Short walks

Mataia Coastal Walk

Close to New Zealand’s biggest city and on the edge of Kaipara Harbour, this is a walk of two halves: a morning of harbourside strolling on the water’s edge to a point is followed by an afternoon that loops back on coastal terraces. Consider picnicking beneath pōhutukawa trees and watching the harbour’s ebb and flow, examine the cultural sites along the way, and spot the diversity of wading birds feeding on tidal mudflats.

Riversdale Beach Farm Hike

Located on Wairarapa’s remote eastern coastline, this loop track begins above Riversdale with wide views over the Pacific Ocean. In the morning an easy section leads between bays and headlands to the mouth of Whareama River. The afternoon’s walk heads inland and upstream before climbing to reach Musterer’s Hut, a good place for a brew before completing the circuit. My highlight was walking barefoot across two sandy bays, the sea breeze on my face and the sea foam making cusps along the foreshore without another soul in sight.

Mt Guardian Walkway 

A short drive south of Kaikōura takes you to lodgings that can be booked exclusively for your party. The day walk circumnavigates Mt Guardian (404m), undulating through pasture and native forest. An hour before lunch it follows a stream to a pretty glade where you can cool off in a swimming hole before the final climb to the summit. From there you can see all you have traversed and what is yet to come.

Coastal walks

Pahi Coastal Walk 

You can’t go any further along Coromandel Peninsula than Pahi. After a welcome and briefings, this two-day adventure begins on the west coast and rises inland to the highest point. The views of boats on Tīkapa Moana Hauraki Gulf and Colville Channel add to lasting memories. The track has pockets of bush, cultural sites and remote bays that just beg you to swim. The final morning is casual: take a beach stroll or hop on an e-bike to ride the foreshore back to Colville. This outstanding walk includes three distinct coastlines.

Nuku Walk

If you want to feel like you have dropped off the map, then the 3-day Nuku Walk, south of Kāwhia Harbour, is for you. The walk begins in lowland native forest under Whareorino (649m) a prominent volcanic cone before reaching a memorable beach. The lodgings are positioned at Nukuhakari Bay and Front Bay: dreamy spots with the sound of west coast surf, the smell of salt spray and the twilight view of the sun dipping below the Tasman Sea. My favourite moment was on the escarpment with the sweeping bay and turquoise waters lapping at its edge far below.

Tora Track 

Formerly known as Tora Coastal Walk, this long-established 3-day walk is on the southern Wairarapa coastline. After a night at Whakapata Cottage, walkers traverse the open ranges as the coast draws them onwards. On reaching the Witch’s Hat (you already know how this hill looks), you are near the seaside lodge with a fun night of quality cuisine ahead – it’s what Tora does best. With two lodgings on the coast, there’s plenty of time to spot marine wildlife and even a shipwreck decaying in the surf, before returning inland through protected forest.

Kaikōura Coast Track 

This 2-day walk celebrates the diversity of landscapes. The Beach House offers a cosy haven before starting the first section along the beach, followed by a gorgeous inland forested gorge. The route fords a creek several times, with vertical walls at every turn. Old-growth native trees add to the majesty. The second day climbs the foothills to reach Skull Peak where a hut offers a place for lunch, expansive vistas and a rest before completing the walk.

Banks Track

A longstanding walk on Banks Peninsula that traverses coastal cliff tops and ancient forests. The track also provides access to otherwise inaccessible bays. Walkers can choose from the three day Classic Walk or a two day experience. There are three huts and cottages on the track, including one at Flea Bay where there is a colony of little blue penguins.  

Wildlife walks

Real Native

This place oozes nature. On the 3-day walk a buried river tricks your senses – picture crossing mossy boulders with the sound of an unseen river metres below your feet. The new lodgings are in idyllic glades. Another outstanding feature is Kōkako Mile, a dense rainforest bordering Pureora Forest Park. Among the bounty of native birds you might see and hear a North Island kōkako, a rare bird with a haunting flute-like call.

Wairata Station Walk

The drive through Waioweka Gorge sets the scene for a 2–3 day walk in the wilderness. There are three hiking options at Wairata, each with a different length and perspective of the river valley. There is a waterfall to find, a reflective forest-lined pool to gaze at and a spring to follow through forest. A winding river separates the walks and lodgings; its whitewater flows out of the heart of Urewera forest, and on its rapids you may spot whio.

Island Hills Station Walk 

This 2–3 day walk is like an island refuge in a sea of rolling ranges. As soon as you begin walking, raw nature embraces you. Each night’s lodging is unique: the first in shearers’ quarters, the next in a remote outpost and the third in a bush camp. The middle day passes through Mandamus Preservation Reserve, a 600ha QEII Open Space Covenant safeguarding mountain forests and local birdlife.

High-country walks

Aschworth Station Walk

Just minutes from Blenheim, Aschworth eases you into a 3-day high-country experience. After a morning tea and briefing at the homestead, choose from several routes to The Retreat. The lodgings are a modern take on 1920s-style deer-stalker tents centred on a shared lodge – a place to enjoy gourmet meals and the tranquillity of the valley. The middle day offers three ways to explore the headwaters of the valley. I enjoyed a long loop to Wards Peak where the views are outstanding.

RockRidge
RockRidge on the edge of Canterbury’s high interior strikes the perfect balance between adventure and relaxation. West of Christchurch in the first foothills off the plains, the flat pasture patchwork rises to Rocky Ridge Range, littered with large stony outcrops which you get to explore, as well as diving into the native beech forest below. My favourite section is at the start and finish where you enter an ancient volcanic vent with vertical cliffs, caverns and waterfalls.

Four Peaks Track 

Stay in the country’s oldest surviving backcountry hut and experience life like a colonial shepherd (albeit modernised to make it more comfortable). The best part of this 3–4 day walk is the side route to summit New Zealand’s highest private walk at 1587m. 

Welcome Rock Trail 

This 27km trail winds around the folds of the landscape, carved by hand out of the hillside first by gold miners and then by the current landowner. The loop begins at the historic Southland Ski Club hut, one of the oldest of its kind, and takes you well beyond the ordinary to the monolith summit of Welcome Rock and a couple of backcountry huts. The heritage storytelling on the trail is a joy.

Hill-country walks

White Star Trail

Rising into the forested mountains of Coromandel Peninsula is a 3-day trail that feels untamed yet is full of home comforts. The first day climbs through scrubby hill country to a series of viewpoints before reaching some bush cabins. The next is a forest walk to the top of the range followed by a traverse and a descent to the coastal retreat. The final day is a gentle walk out. Take the side track to Pothole Falls to cool off on a hot day.

Matahuru Valley Walk 

Found between Auckland and Hamilton at the base of Hapūakohe Range, Matahuru Valley is well-positioned for a 2-day escape to the countryside. Tui Ridge Cottage welcomes you with home-cooked meals, and the outdoors offers a QEII-covenanted forest reserve, scenic lookouts and swimming holes. Grandad John’s Lookout offers views of the Hauraki Plains and Coromandel Peninsula.

Drysdale Station Walk 

This Rangitīkei station welcomes walkers with delicious provisions and room to roam the countryside for two days. From the Shearers’ Quarters climb to the Turakina tops for a view of rippling ranges leading to Mt Ruapehu. A highlight is the waterfalls: the first spills from the forest into a cauldron-like bowl, the second is park-like and inviting for a dip.

Te Aratipi 

This Hawke’s Bay retreat is amongst rolling limestone hill country. Rabbiter’s Cottage, a beautifully decorated heritage building, is your home away from home. The longest walk leads to Mangatawa Plateau with sweeping coastal views, limestone outcrops and forest reserves. The lunch cabin’s location is a place to enjoy the hundreds of limestone rock formations that dot the plateau.

Blackburn Ridge

This 2–3 day walk offers two beautifully renovated homesteads. From Merivale Homestead, work your way up to the Crow’s Nest and the Grandstand viewpoints as you criss-cross the countryside to reach Blackburn Ridge Homestead, where an evening meal prepared by local chefs awaits. Soak in the hot tub as the sun dips beneath the Ruahine Range. Options for the second day include an easy walk via a redwood stand or an e-bike ride on the Ongaonga historic trail. 

Woodland walks

Treetops Walk 

This 1000ha property has dozens of tracks past ancient trees and bubbling springs and through rolling countryside. Three main walks visit several waterfalls and glades and make a grand loop along the top of Mamaku Plateau. A popular pick is Bridal Veil Falls track.

Dundle Hill

Fancy staying in a secluded hilltop cabin that’s surrounded by forest? Then this 2-day Waitomo loop walk is for you. There are a couple of climbs on the first day to reach a hut perched on a hilltop. The forest is beautiful, the streams are gentle and the hut site is perfect. The easy return leg follows Waitomo Stream past limestone rocks.

Poronui

Boasting 80km of tracks, Poronui is a celebrated trout-fishing, game-hunting and now private walking retreat. Secluded in the Taharua Valley near Taupō, it has exceptional lodgings, a safari camp and days of walks to discover. The safari camp sits beside Mōhaka River, and a secret spot is the historic sawmill where old machinery is breaking down in the leaf litter.

The Last Resort Walk 

On this property, the owners have stepped back from intensive grazing and rewilded the landscape. The overnight walk begins in the river valley and climbs through shrubland to the open tops. The Tora coastline can be seen in the distance, but the most epic view is revealed upon reaching the lodgings. The property is within Wairarapa’s Dark Sky Reserve and from a hot tub perched on the clifftop you can overlook the Pacific Ocean beneath a ceiling of stars.

Kawakawa Station Walk

Located at the southern extent of Wairarapa, this station celebrates vast areas of forestland and adjoins Aorangi Forest Park. The 3-day loop is more than just a forest walk as it includes coast and open river valley, too. The middle day celebrates the station’s bounty of native forest. It has scrub, dense forest with ferns and a series of glades to pass. A side track leads to a 1960s deer culler’s dwelling.

Take a wander

Cartographer and trackbuilder Gary Patterson shares his highlights of writing Wander, a new book describing 26 private walks.

What drew you to private walks?

Private walks have a different feel from public tracks. I was welcomed by the people who live on the land and saw spectacular places that you can’t normally access. I admit to enjoying the comforts of a light pack, warm lodgings and culinary diversity, too. 

Tell us about the book. What can readers expect?

Wander is a 216-page, full-colour book covering 26 walks. Each walk has an eight-page spread, plus a welcome from the walk’s hosts, where they share their story. There are also my insights, maps, illustrations, descriptions and a phone app to help you choose, plan and go. 

What did researching the book involve?

That was the fun part. I visited each property, met the owners and learnt their stories before walking, mapping and recording each walk. 

What were some of your standout moments on the trails?

I love designing and hand-building tracks. After years designing private trails overseas, I worked on the alignment of Paparoa Track. I spent hundreds of days at Welcome Rock working with the owner to find the best alignment through the high country, then grubbing the 27km loop. At RockRidge I worked with the owners to design the circuit, and then came the pleasure of hand-building the trail on the tops, crafting with my trusty grubber a playful track between tors that sit high above the Canterbury Plains.