To walk across New Zealand is to experience some of the greatest landscapes in the world. From moss-carpeted forests to sun-drenched mountaintops with impossibly far-reaching views, the country is blessed with an almost unfair share of natural beauty, thanks to the volcanoes, glaciers and rivers that have helped carve out its environs over millions of years. Since the first Māori inhabitants arrived in around 1250, wandering feet have etched a spiderweb of trails up and down the country. There are thousands of walking tracks to choose from —short and long, boardwalked and gravelled, coastal and alpine —but just 11 have so far been officially designated a Great Walk.
Each of these multiday tracks carries hikers through a unique landscape, but what unifies them is their relative ease and approachability. Trails are expertly maintained and studded with huts and camping sites where you can put up your feet at the end of the day and mingle with fellow hikers. An abundance of group tours mean you don’t need to walk alone, or you can stamp off on a solo sojourn if the mood takes you. Many trails can be broken down into single-day trots, too, if you’re short on time.
The ease of travelling on foot through New Zealand might explain why locals have taken to hiking —or ‘tramping’, as they call it —with such gusto. The Department of Conservation (DOC) starts selling cabin bed spaces in June for the coming summer, with beds along the most popular trails, like the Milford Track, snapped up with the same fervour as Glastonbury or Taylor Swift tickets. Maybe it’s the altitude or just the fresh air, but this competitiveness quickly evaporates on the hiking paths, where every passer-by is greeted with a ‘kia ora’ — ‘hello’ —and cake and tea are traded for trail gossip.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, hiking and camping have experienced a boost as travellers continue to reacquaint themselves with the simple joy of slowing down outdoors. Only by walking can we eavesdrop on the fluted calls of New Zealand’s birdlife, tickle our fingers in beds of giant moss and inhale the earthy aroma of petrichor following summer rain. If the steep climbs and hairpin bends don’t leave you breathless, the sight of New Zealand’s snow-dusted peaks plunging into verdant valleys will. Here, we’ve picked three of the country’s best trails.
