Rawhiti Cave, Takaka
Also known as Manson Cave, and marked as such on most maps, the Rawhiti Cave entrance is huge – up to 40m wide and 20m high – making it…
- Distance
- 1.57km
- Time
- 40-60min
- Grade
- Easy
Find your trail
Nelson-Tasman
Awapoto Hut via Porter Rock, Abel Tasman National Park
A new perspective on Abel Tasman National Park can be gained from heading inland from the coastline with visits to Porter Rock and two huts. The trip starts from…
- Distance
- 29.3km
- Time
- Car park to Porter Rock, 2hr; ToAwapoto Hut 4hr; To car park via Wainui River, 5hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Mt Gibbs, Kahurangi National Park
The summit of Mt Gibbs offers spectacular views in every direction. Brown rocky ridgelines with patches of snow emerge from steep forest-clad mountains which stretch to the horizon. It…
- Distance
- 15.9km to Mt Gibbs
- Time
- Car park to Fenella Hut, 3-4hr; To Mt Gibbs, 2-3hr
- Grade
- Moderate
John Tait Hut, Nelson Lakes National Park
John Tait Hut is named after a Scotsman who emigrated to New Zealand after the Second World War and joined the Nelson Tramping Club. It was largely thanks to…
- Distance
- 22.9km
- Time
- To Lakehead Hut (28 bunks) 2-3hr. To John Tait Hut (27 bunks) 4.5hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Browning Hut via Pelorus Track, Mt Richmond Forest Park
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…
- Distance
- 35.2km
- Time
- Car park to Middy Creek Hut, 7hr; To Browning Hut, 7-8hr; To Hacket car park, 2hr
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Asbestos Cottage, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 5km to hut
- Time
- 3.5 - 4 hours return
- Grade
- Easy
Pupu Hydro Walkway, Takaka
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…
- Distance
- 5.3km
- Time
- 2hr
- Grade
- Easy
Alpine Route, Mt Richmond Forest Park
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…
- Distance
- 54.4km
- Time
- To Hacket Hut, 1.5-2hr; to Starveall Hut, 4-4.5hr; to Slaty Hut, 2.5-3hr. To Old Man Hut, 5hr; to Mt Rintoul Hut, 6-6hr; to Tarn Hut, 5hr; to Mid Wairoa Hut, 2.5-3hr; to Wairoa Gorge Road, 4-5hr
- Grade
- Difficult
Mt Patriarch via Chummies Track, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 32.4km
- Time
- Wangapeka River to Pt1463, 4-5hr; To Kiwi Saddle Hut via Mt Patriarch, 4-6hr; To Siberia Campsite, 5-6hr
Lake Constance, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 98km
- Time
- 6-9 days to walk the Waiau Pass Route
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Ministry of Works Historic Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 2859m
- Time
- Road end to Perry Saddle Hut, 5hr; To Gouland Downs Hut, 2hr; To Saxon Hut, 1.5hr; To Blue Shirt Creek, 1hr; To Ministry of Works Hut, 3hr
- Grade
- Moderate/Difficult
Arthur Range Loop, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 30.4km
- Time
- 2-3 days. Rolling Junction to Kiwi Saddle Hut, 6-7hr; To John Reid Hut, 4-6hr; To Wangapeka Road, 4hr
- Grade
- Moderate
St Arnaud Range Tarns, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 10.46km return
- Time
- 8hr return
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Scott’s Beach, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 2.9km
- Time
- 1hr
- Grade
- Easy
Headlands Track, Abel Tasman National Park
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,…
- Distance
- 3.84km
- Time
- 45-60mins
- Grade
- Easy
Mt Robert via Paddys Track, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 5.34km to summit
- Time
- v2-3hr to summit via Paddy’s Track
- Grade
- Easy
Biggs Tops camping, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 23.8km
- Time
- Car park to Stone Hut, 6-8hr; Hut to Biggs Tops, 2-4hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Abel Tasman Coast Track, Abel Tasman National Park
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…
- Distance
- 60km
- Time
- Marahau to Anchorage Hut, 4hr; To Bark Bay Hut, 4hr; To Awaroa Hut, 4.5hr; To Whariwharangi Hut, 5.5hr; To Wainui, 2hr
- Grade
- Easy
Heaphy Track, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 78.4km
- Time
- Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut, 5hr; To Gouland Downs Hut, 2hr; To Saxon Hut, 1.5hr; To James Mackay Hut, 3hr; To Lewis Hut, 3.5hr; To Heaphy Hut, 2.5hr; To Kohaihai River Mouth, 5hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Flanagans Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 13km to hut
- Time
- Baton Valley Road to Flanagans Hut, 3-4hr; Hut to Baton Saddle, 1-2hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Mt Richmond – Mt Fell Circuit, Mt Richmond Forest Park
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,…
- Distance
- 22km
- Time
- Top Valley Rd to Richmond Saddle Hut, 3-4hr; Richmond Saddle Hut to Mt Fell Hut, 4-5hr; Mt Fell Hut to Timms Valley, 5-6hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Aorere Goldfields Track, Aorere Goldfields Conservation Area
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…
- Distance
- 10.5km
- Time
- 3hr
- Grade
- Easy
Mt Robert Circuit, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 9km
- Time
- Car park to Bushline Hut along Pinchgut Track , 3hr; hut to car park along Paddys Track, 1.5hr
- Grade
- Easy
Kahurangi Keepers House Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 11km
- Time
- 3-4hr
- Grade
- Easy
Sylvester Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 5.2km
- Time
- 1.5-2hr each way
- Grade
- Easy
Lake Matiri Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 6.85km
- Time
- 2-3hr to hut
- Grade
- Easy
Lake Rotoiti Circuit, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 19.2km
- Time
- Kerr Bay to Lakehead Hut, 3hr; Hut to Mt Robert Road, 3-3.5hr
- Grade
- Easy
Awapoto Hut, Abel Tasman National Park
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…
- Distance
- 5.11km
- Time
- 2-3hr each way
- Grade
- Easy
Salisbury Lodge via Bullock Track, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 12.2km
- Time
- Road end to Lower Junction, 2hr; Lower Junction to Salisbury Lodge, 2.5-3hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Larrikin Creek Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 18.6km
- Time
- 9hr via Lake Matiri and Poor Pete’s huts
- Grade
- Moderate
Mt Misery Hut, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 27.2km from Mt Robert Rd, Lake Rotoiti; 10km from Sabine Hut; 3.9km from Mt Misery jetty
- Time
- 12-14hr from Lake Rotoiti; 4.5-6hr from Sabine Hut; 3-4hr from from Mt Misery jetty
- Grade
- Moderate
St Arnaud Range Track, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 10.46km return
- Time
- 5hr return
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Historic Kill Devil Pack Track, Kahurangi National Park
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.…
- Distance
- 52km
- Time
- Urewhenua Road to Riordans Hut, 4-5hr; Riordans Hut to Waingaro Forks Hut, 2-3hr; Waingaro Forks Hut to Soper Shelter, 3.5-5hr; Soper Shelter to Anatoki Forks Hut, 5-6hr; Anatoki Forks Hut to road end, 8hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Johnston Peak, Mt Richmond Forest Park
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…
- Distance
- 9.26km to Johnston Peak
- Time
- Car park to Richmond Saddle Hut, 4hr; Hut to Mt Richmond, 1hr; Mt Richmond to Johnston Peak, 1.5hr
- Grade
- Moderate
John Reid Hut via Kiwi Saddle Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 23.1km
- Time
- 2 days
- Grade
- Moderate
John Reid Hut via Gibbs Creek Track, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 9.85km to hut
- Time
- 5-7hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
John Reid Hut via Chummies Track, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 7.25km
- Time
- 4-6hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Wangapeka Track, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 55km
- Time
- 4-6 days
Fenella Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 12.4km
- Time
- 2.5-4.5hr to hut
- Grade
- Easy
Travers Valley, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 26.9km via Lakehead Track
- Time
- 10-11hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Adelaide Tarn Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 25km
- Time
- 11-15hr to reach hut
- Grade
- Difficult
Lake Peel Loop, Kahurangi National Park
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...
- Distance
- 38.8km
- Time
- 3-4 days
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Mt Owen via Granity Pass Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 11.6km one way
- Time
- Courthouse Flat car park to Granity Pass Hut, 4-6hr; Granity Pass Hut to Mt Owen summit, 2-4hr return
- Grade
- Moderate
Hinapouri Tarn via 3rd Basin, Nelson Lakes National Park
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…
- Distance
- 15.3km to Hinapouri Tarn
- Time
- 9hr to tarn
- Grade
- Moderate
Harwoods Hole, Abel Tasman National Park
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…
- Distance
- 2.15km
- Time
- 1.5hr
- Grade
- Easy
Xenicus Peak via Fenella Hut, Kahurangi National Park
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…
- Distance
- 15.8km
- Time
- 5.5-6.5hr one way
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Gibbs Hill, Abel Tasman National Park
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…
- Distance
- 3.68km
- Time
- 2hr to summit
- Grade
- Moderate
Great Taste Trail, Tasman Bay
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…
- Distance
- 33km
- Time
- 4-5hr
- Grade
- Easy/Moderate
Dun Mountain and Little Twin, Mt Richmond Forest Park
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…
- Distance
- 19km
- Time
- 7-9hr
- Grade
- Moderate
Wainui Hut, Abel Tasman National Park
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…
- Distance
- 14.2km
- Time
- 4-5.5hr
- Grade
- Easy