Tramping tracks almost never have switchbacks; they just go straight up the side of the mountain. While walking tracks are usually under 5-10% grade, tramping tracks go to 100% grade, and even up to 200% in some areas...or more. No, there's no typo in that last sentence; tramping tracks that go up mountains tend to have large parts that are 45°, with sections that are 60° or even steeper. Sometimes a tramping track will follow a river for a while, and the river will slowly erode its banks until the track literally disappears, and you have to make your own track through the grass if you're lucky, or bushwhack through the dense forest if you're not so lucky. Sometimes there will be no official track for a little while, and you simply follow the river until the official track picks up again. Sometimes the river floods its banks after a rainstorm, and you have to either bushwhack around it (a bad idea) or wade through the knee-deep (or deeper) water for a while (a slightly less bad idea). The stream and river crossings are usually unbridged, so much of your tramping is done with wet feet, and you usually put on cold, wet socks in the morning. Hiking poles are more-or-less necessary for the river crossings. When a crossing is bridged, sometimes, though not often, it's with a three-wire bridge. Right now you're imagining what I mean by that in your head, and you're thinking "no, that can't possibly be what he means, right? He must mean something else." Wrong, that's exactly what I mean. It's one wire for you to walk on, two more for you to hold on to, and a couple Vs made with steel bars bolted to the wires to give it a little more stability. They aren't common, but they do exist, and they were apparently put in to replace two-wire bridges, which I never came across.
Tramping is something you have to learn to love. It's like food that's an acquired taste. When you first try it, you're like "why would anyone ever want to do this?," but as you get used to it, you really start to enjoy it. And it's a great way to see amazing things without tons of other people around. Don't get me wrong, the Great Walks are, well, pretty great, but those things are multi-lane highways where you're constantly passing people. One of the great things about tramping is that you can go to the top of a mountain and be the only one there, without even passing anyone on the entire way up or down.
The weather is...well, it snowed on me in February. Take that for what you will.
And then there's the sandflies. Sandflies are basically the worst thing ever. They're these tiny flies, just a little bigger than gnats, that swarm you whenever you stop moving for a few minutes. And by "swarm," I mean there could literally be hundreds of them flying around you. They're actually part of the reason that I preferred tracks that are at higher altitudes, because they don't live above tree line. They don't just swarm you, they land on you and bite you. And their bites hurt. A lot. Seriously, they're incredibly painful, and afterwards they itch for about a week. But the good news is that bug sprays also barely work on them. If you use stuff called "Goodbye Sandfly," which is specifically made for them, they'll still land on you, but they won't bite you. And it doesn't stop them from swarming you. If you use bug spray with picaridin, they're like "oh please, I eat that stuff for breakfast," and it does literally nothing at all. The only stuff that kinda-sorta works is bug spray with DEET. DEET is horrible and will probably give you cancer, but honestly, I think I'd rather have cancer than sandflies.
I typically used both Goodbye Sandfly and a bug spray with DEET, that way most of them wouldn't swarm me, and most of the ones that landed on me wouldn't bite. But it wasn't a perfect option because there is no perfect option. Thankfully they don't do well with bad weather, so when it's cold, raining, night, and/or you're above tree line, they go away. And they can't fly anywhere near as fast as you can walk, so they're only around when you take a break. New Zealand also has a system of nearly a thousand backcountry huts that you can use, where you'll be protected from the sandflies, and most of them are included if you buy a hut pass, which for foreigners costs about US$65 for six months.
Hitchhiking is easy and safe, so besides taking a bus to get out of Auckland, and taking buses to get to the edge of other cities, there's no reason to pay for transportation. I had a big sign that said “I HAVE CHOCOLATE” which cut my wait time by at least a third. It's also good to google some hand signals that drivers use for hitchhikers. Restaurants are very expensive, so I bought the vast majority of my food at supermarkets and cooked it myself. Hostels usually need to be booked a few days in advance, so before I started each trek, I always booked a hostel to stay in afterwards. Hostels in Queenstown, the main tourist hub of South Island, need to be booked about two months in advance during the summer. No, that is not a joke. Queenstown is growing rapidly and gets far more tourists than it currently has the infrastructure for. It's a massive pain in the ass and really messes you up logistically. Most towns also have a campground of some sort, which you never have to book ahead of time. But in Queenstown the campground costs more to pitch a tent at than it costs to stay in a hostel.
Now on to the hikes. The order here is not the order that I did them in, nor is it a logical order to do them in based on the topography, locations of cities and towns, and road layout. The order is simply north to south. The number of days listed is how long it took me to hike them, and descriptions of difficulty are how difficult I personally found them. Your mileage may vary.
North Island
Cape Reinga Coastal Walkway/Ninety Mile Beach – 3 days
This is the first section of Te Araroa (also known as “The TA”), a 3000 km path from the northernmost point on North Island to the Southernmost point on South Island. My original plan was to hike all of it. I failed. I would not recommend doing this section. It's mostly hiking on a beach, and the sun is brutal.
Herekino Forest Track/Raetea Forest Track – 2 days
This is the second section of the TA. I called it quits after the Raetea Forest Track. It was partially because it was the first hard tramping that I ever did, and I wasn't at all used to it. It's possible that if I had been used to it, I would have continued on. I'm not really sure. But later one, whenever I met somebody who had done all of the TA, or who was nearing it's completion, and I told them that I called it quits after the Raetea Forest Track, everybody always had the same response: “Oh. Fair enough.” Some of you may recall my Facebook post from after I quit. That section was awful.Tongariro Northern Circuit – 2 days
An easy Great Walk. Tongariro National Park is literally Mordor. Highly recommended.
Tongariro Alpine Crossing – 1 day
The best day hike in the country, according to literally everyone. It goes by Mount Ngauruhoe, aka Mount Doom, which you can climb. Make sure you get an early start if you plan to climb it. Highly recommended.South Island
Anatoki and Historic Kill Devil Pack Tracks – 2 days
A difficult hike with views that aren't particularly spectacular. I would skip it.Abel Tasman Coast Track – 4 days
An easy Great Walk with good views and a decent amount of beach hiking. I would recommend it if you like beaches.Heaphy Track – 4 days
A moderately difficult Great Walk with some pretty good views. Do the side-hike up Mount Perry if you have time. It's more difficult but definitely worth it. I would recommend it.Queen Charlotte Track – 3 days
A fairly easy hike with some great views. I would recommend it.St James Walkway – 4 days
One of the best hikes I did, with some fantastic views. It has some overlap with the TA. Highly recommended.Harper Pass Track – 4 days
A TA section that's one of the harder hikes I did, largely because it included a decent amount of bushwhacking and several very difficult river crossings. But the views are fantastic. I would recommend it.
Avalanche Peak – 1 day
A difficult, fantastic peak near Arthur's Pass village. Arthur's Pass is both the name of a village, and one of only three roads that go over the middle part of South Island. Highly recommended.
Te Ara Pataka Summit Walkway – 3 days
An easy hike on the Banks Peninsula near Christchurch. It's not particularly spectacular, but it's a good hike. I would recommend it if you have time.
Mount Somers Track – 3 days
An easy hike. It's not particularly spectacular, but it's a good hike. I would recommend it if you have time.
Robert's Point – 1 day
An easy hike to a great viewpoint near Franz Josef Glacier. I would recommend it.
Alex Knob – 1 day
Apparently Alex Knob has a really good view when it isn't cloudy. I cannot vouch for this personally. The hike is easy. I would recommend it.
Upper Copland Valley Track – 3 days
An easy hike to Welcome Flat Hut. The hike to Douglas Rock Hut is more difficult, but definitely worth it. The view about a half mile past Douglas Rock Hut is amazing. Highly recommended.
French Ridge Hut/Liverpool Hut/Rob Roy Glacier – 3 days
A set of very difficult hikes in Mount Aspiring National Park. The trails up to French Ridge Hut and Liverpool hut, which are on opposite sides of a deep valley, are very steep. You will need to use your hands, and it will take you longer to go do down than it did to go up. The views are amazing. Highly recommended.
Mueller Hut – 1 day
A steep but easy, popular hike near Aoraki/Mount Cook, the tallest mountain in the country. The views are amazing. Highly recommended.Brewster Hut/Mount Armstrong – 2 days
A moderately difficult hike with some great views. The route up Mount Armstrong beyond Brewster Hut is unmarked. Highly recommended.Gillespie Pass Circuit – 4 days
A very difficult hike with some great views. There is an option to fly back from one of the huts. I would take this option. It's surprisingly cheap and the flight is beautiful. Highly recommended.Roy's Peak – 1 day
An easy, very popular mountain. The view is amazing, but there will be many people there. Highly recommended.Glendhu Bay Track/Motatapu Track/Queenstown Trail – 5 days
A section of the TA which connects Wanaka to Queenstown. The Glendhu Bay Track connects Wanaka to the beginning of the Motatapu Track, and the Queenstown Trail connects the end of it to Queenstown. The Motatapu Track is the important part; the other two are just connectors, and it is possible to hitch-hike if you don't want to do them. The Motatapu Track is mostly above tree line, and is absolutely amazing, but it is also very steep. It's 2-3 days where most of the hiking is spent going up or down at a 45° angle. Highly recommended.Hollyford Track – 6 days
Most people hike the Hollyford Track in one direction and then fly back from the end. I chose to take the cheap route, and hiked it out-and-back instead. It's moderately difficult, and has decent views, but nothing particularly spectacular. I would skip it if you're crunched for time.Earnslaw Burn Track – 2 days
A fantastic out-and-back hike. The place I chose to camp was the best camping spot I've ever had. Highly recommended.Rees–Dart Track/Cascade Saddle – 5 days
A moderately difficult hike, and the best hike I did in New Zealand. The side-hike to Cascade Saddle on day three is particularly amazing. The view from Cascade Saddle is my favorite view in the entire world. Highly recommended.Gertrude Saddle Route – 1 day
A moderately difficult hike to a spot with a fantastic viewpoint. One of the best hikes I did. It becomes somewhat dangerous when wet, so don't go the day after it rains. Highly recommended.Routeburn Track/Greenstone and Caples Track – 4 days
These two hikes can be done separately or can easily be combined into one. The Routeburn Track is a Great Walk, and the Greenstone and Caples Track has a Great Walk-quality trail. They both have amazing views. Highly recommended.Ben Lomond – 1 day
An easy, very popular mountain near Queenstown. The view is amazing, but there will be many people there. Highly recommended.Milford Track – 4 days
A decent Great Walk. Worth it if you want to pay for it, but personally, I don't think that the views justify the cost.Hut Creek Track/U Pass/Mistake Creek Track – 2 days
Definitely the hardest hike that I've ever done. No matter which direction you go, the trail will end and you'll have to find your own path up to U Pass and down the other side, and then you'll have to find the trail when it starts again, which could be quite difficult. If you do it, go up Mistake Creek and down Hut Creek. You do not want to go down the waterfall section of Mistake Creek like I did. Highly recommended if you're okay with a little danger.Kepler Track – 3 days
A moderately difficult, fantastic Great Walk. You spend several hours above tree line in an amazing area. Highly recommended.
So, I think that all of this begs the question: “Alex, if I go to New Zealand, what should I do?” Here's what I would recommend:
Fly into Auckland, then get the fuck out of Auckland. Seriously, do not spend any time there. Take a bus out of Auckland, but after that, never pay for a bus again. Always hitchhike. Head to Tongariro National Park and do the Tongariro Northern Circuit and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with a side-hike up Mount Ngauruhoe. Then go to Wellington and take the ferry to South Island.
On South Island, do these hikes in this order:
Abel Tasman Coast Track
Heaphy Track
St James Walkway
Robert's Point
Alex Knob
Upper Copland Valley Track
Brewster Hut/Mount Armstrong
Roy's Peak
Ben Lomond
Routeburn Track/Greenstone and Caples track
Kepler Track
Abel Tasman Coast Track
Heaphy Track
St James Walkway
Robert's Point
Alex Knob
Upper Copland Valley Track
Brewster Hut/Mount Armstrong
Roy's Peak
Ben Lomond
Routeburn Track/Greenstone and Caples track
Kepler Track
Those hikes take you northwest from the port on South Island, then down the west coast, across the mountains at Haast Pass, then down to the southernmost part of the island. They would also give you a good idea of what tramping is like, without doing anything too hard.
Then you should hike the South Island section of Te Araroa, going south-to-north, climbing Avalanche Peak when you get to Arthur's Pass. You should hike it south-to-north because, from what I've heard, the southernmost 2ish weeks on South Island are not particularly exciting, so you should get it out of the way first. Then hike all the way up to the north end of the island. After that do these hikes in this order:
Three Passes Route (I didn't do it, but I've heard that it's fantastic)
Mueller Hut
Gillespie Pass Circuit
Rabbit Pass (I didn't do it, but I've heard that it's fantastic. Make sure you Google “waterfall face rabbit pass” first, and if you're not 100% sure that you'll be comfortable with that, don't go.)
French Ridge Hut/Liverpool Hut/Rob Roy Glacier
Earnslaw Burn Track
Rees-Dart Track/Cascade Saddle
Hut Creek Track/U Pass/Mistake Creek Track
Gertrude Saddle Route
Three Passes Route (I didn't do it, but I've heard that it's fantastic)
Mueller Hut
Gillespie Pass Circuit
Rabbit Pass (I didn't do it, but I've heard that it's fantastic. Make sure you Google “waterfall face rabbit pass” first, and if you're not 100% sure that you'll be comfortable with that, don't go.)
French Ridge Hut/Liverpool Hut/Rob Roy Glacier
Earnslaw Burn Track
Rees-Dart Track/Cascade Saddle
Hut Creek Track/U Pass/Mistake Creek Track
Gertrude Saddle Route
Those hikes take you down the eastern side of the mountains, and are the best hikes that should be saved for last.
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