Since first arriving in New Zealand and learning there were 11 walks ranging from approx. 30km-80km, I instantly knew I wanted to experience them all! Many hikes are typically completed over a couple of days, camping on route or staying in huts.

Located across the whole country, all fall within 9 of the 14 National Parks of New Zealand. I thought what a perfect way to discover different areas of these islands. Currently as I write, I have completed 9/11 of these walks, challenging myself to do a lot of them in day by running! I’ve spent the majority of my time in the South Island and, as of the beginning of April, have now ticked all of the walks found here.

The New Zealand Great Walks was established in 1992 by the Department of Conservation (DOC) and initially starting with 8 walks and one river trip with 2 being added in recent years. These walking routes already existed long before 1992 but the scheme was devised as a way to manage the increasing levels of popularity on these tracks, controlling numbers by limited hut bookings and allowing one to still feel remote and in nature without following a huge crowd the entire way.

 

The Great Walks of New Zealand as of 2026 are:

1. Milford Track (Fiordland National Park)

2. Kepler Track (Fiordland National Park)

3. Routeburn Track (Mt Aspiring/Fiordland National Parks)

4. Heaphy Track (Kahurangi National Park)

5. Abel Tasman Coastal Track (Abel Tasman National Park)

6. Tongariro Northern Circuit (Tongariro National Park)

7. Lake Waikaremoana Track (Te Urewera National Park)

8. Rakiura Track (Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island)

9. Whanganui River Trip (Whanganui National Park) (By boat only)

10. Paparoa Track (Paparoa National Park) Opened to public on March 1, 2020.

11. The Hump Ridge Track (Fiordland National Park) est 2001 upgraded to a Great Walk October 25, 2024

8 in the South Island, leaving 3 in the North. As I only spent a brief time travelling down the North Island back in Dec 2024 and only had time for 1 of these walks, which marked the beginning of this huge journey across all corners of New Zealand.

I’ll be sharing a brief experience of each walk, listing the total distances, elevation and time taken for my routes as well as some iconic pictures and my highlight from each one!

 

#1. Tongariro Crossing (Tongariro National Park, North Island) 8/12/24

Distance- 28.4km. Vert- 1,861m. Time- 9 hours.

Give me a better introduction to New Zealand that completing a hike straight through a rugged volcanic landscape with active heat vents, passing the Emerald Lakes and 2 extinct volcanoes, 1 of which is the infamous Mt Doom for the Lord of the Rings fans! I completed this route with Amber, during our road trip together. A combination of boardwalk and steps climb steeply up to the South Crater which is the saddle in-between the 2 volcanoes. I couldn’t resist a cheeky detour to the top to see the summit crater and to imagine what Frodo and Sam witness on their journey. Mt Ngauruhoe 2,287m (Mt Doom) Climbing up was very challenging, lots of loose rock felt like 1 step forwards and 2 steps back! Descending was super quick, just like running down scree. Another brief detour off the main path brought me to the summit of Mt Tongariro 1,967m amazing views over the area.

 

The highlight of the route for me, and most others I’m sure was reaching the edge of the Red Crater, the highest point of the Tongariro Crossing main path. The smell of sulphur is a reminder that this crater is still active and the warning signs were unusual to see. From here, views over the Emerald Lakes are awesome. 3 vibrant green volcanic crater lakes located at 1,725m above sea level, their colour comes from mineral deposits like calcium carbonate and sulphur. The water is cold, acidic, and sacred to Māori, so swimming is strictly forbidden. As you walk past you catch glimpses of hot steam rising from vents. I didn’t stray far off the path here. Finally, a long descent back down the other side of the mountain lands you back at the van.

 

#2. Rakiura/North West Circuit (Rakiura National Park, Stewart Island) 6-10/1/25

Distance- 125km. Vert- 5250m Time 5 days 4 nights (98 hours Oban to Oban!)

Rakiura is a special place, a bit of a hidden gem that lots of people will miss out. It is the 3rd and smallest of the 3 main islands of NZ, home to a magnificent array of wildlife including the famous kiwi bird. The island is committed to being predator free meaning bird population can flourish without the worry of possums, rats, wild cats eating up eggs and baby birds and lead to the restoration of endangered species. If you’re lucky you may catch a glimpse of a Southern Brown Kiwi!

 

On a trip here with Maria, we decided just before our ferry ride over to commit to the 125km long North West Circuit instead of the shorter and easier Rakiura Track at 32km which we’d have done in a long day! Might as well get the full back country experience! The North West Circuit starts on the first 10km and ends on the final 10km of the Rakiura route, so instead of a 12km shortcut we went 105km the long way round. Online, websites said this route is typically done over 9-11 days. We were aiming for 5 days and took 6 days of supplies with us. Initially, I thought that by doing just 25km a day we’d breeze it. What I didn’t realise is how muddy and unmaintained this route is off the Great Walk section, also incredibly hilly for a coastal path! Very, very slow progress was made bog hopping, creek crossings, dodging scary sea lions and timing our tide crossings on the beaches. From memory the total time walking each day was more than 9 hours!

Highlight of this without a doubt was on day 3. Turning a corner, Maria froze and we saw 2 goofy clumsy Southern Brown kiwi birds cutting about in the bush. Typically, in the rest of New Zealand they are more active at night, roaming the floors in search of food and bugs which they fish out of the ground or rotten trees with their long beaks. On Stewart Island, they live a life of luxury by having no predators so they just do what they want! Infact, we saw a total of 6 kiwi birds on the hike but I will always remember this first moment of them running around our feet, unphased by our presence. Adorable.

I remember getting off the boat on the first day and mentioning to some hunters we were doing the North West Circuit in 5 days and they laughed at us saying that’ll be a good effort. We met them again 5 days later in the local pub, South Sea Hotel in Oban as well as meeting some other walkers who were going the opposite way to us. We all enjoyed a good feed together and a welcome few pints after probably one of the toughest expeditions I’d done. There’s so much I could say about this place but I’ll leave you guys to make the trip one day to experience it for yourselves.

 

#3. Milford Track (Fiordland National Park, South Island) 26-28/1/25

Distance- 72km. Vert 2500m+. Time 3 days 2 nights (48 hours total)

The Milford Track is regarded as one of the finest walks in the world. The actual Great Walk route is 53.5km linking Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound via the McKinnon Pass (1,154m), and was first discovered by a Scottish explorer Quinton McKinnon back in Oct 1888. Logistically, this is one of the tougher ones to plan as the popular way in and out is by a boat. Fortunately, you can add a 10km walk in over a big mountain! I set off on the 26th with the intention of camping on the Dore Pass Saddle (1,138m) and then walking the route start to finish in 2 days, visiting Sutherland Falls, with a short boat ride from Sandfly Point booked for the 28th to get out to Milford Sound. My route on the first day crossed a river then followed an unmaintained path about 7km up the valley through the bush. Navigating fallen trees. A frosty night bivvying on the saddle under my tarp.

 

At 6am on the 27th I was already making my descent to the Glade House ready for a full day ahead of me. Sun was shining, amazing views and I felt good. Boosted along the flat section following the river and marched up the McKinnon Pass. Pretty awesome views I was walking for a total of 11 hours and covered 41km to  rest in my hammock right below Sutherland Falls, New Zealand’s tallest waterfall cascading 580m top to bottom. Definitely the highlight of the track for me, though be prepared for the sandflies, a head net, gloves and long sleeves essential! My hammock thankfully had a bug net too.

 

Day 2 was much shorter, 25.4km in 4 hours 50, stopping on the way to take a plunge in the mighty Giant Gate Falls before heading to catch my boat. There was a bit of confusion when the boat driver didn’t have my name down on his list, even though I’d shown him my booking confirmation. Typical Jack situation! The driver let me on thankfully and I could enjoy my boat ride. Then I hitch hiked back along the Milford Road to my van at Dore Pass, with a big grin that I’d completed the Milford Track.

 

#4. Kepler Track (Fiordland National Park, South Island) 30/1/25

Distance- 60.60km. Vert 2,014m. Time 8.5 hours

After 1 rest day in Te Anau and I was ready for the next one! The Kepler starts at the opposite end of Lake Te Anau to Milford, by the damn control gates and is an anticlockwise loop, rather than an A to B, like most others. I was feeling fit at this point from a summer of marching up mountains so fancied my chances at doing it in a oner, especially as all the elevation is done in the first half of the route. The track follows the lakeshore before weaving up through the brilliant native beech forest, passing impressive limestone caves, emerging from the treeline to reach the cool board walks along the Luxmore ridgeline. I set off at 7:30am hoping to have done most of the exposed ridge section before the sun go too hot, I enjoyed a little side trip to summit Mt Luxmore at 1,472m, the highest point of the track giving excellent views of Lake Te Anau, New Zealand’s 2nd largest lake, a must do on the route and absolutely my favourite part of the day, you can’t beat standing on a summit peak!

 

Along the ridge I was followed by playful Kea, a native alpine parrot most well known for their curiosity and cheekiness. Definitely not stealing any of my snacks today! A fun descent down to Iris Burn hut and then you have 30km through the beech forest back to the control gates. I was flagging pretty hard on the last 15km, with only chocolate and liquorice to keep me going, red hot by this point too. I was relieved to get back to my van and put my feet up after a busy week in Fiordland. I’d also climbed Mitre Peak, Mt McPherson, Mt Talbot and Barrier Peak, kayaked and biked so the legs were due a rest!

 

#5. Routeburn Track (Aspiring + Fiordland National Park, South Island) 1/3/25

Distance- 34.2km. Vert 1,698m. Time 4.5 hours

Being the shortest and most accessible Great Walk makes the Routeburn very popular with trail runners and trampers alike. It’s an A to B spanning the 2 national parks from the northern end of Lake Wakatipu to the Divide a few k’s from the Homer Tunnel, near Milford. The route is only short but logistically, driving a car to each of the trailheads takes 4.5 hours and is 324km! It is common for runners to do something called a key swap. 1 person sets off from the Queenstown side, the other from the Milford end, when you cross paths about half way along the trail to exchange keys and then once you’ve completed the full route, drive the other runner’s vehicle back round to meet half way again. This saves lots of time and fuel and I think it’s a brilliant idea, otherwise a massive hitch hike would have been the alternative, or even worse… run another 34km all the way back!

 

I ran this one with my friend Tom, both a similar fitness and keen to get it smashed out in a oner, we’d arranged a key swap from Christina in Te Anau and off we went. It was good running temps, overcast, dry underfoot and with it being March there were slightly less people hiking on the trail which allowed us to get in the flow. Begin following the glistening blue pools along the Route Burn river to the Flats, cracking views of the Humboldt Range behind us. A steep stair way section follows taking us up to the highest point on the great walk route. My favourite part of the route is the way up to the Harris Saddle from Glenorchy, running along a run boardwalk section passing Lake Harris. The untouched beauty make for some of the best views in the area, and a worthy side trip is climbing up Conical Hill 1,515m, the highest point of the entire track.

All downhill in to the Hollyford Valley, passing Lake MacKenzie, through technical trail weaving through the forests and finally passing Earland Falls, a huge 174m cascade. Pretty impressive and well worth doing if you visit Queenstown.

 

 

#6. Abel Tasman Track (Abel Tasman National Park, South Island) 5/1/26

Distance- 54.25km. Vert 1,532m. Time 8 hours 55 mins.

10 months after completing my previous Great Walk, we are so back! I’d taken some time off running, as I’d got psyched on bouldering and had also been working full time in Christchurch, with the goal of saving up lots of money so I could take some time off work to travel around and get back to my adventure full time! I’d actually been here Feb ’25 for 2 days of sea kayaking and then a day of walking, but that was seeing the scenery from the ocean, not land so a return visit was a must! The only thing you need to worry about on this walk in the tide crossing at the Awaroa Inlet. It can only be crossed at 2 hours either side of the low tide. Otherwise, you’ve got a 12 hour wait! I set off from Marahau at 10:40am on a hot summer’s day. Low tide was 6:11pm, I worked out the inlet was 32km away so gave myself plenty of time, 6 hours, to get to the inlet for approx. 4:10pm, the earliest time it was safe to cross.

 

 

For a coastal path it’s very hilly, but the views are unlike any other Great Walk I’d done. Leaving the mountain peaks for sandy beaches, and towering waterfalls to lofty palm trees, this is a track well worth doing. I hadn’t run in months so thought I’d ease back in to it with a 50km mission, as you do. It was a good challenge to get me back in to the swing of things, though all I could think about was getting to that inlet in time. I arrived just after 4pm as planned so had a quick sandwich, took my shoes and socks off and began the kilometre long crossing, wading as deep as my belly button! 20km to go which proved tricky, I was knackered, hungry and my feet really hurt and this section seemed to be the most uphill/ walking on beach sections. Very slow but I made it.

 

My highlight from this walk wasn’t on the route but actually just after the finish at Wainui Bay. The Wainui Falls are well worth walking up to, you can jump in off the right hand side if you’re feeling brave and the waterfall is much more impressive that the trickle found at the overrated Cleopatra Pool! A cracking day out in the sun though and I’d recommend some sea kayaking too! Iona picked me up from the end point, I slept under a bridge near Takaka, where I’d stashed my tent and supplies, then the next morning hitchhiked a ride to get over Takaka Hill and then another ride to get over in to Marahau to collect my van!

 

#7. Heaphy Track (Kahurangi National Park, South Island) 9+10/1/26

Distance- 71.71km Vert 1,680m. Time 2 Days 1 night 18.5 hours walking total

Equal to Milford in being a bit of a logistical nightmare if you don’t want to pay hundreds of dollars on shuttle services! 6 hours 40 mins and 430km in-between the two trail heads and I hadn’t managed to find a key swap. Also open to MTB from May-October so I must return to ride it, what a route though! West coast = best coast? Fresh on completing the Abel Tasman, I’d collected my van from Marahau and driven to Brown’s Hut at the beginning of the Heaphy Track. This is 30km right at the end of the road so it doesn’t get much traffic, I camped here on the 6th Jan and waited with my fingers and toes crossed for 4 hours on the morning of the 7th.

Luckily, a shuttle bus arrived dropping people who’d just completed the walk East to West back at their vehicles and I was able to catch a ride to Takaka. I spent the rest of day climbing at Paines Ford with Iona on the 7th, then the next day we quickly did the Takaka Hill Via Ferrata before driving all the way to Westport. She was heading down the West Coast and this was perfect for me as it meant I got a bulk of the journey done without worrying for a lift. The final push was to get to Kōihaihai, which is a dead end 100km North from Westport. I waited a fair while with my thumb out but it was all worth it as the friendly local who pulled over happened to live about 20km from where I was trying to get to, and kindly dropped me the whole way. I was so chuffed as it meant I could start nice and early on the 9th for a full day walking ahead of me.

 

I camped just off the main path on a grassy knoll with a view over the rest of the campsite and beach below. 8 hours later I was up and begun my tramp at 6am. Along the coast for 15km weaving through magical nikau palms, NZ’s only native palm tree, iconic part of the walk. Incredible bush, then the route follows the Heaphy River inland to the Lewis Hut, crossing a couple of awesome new suspension bridges before climbing gradually from sea level up to about 800m. It absolutely chucked it down for about 5 hours on this section so I was grateful for the tree cover.

The Heaphy Track has some unique wildlife and if you’re lucky, you can see/hear a Great Spotted Kiwi, or one of the Takahe, which looks like a blue duck/ dinsosaur, 30 of which were relocated here in 2018 due to being endangered. Another animal which I did see, though not entirely was the infamous Heaphy Track Snails. Definitely the track highlight. I only saw a the shell of one but it gave me a good idea on the scale of these things! They are among the largest in the world, with shells growing up to 9 cm across. Brown or black in shell-colour, can live for up to 20 years, they are carnivores, feeding mostly on earthworms, which they suck up like spaghetti. Info online says they thrive in the damp, mossy, and high-altitude areas of the track, often near the Gouland Downs and the coastal nīkau palm forest which checks out as the Downs is where I spotted one. Didn’t get a photo though! Chuffed with that.

 

After 12.5 hours of walking and 46km completed, I shuffled 50m off the track in dense bush up a steep bank to find a random place in the trees to hang my hammock and tarp. Such a cosy night, I always sleep well in my little cocoon. I didn’t set off walking until 9am the next morning. I could hear and see other hikers on the track but there is no way anyone would have spotted me in my camouflage hammock and tarp! I soon smashed out the remaining 25km in 6 hours, crossing the Perry Saddle at 915m, the highest point of the route. Then a nice long descent through the native forests to Browns Hut. I made sure to swim in the river at the final suspension bridge here, it was much hotter than the previous day.

 

#8. Paparoa Track (Paparoa National Park, South Island) 17/2/26 

Distance 55.7km Vert 1,746m Time 7.5 hours (on my MTB!)

Opened in 2020, this route allows mountain bikers along the trail all year round, so I thought why not experience it on 2 wheels rather than 2 feet. Especially as I’d just completed a 2 day/ 85km mountain bike ride along the Old Ghost Road 4 days prior. The route starts at Blackball and finishes not far from Punakaiki Rocks. The west coast has lots of rich gold mining history and this route passes a few sites of interest, the main one being an old 10-head battery machine used for crushing the ore extracted from the area.

 

I’d dropped my van at the end point and fortunately, my friend Ellis was continuing south on her road trip and kindly drove me to the start point at Smoke-ho carpark. I slept in the shelter for the night and started the next morning nice and early.

The route gets the main chunk of climbing over within the first 15km up to the Ces Clark Hut. On my 10-speed bike it was pretty tough, especially over the bouldery terrain. It was raining on my climb so I chilled in the hut whilst I enjoyed a wrap and then got on with my ride, cool views along the ridgeline to the next hut, Moonlight Tops. From here this is where you really get going and I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole way.

 

The highest point on the track is 1,020m by Mt Anderson, then over the next 20km it takes you all the way back to sea level. Absolutely flying! I couldn’t believe how long the descent went on for, riding through the Goblin Forest, along the ridge, navigating steep switchbacks on steep cliff side. I was in a flow state. Have to be careful of the occasional walker appearing out of nowhere though! The track has had lots of slips on it over the recent months and you can tell the team have been working hard to maintain it and keep it in good condition. It had a good mixture of fast smooth sections and narrow rockier parts traversing streams and crossing bridges. Even had to duck down as the trail weaved through a small boulder tunnel. After the Pororari Hut, back in the bush line the route followed the river all the way back to my van crossing the final suspension bridge marking the end of the track.

 

Loads of fun on the bike, this is the only Great Walk where cycling is permitted year-round, so I would recommend experiencing it as it was designed to be! Nice to give the legs are rest from running it in a day for a change. If I had to choose between a favourite for the Old Ghost Road and the Paparoa Track, this one gets my vote! Go get it!

 

#9. Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track (Fiordland National Park, South Island 5/4/26

Distance 60km Vert 1,969m Time 10 hours 50 min

If you want a hike that gets all the elevation done within the first half the walk then this is perfect for you! It’s straight up there with in my top 3 favourite as I was blown away by the amount of labour and hours that have gone in to building the network of amazing boardwalks and steps up through the forest and leading along the ridgeline, serious job!

 

I set off on with Max nice and early just after sunrise. The first 10km was scenic coastline and even a few k’s running along the beach, we branched off right at the forks and headed anti clockwise towards the Okaka Lodge and summit rocks. This meant from sea level you have a 1000 metre climb ahead of you, which is pretty brutal and by far the longest climb you’ll do on all of the hikes, but once done you get to enjoy a very long downhill to flat! This trail is actually regarded as one of the toughest great walks for this reason.

Now the thing to remember is there is no water source after you hit the 160m contour mark along a tributary of the Pipi Tuaraki Stream. When you cross a footbridge, keep an eye out for a stainless-steel pot on a length of cord attached to the handrail. If you need a refill, you must lower the pot down and scoop up the stream water, find the balance point and carefully lift up the pot without it spilling, very much like getting water from a well, only without the nice handle. This is much easier said than done and it took us a few goes to get more than a meagre mouthful of water, but a good laugh nonetheless.

 

A small summit loop track at the top awaits passing through some impressive monolith-like rocks and on a clear day, grants views all the way to Stewart Island, some 60km away! After a fun downhill running along the magic boardwalk path and feeling like I was in a game of Donkey Kong we reached the historical tramway line, used over 100 years ago for transporting timber from a nearby sawmill at Port Craig. We passed around 3 historical viaducts, the most impressive was the 125 metre long Percy Burn viaduct, built in 1925. At 36m high, it’s the highest timber trestle bridge in the Southern Hemisphere. Really cool. Port Craig itself was once home to 200 people at its peak and the once had a school, library, store and dancehall. The school building has been maintained and is actually available to stay in as a hut, although just around the corner was a luxury lodge which felt somewhat out of place. Personally I’d rather stay in the old school room, it had huge triple bunk beds!

We were flagging pretty hard on the return trip from here and ended up walking quite a lot but that gave us more time to take in the pretty bush line once more. We were glad to see the van again!

 

The following 2 are still on my to do list. Whanganui River Journey and the Lake Waikaremoana Track. I’ve recently been on a bikepacking mission across New Zealand (more from this to come) and I got a brief taste of the river trip as I took an exciting jetboat ride from the Mangapurua Landing down to Pipiriki.

Amazing river gorge with steep sides straight in to dense bushline pping places apart from a select few campsites where it flattens out! I was only on the boat for 30 minutes but wow I felt remote in the park for sure! The full river trip goes 145km from Taumaranui to Pipikiri so I will have to return for this to get the best experience by canoe. And once I’m there I will also run the 46km long Lake Waikaremoana track and that will round off the adventures of the Great Walks!

I look forward to next summer and a return trip to the North Island to complete these remaining two. Stay tuned!