- Round The World Trip Destination Wish #3: Great Walks in New Zealand
- Milford Track Booked For April 2015
- New Zealand, On The Road Again After a 2 Month Break
- 8 New Zealand Great Walks in 8 Weeks
- Preparing for The Great Walks and Waiting Out Cyclone Pam
- Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 1: Onepoto to Panekire Hut
- Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 2: Panekire Hut to Waiopaoa Hut
- Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 3: Waiopaoa Hut to Marauiti Hut
- Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk Day 4: Marauiti Hut to Hopuruahine Landing
- Wairoa and Taupo, In Between Great Walks
- Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 1: Mangatepopo Hut to Oturere Hut
- Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 2: Oturere Hut to Waihohonu Hut
- Tongariro Northern Circuit Day 3: Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa Village
- Wellington, Christchurch, Mount Cook, and Queenstown, In Between Great Walks
- Routeburn Track Day 1: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut
- Routeburn Track Day 2: Routeburn Falls Hut to Lake Mackenzie Hut
- Routeburn Track Day 3: Lake Mackenzie Hut to The Divide
- Milford Track Day 1: Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut
- Milford Track Day 2: Clinton Hut to Mintaro Hut
- Milford Track Day 3: Mintaro Hut to Dumpling Hut
- Milford Track Day 4: Dumpling Hut to Sandfly Point
- Te Anau, In Between Great Walks
- Rakiura Track Day 1: Oban to Port William Hut
- Rakiura Track Day 2: Port William Hut to North Arm Hut
- Rakiura Track Day 3: North Arm Hut to Oban
- Stewart Island, In Between Great Walks
- Kepler Track Day 1: Te Anau to Luxmore Hut
- Kepler Track Day 2: Luxmore Hut to Iris Burn Hut
- Kepler Track Day 3: Iris Burn Hut to Moturau Hut
- Kepler Track Day 4: Moturau Hut to Te Anau
- A Return to Milford Sound
- Coastal Pacific Train, Hitchking, And Nelson, In Between Great Walks
- Abel Tasman Coast Track Day 1: Marahau to Anchorage
- Abel Tasman Coast Track Day 2: Anchorage to Bark Bay
- Abel Tasman Coast Track Day 3: Bark Bay to Awaroa
- Abel Tasman Coast Track Day 4: Awaroa to Whariwharangi
- Abel Tasman Coast Track Day 5: Whariwharangi to Totaranui via Gibbs Hill Track
- Heaphy Track Day 1: Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut
- Heaphy Track Day 2: Perry Saddle Hut to James Mackay Hut
- Heaphy Track Day 3: James Mackay Hut to Heaphy Hut
- Heaphy Track Day 4: Heaphy Hut to Kohaihai
- Riding The Tranzalpine Train in New Zealand
- In Review: 69 Days of Backpacking in New Zealand
New Zealand is a hikers’ paradise, and their most popular hikes are named the Great Walks. There are 9 of them, although one is a paddle trip down a river, so it’s not really a hike. In a span of 8 weeks in New Zealand, I intend to do 8 of these 9 Great Walks, starting from the North Island, and moving my way to the South Island. Here’s a summary of my journey through each of them, and the time spent in between them.
| New Zealand, On The Road Again After a 2 Month Break Preparing for The Great Walks and Waiting Out Cyclone Pam |
Lake Waikaremoana Great WalkDay 1: Onepoto to Panekire Hut |
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| Wairoa and Taupo, In Between Great Walks |
Tongariro Northern CircuitDay 1: Mangatepopo Hut to Oturere Hut |
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| Wellington, Christchurch, Mount Cook, and Queenstown, In Between Great Walks |
Routeburn TrackDay 1: Routeburn Shelter to Routeburn Falls Hut |
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Milford TrackDay 1: Glade Wharf to Clinton Hut |
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| Te Anau, In Between Great Walks |
Rakiura TrackDay 1: Oban to Port William Hut |
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| Stewart Island, In Between Great Walks |
Kepler TrackDay 1: Te Anau to Luxmore Hut |
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| A Return to Milford Sound Coastal Pacific Train, Hitchking, And Nelson, In Between Great Walks |
Abel Tasman Coast Track
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Heaphy Track
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| Riding The Transalpine Train in New Zealand In Review: 69 Days of Backpacking in New Zealand |
Comments (4)
Hi there Kevin,
I enjoyed reading your blog on the lake Waikaremoana, thanks. My husband and I would like to do this walk in July, but wondering what your thought is for us to do this over 3 days rather than 4 days. We would probably go clockwise. Stay on the Panekire hut the first night. Then on the second day, walk all the way to Marauiti Hut rather than staying at the Waiopapa Hut. Would you say it’s doable from your experience? My husband says it is not, I say it should be. What do you reckon?
Thanks,
Kelly
Hi Kelly. Yes, I think it’s possible. Most people I met on the track did the whole thing in 3 days. Many skipped Panekire and stayed at Waiopapa the first night. I also met a girl who on her second day went from Panekire to Waiharuru Hut. It’s just going to be a long day for you including the side trip to the falls. I don’t know what your walking pace is, but I’m not a fast trekker, I’d say I’m slightly above average and I have found the it usually takes me about 70-80% of the time the DOC estimates to do a section. So for your planned second day, DOC estimates 8-9 hours, which should really take you 6-7 hours.
Hi Kevin. About to head to NZ in Dec for my Honeymoon. Could you give us an overview of your packing? What type of shoe? What did you do for food and cooking supplies (if needed)? Etc. Thanks!
Hi Molly,
I always wear trail running shoes for hiking since I’m not a fan of heavy boots. They did fine for me, but you might or might not want more protection from water/rain. Aside from that, I had rain jacket, down jacket, hiking pants, long underwear, and few tshirts. I did have a ultralight stove with me to heat up water, but I rarely had to use it because most of the huts I stayed in on the Great Walks had stoves and cooking pots for everyone to use. For simplicity, I brought freeze dried meals and ate those for dinner every night. For lunch I’d each tortilla wraps and salami and cheese.
I hope you enjoy your honeymoon in beautiful NZ!