Hiking in New Zealand

The Milford Track is the walk people fly across the world for: 53.5 km from Glade Wharf at the head of Lake Te Anau to Sandfly Point on Milford Sound, in exactly four days and three nights at Clinton, Mintaro and Dumpling huts. You must walk it in that direction and you cannot stay a second night anywhere. Day three crosses Mackinnon Pass (1,154 m) and adds the side trip to Sutherland Falls, at 580 m one of the tallest waterfalls in the country. Day four passes Mackay Falls on the way to the boat. Boats from Te Anau Downs and Sandfly Point are booked separately, usually as a transport package from Te Anau. Fiordland gets 6 to 8 metres of rain a year at Milford, so expect at least one wet day; it is when the waterfalls are best.

• Tongariro Northern Circuit: 43 km, 3 to 4 days from Whakapapa Village in Tongariro National Park, round Ngāuruhoe past the Red Crater (1,886 m) and the Emerald Lakes, with huts at Mangatepopo, Oturere and Waihohonu. The most alpine Great Walk in the North Island, and the only desert-like one.
• Abel Tasman Coast Track: 60 km, 3 to 5 days through Abel Tasman National Park from Mārahau north to Wainui. Water taxis from Mārahau and Kaiteriteri let you walk a single day or combine walking and kayaking. The Awaroa estuary can only be crossed within about 2 hours either side of low tide, so check the tide table.
• Heaphy Track: 78.4 km, 4 to 6 days on foot through Kahurangi National Park from Golden Bay to the coast north of Westport, from tussock downs to nikau palm beaches. Mountain bikes share it in the cooler months.
• Paparoa Track: 55 km, 2 to 3 days over the Paparoa Range in Paparoa National Park, from near Blackball to Punakaiki and the Pancake Rocks. Opened in 2019 as a shared walking and biking track; Moonlight Tops Hut sits on the ridge with views to the Southern Alps.
• Lake Waikaremoana Track: 46 km, 3 to 4 days round Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera, cared for with Ngāi Tūhoe. Day one climbs Panekiri Bluff; boats can shorten the ends.
• Rakiura Track: 32 km, 3 days on Stewart Island, starting near Oban in Halfmoon Bay, with a real chance of seeing a wild kiwi at night. The easiest Great Walk to book at short notice.
• Whanganui Journey: 87 km from Whakahoro (3 days) or 145 km from Taumarunui (5 days) down the Whanganui River in Whanganui National Park by canoe or kayak, hired with drums and transport from operators in Taumarunui and Ohakune. The Tieke Kāinga hut is also a marae.
• Hump Ridge Track: about 60 km, 3 days in southern Fiordland from near Tuatapere, past historic timber viaducts at Port Craig. The newest Great Walk is run by a community trust, not DOC, and is booked on its own site in private lodges that cost more than DOC huts.

Fees are per person per night in the summer season (October to April). Kepler, Routeburn and Tongariro also have Great Walk campsites at NZ$28 to 42 a night for internationals, and Milford has none.

All Great Walks except Hump Ridge are booked through the DOC Great Walks booking system, and in the summer season you must have a booking for every night: a hut ticket or backcountry pass does not count. DOC opens the next season in staggered releases around May and June, with exact dates announced in advance, and the Milford, Routeburn and Kepler dates for December to February go in the first hours. As of October 2026 bookings are open for stays to 30 June 2027, and cancellations do reappear, so check the system daily if your dates are full.

DOC’s Great Walks pricing page sets separate summer rates for international visitors on most tracks: NZ$152 a night on the Milford Track against NZ$106 for New Zealanders, NZ$132 against NZ$88 on the Routeburn and Kepler, and NZ$84 against NZ$55 on the Abel Tasman. Only Lake Waikaremoana and the Whanganui Journey charge everyone the same. International children aged 0 to 17 pay the child rate, while New Zealand children are charged from age 5, and DOC staff make random residency checks at huts. Three nights on the Milford Track therefore cost an international adult NZ$456 (about US$260) before boat transport.

Outside summer, prices fall sharply, to NZ$30 to 35 a night on the Fiordland tracks, but those huts become standard backcountry huts without wardens or gas, and winter walking there means avalanche paths and removed bridges. The government has also announced plans to charge international visitors at a few of the busiest conservation sites; check the DOC site for anything new before you go.

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is the most famous day hike in the country: about 19.4 km from Mangatepōpō to Ketetahi through Tongariro National Park, climbing from 1,120 m to the Red Crater at 1,886 m and dropping past the Emerald Lakes and Blue Lake to 760 m. DOC says to allow 9 hours. Walk south to north as almost everyone does, and start early.

Parking is the trap. In summer you cannot park at the Mangatepōpō car park to do the crossing, and you must not leave a car on the state highway, so most people use a shuttle from Taupō, Tūrangi, National Park Village or Ohakune for about NZ$40, part of which funds DOC work. There is a private car park near the Ketetahi end. DOC recommends registering your walk on its free booking system, and booking is required for shuttles and guided walks. Toilets are spaced every 1 to 2 hours.

• Roys Peak: 6 km from Wānaka on the Mount Aspiring Road, a relentless climb of over 1,200 m to the 1,578 m summit, about 16 km return and 5 to 7 hours. The famous photo point over Lake Wānaka is about 30 minutes below the top. There is no shade, parking is free but fills by sunrise, and the track closes every year from 1 October to 10 November for lambing; Isthmus Peak is the alternative then.
• Hooker Valley Track: 10 km return and about 3 hours on the flat from White Horse Hill in Aoraki / Mount Cook National Park, over three swing bridges to Hooker Lake and its icebergs, with Aoraki / Mount Cook at the end. It suits anyone and is best at dawn before the coaches.
• Mueller Hut: a steep 3 to 4 hour climb from White Horse Hill via the Sealy Tarns steps to a 28-bunk hut at about 1,800 m below Mount Ollivier, with avalanches cracking off Mount Sefton across the valley. From 2 November 2026 to 2 May 2027 you must book online, at NZ$55 to 62 a night; from May to October tickets are sold first come at the Aoraki / Mount Cook Visitor Centre. In winter it is an alpine trip for the experienced.

Te Araroa is the 3,000 km trail along the length of the country from Cape Reinga to Bluff, taking most people 4 to 6 months. Southbound walkers start in Northland between October and December to reach the Southern Alps in summer. It mixes beaches, farmland, forest and road walking in the North Island with long, remote sections through the South Island ranges, including unbridged rivers. The Te Araroa Trust asks walkers to register and pay a trail contribution. Sections such as the Richmond Range or the Two Thumbs are excellent standalone trips.

The two things that kill trampers in New Zealand are weather and rivers. Conditions change in an hour: a sunny morning on the Kepler or the Tongariro can turn into gale-force wind, sleet and zero visibility, at any time of year. Check the MetService mountain forecast for your park the night before and again at the hut, and carry a warm layer, a waterproof jacket, a hat and gloves even on a summer day hike.

Rivers rise fast after rain and drop just as fast. Great Walks are bridged, but side trips, Te Araroa and most backcountry routes are not. The rule is “if in doubt, stay out”: wait at the hut or on the bank, often only for a few hours, rather than wading through fast or discoloured water. Never cross alone if you can avoid it, and unclip your pack’s hip belt before you step in.

Use the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council’s free Plan My Walk app or website to check track alerts, weather and a gear list, and leave your plans with someone at home through the AdventureSmart outdoor intentions form. Carry a personal locator beacon (PLB) on anything beyond a day walk: many tracks have no mobile coverage, and DOC visitor centres and outdoor shops in towns like Te Anau and Queenstown rent them for a few days.

Great Walk huts in summer have bunk mattresses, running water that you should treat, toilets and, on most tracks, gas cookers, with a ranger who gives a nightly safety talk. You still carry your sleeping bag, food, pot, utensils and a head torch. The Abel Tasman huts have no cooking facilities, so bring a stove there. Off the Great Walks, most of the 950 DOC huts are first come, first served with a hut ticket or a Backcountry Hut Pass.

Bring broken-in boots, merino or synthetic layers, a waterproof jacket with a hood, overtrousers and insect repellent for sandflies, which are relentless in Fiordland and on the West Coast. Packs, sleeping bags, stoves and rain gear can be rented in Te Anau, Queenstown, Wānaka and Taupō. Scrub boots at the cleaning stations at track entrances to stop the spread of kauri dieback, and pack out every scrap of rubbish.