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The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is the most popular day walk in New Zealand. It features spectacular views of the central North Island and the three volcanoes which dominate it. There is also the longer 3-4 day Tongariro Northern Circuit which includes most of the crossing. Be prepared for crowds on the crossing if the weather is good though, on some days it sees over 1000 people. In the South Island the Hooker Valley track is a spectacular and very easy half-day walk with great views of our highest mountain (Aoraki/Mt Cook) and the Hooker Glacier and its lake. There are several other shorter walks in the same area to fill out the rest of your day too. For longer South Island walks the only one I have done to date is the Kepler Track, a 3-4 day hike in the mountains and bush between lakes Te Anau and Manapouri in Fiordland. It is spectacular and I highly recommend it. Other longer hikes to look into include the other Great Walks. There are nine of these around the country (including Kepler and the Tongariro Northern Circuit, along with the famous Milford Track) showcasing some of our best scenery and generally well-maintained and marked tracks and huts. The huts and campsites do need to be booked in advance though, well in advance for the more popular ones - I had to book Kepler about 2 months ahead and Milford apparently gets booked out shortly after bookings open each year. Routeburn is supposed to be really good too and is probably the next one I'll do, assuming I can still book it for this summer. There are dozens of other tracks around the country too but as I'm a beginner at multi-day hikes I've stuck to the Great Walks so far and can't really tell you much about them except that the huts are more basic and a higher level of fitness and outdoor skills are required. I understand most of the huts are on a first-come first-served basis rather than booked like on the Great Walks. The Department of Conservation (DOC) website is a really useful resource for information (and booking) on all the hikes in New Zealand. Also in general be aware that as an island nation our weather is prone to sudden and extreme changes even when the forecast is good, so always pack gear for all conditions, don't try to cross swollen rivers, tell someone where you're going etc. Common sense stuff but we still have tourists (or locals) get themselves killed in the wilderness from time to time so don't be a dumbass. More safety info on the DOC website. Wafflecopper fucked around with this message at 02:03 on Oct 22, 2016 |
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Oct 22, 2016 01:53
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| # ¿ May 5, 2024 08:03 |
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