New Zealand Great Walks

The nine New Zealand Great Walks are outlined below with the distance and how many days it takes to walk each track.

For further information about each walk select the link after the description to go to a dedicated section.

For information about preparing to go on a walk there are links to other sections from the walks pages.

The Nine New Zealand Great Walks

Tongariro Northern Circuit

North Island
4-5 days
Peak Season is October to June - Pass required
Off Season - Hut tickets required
The Tongariro Northern Circuit takes you through a stunning, dramatic, and volcanic landscape like no other in the world. Wind your way over Mount Tongariro and around Mount Ngauruhoe where you will pass through landforms such as volcanic craters and glacial valleys.

For a more detailed guide to this walk see my page on New Zealand Tongariro Northern Circuit. The page also includes details of other walks in the Tongariro National Park.

Whanganui Journey

North Island
5 days
145 km
Peak Season is October to April - Pass required
Off Season - Hut tickets required
This one of the Great Walks is actually a river journey, taken by kayak!

See my dedicated Whanganui Journey page for more detailed information

Lake Waikaremoana

North Island
3-4 Days
46 km
All year bookings required for huts and campsites
Easy to moderate tramping
Magnificent scenery, mixed vegetation terrain through forest with abundant bird life, swimming and fishing opportunities.

For a more detailed guide see my dedicated Lake Waikeremoana Track page

Abel Tasman Coast

South Island
3-5 Days
52 km
Bookings required for huts and campsites
Easy tramping with bridged waterways but some tidal crossings that need to be timed right to get across a few hours either side of low tide so check the tide timetable before heading out.

For a more detailed guide see the Abel Tasman Coast Track page

Heaphy Track

South Island
4 - 6 days
78.4 km
Bookings required for huts and campsites
The Heaphy Track is in the Kahurangi National Park in the north west of the South Island. This is the longest of the tracks described on this page but is a good walking track suitable for well-equiped fit trampers with all waterways being bridged and covering a variety of terrains.

For a more detailed guide see the Heaphy Track page

Routeburn Track

South Island
3 days
32 km
Bookings required for huts and campsites
Traversing Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks, running between Lake Wakatipu and the Te Anau / Milford Road, the Routeburn Track is one of the famous New Zealand Great Walks that provides some fantastic walking through the stunning South Island scenery.

For a more detailed guide see my dedicated Routeburn Track page

Milford Track

South Island
4 Days
53.5 km
Bookings required for huts and campsites
The Milford Track is in the South West New Zealand World Heritage Area (Te Wahipounamu) in the Fiordland National Park. This track can also be walked with a guided group as can many of the other New Zealand Great Walks. Starting at the head of Lake Te Anau, the track completes your journey at Milford Sound. Once you are there you could also take a trip out onto the sound in one of the ferries, it's an experience not to be missed and particularly spectacular if the weather isn't so good and calm! When we were there it was pouring with rain but this enhanced our experience as waterfall appeared all around us.

For a more detailed guide see my dedicated Milford Track page

Kepler Track

South Island
3 - 4 days
60 km
Bookings required for huts and campsites
The Kepler Track is also in the Fiordland National Park, Te-Wahipounamu - South West New Zealand World Heritage Area, and provides yet another opportunity to witness the spectacular scenery.

For a more detailed guide see my dedicated Kepler Track page

Rakiura Track

Stewart Island
3 days
36 km
Bookings required for huts and campsites
Getting to Stewart Island involves either an hour ferry trip from Bluff or a 20 min flight from Invercargil. The Island provides the newest and furthest south national park in NZ, the Rakiura National Park. The track can be walked all year round and is suitable for most with a moderate fitness level.

For a more detailed guide see my dedicated Rakiura Track page

Related Links

There are a lot of outdoor activities throughout this site where the New Zealand Outdoor Safety Code information is extremely useful. Read the 5 tips on survival in this environment.

Visit my page on New Zealand travel insurance for a guide to insurance.

Walking Fitness Requirements

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Items to keep you warm. Boot heaters, warm mittens and gloves, boot dryers, face masks, long underwear, and many unique items.

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Visit the Ready Store for great offers on ready meals and survival food kits, self heating food and water supplies, solar powered survival radios, 72 hour kits, and loads more useful survival kit equipment.

Wallets & Money Clips for men and women at eBags.com

Have a Story about the New Zealand Great Walks to Share?

Have you been on one of the New Zealand Great Walks? Or... do you know someone else who has hiked one of these famous tracks who would like to tell their story and share their experience?

If you have special New Zealand Great Walks stories to share we would love to hear about them. Whether you talk about the location, the track, the scenery or weather conditions, your guide or friends, or the funny moments you remember about a walk. It's great fun to share your holiday experiences with others.

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Your New Zealand Great Walks Stories

Click on the links below to read other visitors' New Zealand Great Walks stories. They were all written by other visitors to this page.

Track Maps

For free track maps covering all the New Zealand Great Walks visit my page on New Zealand Track Maps and each map is provided on the dedicated track pages linked against each walk above.