Hiking adventures in New Zealand
Hiking adventures in New Zealand
... "it might be a bit muddy" my partner said casually, a few nights before we ambled up to the 1000 Acre Plateau for a Winter Queens Birthday-weekend trip. We discovered a few days later that our interpretation of "a bit muddy" is quite different. I'm a bit of a princess when it comes to tramping, and the horrors of Ratea Forest, Pirongia and Longwood Forest on Te Araroa Trail are long gone. Give me a nice dry path along a tussocked ridge with epic views on a...
This is a great little 15Km hike in Mount Aspiring National Park. It takes in the Sugarloaf Pass via the Sugarloaf track, then heads down the Rockburn track to the old Rockburn shelter site. Finally it picks up the Sylvan track around Lake Sylvan and back to the Sylvan DoC campsite. Apart from the initial 650m climb, it is a moderate (I didn't find it too easy nor difficult) loop trail, and I made it in a 7 hour day. DoC rate it as an...
If you're looking for a fantastic multi day tramp with beautiful dense forest, mountains galore, wide valleys, rivers and a beautiful lake, then the 58Km Gillespie Pass Circuit in Mount Aspiring National Park might be for you. It begins close to Makarora, a small settlement an hours' drive to the North of Wanaka.
The Gillespie Pass circuit is a loop track. You can start just South of Makarora up the Wilkin river, or from a few Kms North of Makarora up...
We all woke around 6am this morning and several of us left Porters Creek hut by 7.15am. We enjoyed a great morning's hike, and it was only 12kms to Red Hills hut.
The day began with a steep descent to the Lowther creek river, crossing the river bed and heading back up into the forest.
A few ups and downs later we were sidling along the banks of Maitland Creek in and out of the...
Christmas Day on Te Araroa trail 🙂🌲 We got up at 4am as Flo wanted to call his family in Europe on their Christmas Eve when we got a signal at the top of the mountain. We were ready to leave Top Wairoa hut just as it got light at 5.15am.
We began the day with an 800m (2600 ft) climb from Top Wairoa hut up Mt Ellis 1615m (5300 ft). It started with rock-hopping the large...
The Pouakai ranges are part of the volcanic ranges just off Mount Taranaki in Egmont National Park. There are plenty of walks in the area including a crossing which is up there with some of the best hikes in New Zealand. As we were on limited time, we only managed the Mangorei track up to Pouakai hut and part of the Kaiauai track up to Henry Peak.
We arrived for an 8am start at the Mangorei track. From here it was 5km to...