thinking that the vast majority of those using guiding companies are European and North American. The guiding companies I spoke to told me it varies depending on the difficulty and type of guided walk, but up to 50 per cent of their clients are Australians and New Zealanders, with northern hemisphere trampers making up the majority of the rest. Regardless of their provenance, just about everyone loves the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and overseas visitors in particular often take advantage of many other New Zealand Great Walks while they’re here to do it. For Australians, it’s the short trip across the ditch that makes guided walks so appealing. Without a major long-haul flight to contend with, they can jet into Auckland or Christchurch and be in the bush within the day. But even those from the Northern Hemisphere looking for a short tramping getaway come here, and they do it for many reasons. “The landscape around my city is very flat and boring,” German entertainment-industry lawyer Oliver Ehrmann, who lives in Heidelberg, told me. “You have to drive for at least four hours before you find something interesting. I had two months free time and wondered where the most remote place would be that I could go tramping. I had the choice between Canada and New Zealand, and I chose New Zealand. I’m happy with my choice.” [caption id="attachment_20932" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]

Four guided trips to consider
Gillespie/Rabbit Pass, eight days [caption id="attachment_20925" align="aligncenter" width="1280"]

