East to west across the Richmonds Great pleasure and satisfaction are to be taken from walking over a dividing range. The Pelorus Track leads up its eponymous river valley…
The story of Annie Fox and Henry Chaffey captured me when I first read of it in Gerald Hindmarsh’s Kahurangi Calling. The runaway lovers lived in remote Asbestos Cottage…
There’s much to recommend on the Pupu Hydro Walkway, including an uphill steep enough to get your blood pumping, beautiful views of the surrounding area and, most significantly, a…
Read the full story about this trip: Peak-hopping in the Richmonds From the car park, pine forest dominates the track as far as Hacket Hut. Markers lead up Hacket…
Perhaps the most rewarding way to approach Mt Patriarch is on the Chummies Track, up past John Reid Hut, on to the southern end of the Arthur Range. Almost…
Lake Constance is huge. Two kilometres long and up to 700m wide, it lies in a massive post-glacial basin at 1340m, making it the largest truly alpine lake in…
Deep in the wild heart of northern Kahurangi is a subalpine tableland that rises to 870m. Mackay Downs features numerous granite tors which punctuate peat-filled valleys of tussock. Home…
A traverse of the Arthur Range between Kiwi Saddle and John Reid Huts offers superb alpine tramping and makes a good introduction to off-track alpine tramping for suitably experienced…
If you have only one day to get a taste of the big skies and endless peaks of Nelson Lakes National Park, this out-and-back trip to the tops of…
Most people start the Heaphy Track from the Collingwood side, but being already on the West Coast, I decided to begin at Kohaihai. It was after 4pm when I arrived at the…
If your liking is for a short and easy hike around a seaside headland through native forest accompanied by the ever-present sound of the sea, and often the wind,…
You can begin the Mount Robert Circuit along Paddy’s Track, which cuts across the mountain’s open face and crosses several scree-filled gullies before climbing to Bushline Hut, where spectacular…
Celestial. Sublime. Godlike. Dramatic terms yes, but no exaggeration when describing the sun’s evening rays pouring out from behind the Scarlett Range. This alone was rewarding enough for the…
Weaving from beach to beach, the Abel Tasman Coast Track is the most popular Great Walk. Starting from Marahau, a boardwalk leads across the estuary to the headland and…
If there’s one word to summarise the Heaphy Track, it’s variety. It takes some time to digest this tramp, such is its depth and rapidly changing landscape. From the…
With some relief, I suddenly spied it. Wet, itchy, puffy and punctured after enduring a crossing of Baton Saddle, I resolutely sloshed across Baton River – hardly more than…
This two-to-three day loop to the summit of Mt Richmond includes Richmond Saddle Hut and Mt Fell Hut, running through bush-clad valleys and tussock tops. Park at Jubilee Flat,…
Murderer’s golden end In 1856, a gold rush was sparked in the Aorere Valley when a couple of settlers discovered a small amount of gold. More than two thousand…
On top of the world at the Bushline… Te Araroa Trail walkers are a bit like mice – nearly every hut has them. I say that with love, because…
Kahurangi Point sits on the northernmost stretch of the West Coast, about 45km south-west of Cape Farewell, and it’s a logistical nightmare to get there and back in a…
Feeling I needed a quick and cheeky hut escape, I soon had my sights set on Sylvester Hut. The hut is just a two-hour easy walk from the car…
On the southern boundary of Kahurangi National Park, where the Matiri River flows into the mighty Buller River at Murchison, an access road and track head north to charming…
The environs of Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park would easily rival that of any lake setting in New Zealand. When you add an excellent around-the-lake track with…
For an unusual experience of Abel Tasman National Park, entirely away from beaches, try the hike to Awapoto Hut. A well-defined track from Pigeon Saddle heads uphill into the…
With a maximum altitude of just over 1300m, hummocky tussock lands and a choice of huts and alternative tracks, this Cobb Valley route should be possible in most winter…
Tucked into the southern Kahurangi, north of Murchison, is the famous Thousand Acres Plateau. This great tussock tableland is bounded by the Matiri Valley to the east and the…
Each summer, hordes of trampers traipse through Nelson Lakes National Park. In recent years, many of the tracks have become increasingly popular, even more so since the Te Araroa…
A quick trip to the tops If you have only one day to get a taste of the big skies and endless peaks of Nelson Lakes National Park, this…
The Historic Kill Devil Pack Track gives trampers a rare opportunity to do a four-day walk with minimal evidence of modern interference, amid traces of the gold mining days.…
In the New Zealand backcountry there have been several notorious plane crashes. Sometimes the wreckage was removed; sometimes it is still there waiting for an adventurous tramper to discover…
The six-bunk John Reid Hut lies on a south-facing bench, at the bush edge on the flanks of the spectacularArthur Range in Kahurangi National Park. At an altitude of…
The six-bunk John Reid Hut lies on a south-facing bench, at the bush edge on the flanks of the spectacular Arthur Range in Kahurangi National Park. At an altitude of…
The six-bunk John Reid Hut lies on a south-facing bench, at the bush edge on the flanks of the spectacular Arthur Range in Kahurangi National Park. At an altitude of…
There’s a proposal to develop a new road along the route of the Wangapeka Track in Kahurangi National Park, which would connect Tapawera to Karamea, halving the driving time…
From the top of Takaka Hill, head into the wide open river flats and beech forest pockets of the Cobb Valley. From Trilobite Hut, near the car park, follow…
Hike Lakehead Track to Lakehead Hut (or catch a water taxi and save yourself a few hours). Coninue up the Travers Valley to John Tait Hut. One option is…
Adelaide Tarn is arguably one of the most spectacular settings in the mountains of Aotearoa. The lakelet is cradled in an alpine amphitheatre, surrounded by a series of gnarly…
The Mt Arthur Tablelands area of Kahurangi National Park is deservedly busy over summer. While Mt Arthur Hut and Salisbury Lodge are popular destinations for families, if you want to...
The peaks of Kahurangi National Park may not be the biggest in the South Island, but the distinctive limestone they’re composed of makes them among the most dramatic. It’s…
The route along Robert Ridge to Lake Angelus Hut is one of the busiest tramping highways in the country. The first two hours up Pinchgut Track are a steady…
Marble blocks litter the track to Harwoods Hole like the carcasses of long dead, strange and forgotten animals. Sharp ribs still protrude and holes have worn through the slippery…
From Trilobite Hut at the road end, set off up the valley, following the Cobb River. An easy 90-minute walk brings you to the beautifully restored Chaffeys Hut. Continue…
Dun Mountain is the easiest-to-reach summit in the Richmond Range from the Nelson side. The dunite rock beneath the surface forms infertile soil, meaning despite the peak,s modest 1129m…
Gibbs Hill, 405m, is a modest summit with a 4km approach along the ridgeline which climbs from Totaranui Beach. The first section of the track is flat, then it…
The stretch of Great Taste Trail from Riwaka to Kaiteriteri officially opened in October 2014. Set off from Kaiteriteri beach, cross the bridge and turn right along Martin Farm…
The Abel Tasman Coast Track is the most popular, and crowded, Great Walk. The allure of the coast means fewer trampers frequent the interior of New Zealand’s smallest national…
Tramp the Lakehead Track from St Arnaud to Lakehead Hut (or if time is pressing, take a much quicker water taxi). From Lakehead Hut, continue on up the Travers…
This trip is 11.7km one way to the summit of Mt Owen. Start from the car park at Courthouse Flat, taking the ridge track which climbs above Granity Creek.…
Just about the only criticism of the Abel Tasman Coast Track is the number of people who walk it. The golden beaches, easy walking and endless swimming holes bring…
This trip from Mt Campbell to the Lodestone is 20.8km, traverses five peaks over 1300m and lasts more than 10 hours, requiring a high level of fitness and aptitude…