Note: always research your trails thoroughly through official sites before leaving home, check the weather, dress appropriately, and stay up-to-date with warnings and alerts.
Summer is the season for getting into the great outdoors, but if you want to tramp one of our country’s Great Walks, you may be in for a surprise. Not only do many of our Great Walks book out months in advance (they are in high demand by Kiwis and overseas visitors, alike), but they are not the inexpensive hikes they once were. Huts on the Milford Track, in the summer season, command a whopping $78 a night for everyone 18 years and over, and most trampers spend 3 nights on the trail. But before hanging up your hiking boots, we have some other suggestions for enjoying the many wonderful walks New Zealand has to offer. And chances are, when you arrive at your hut, campsite, or your day walk picnic spot, you may be the only ones there!
Going up
If you’re fit as a fiddle, an experienced tramper, and enjoy a challenge, there are some fabulous hikes that take you to stunning sub-alpine country. Two of the best can be found in the beautiful Matukituki Valley in Central Otago. The first is French Ridge Track with a 20 bed hut situated just below the snowline. Views from here are spectacular, and it’s a great ‘people watching’ spot as climbers arrive, laden with gear to use on the next leg of their journey.
Perching on the other side of the Matukituki Valley is Liverpool Hut. Slippery when wet, this track is one for the advanced hiker to tackle in summer, when the tussock is golden and the scree slopes shine like silver. Both Liverpool and French Ridge huts are best approached after first overnighting in Aspiring Hut, on the flats below. Whichever hut you head to, make time to enjoy the cheeky kea that are bound to greet you.
Relax!
If you have some experience of tramping, and you’re moderately fit, you’re probably looking for a hike of no more than 3 or 4 hours one way – and with a comfy bed at the end of it. New Zealand has loads of scenic walks that fit this description, and the hike into beautiful Lake Daniels in the Lewis Pass is one of them. Passing through stunning beech forest, the climax of the hike is the tranquil lake itself. A quick dip is a great way to cool off in summer, and if you enjoy fishing, don’t forget to pack your collapsible rod, and try your luck at providing a trout for supper! Do watch out for wasps – they can be a problem in the Lewis Pass area.
While it can be disappointing to find huts and tracks on the Volcanic Plateau are largely booked out over the height of summer, or you don’t have quite the fitness to tackle them, a do-able volcanic experience is still possible if you head to Rangitoto Island. Take the ferry from downtown Auckland, and arrive in a wonderland of volcanic rubble, and forest still re-establishing after the last big blow. Both longer and shorter walks await, so do your planning carefully – and be sure to be back in time to meet the ferry home!
Easie-peasie
Achievable day walks are a great way to introduce the grandies to your love of the outdoors. Fit them out with a daypack and a picnic lunch, and build in plenty of time for enjoyable stops. The entrance to the little-known Tuhawaiki (Jack’s) Point Lighthouse track can be found at the southern end of Timaru. This well-formed trail is easy-as, and holds loads of history. It meanders, first, through stunning wetland before following the coast to the lighthouse. A steady one way walk will take an hour, but there is so much to see, from marshland birds to seals, this trail can easily use up half a day, especially if you eat lunch along the way.
Do-able by the grandies, yet feeling like a hike through a mysterious wonderland, are several short walks in the Lake Waikaremoana region. Base yourself at the holiday park close to the Āniwaniwa Visitor Centre, and prepare to enter a land of mist, and forest draped in lichen. Broody, moody, and stunningly untouched, you and yours will leave the region feeling like you have discovered Aotearoa all over again!
This summer, there’s no need to take to the crowded trails to find the best outdoor experiences our country has to offer!