Take a hike – Ten of Aotearoa’s best walks

Omanawanui Track, Waitakere Ranges Regional Park

Editor and publisher of Wilderness Magazine Alistair Hall said the Omanawanui track is an escape, a world away from the hustle and bustle of nearby Auckland city.

“The views found along the sinuous trail – of Manukau Harbour and the Tasman Sea – are exquisite and rival those you expect to find in a national park,” he said.

The walk takes about 2.5 hours each way and is in excellent condition because of upgrades in recent years, making it suitable for most ages.

It is exposed to the elements, so Hall recommended plenty of water, sun protection, wind, and rainproof gear be carried.

Rangituhi

Former Victoria University Tramping Club president, and lifetime tramping enthusiast Anita Radcliffe said she adored Rangituhi Hill, tucked behind industrial Porirua.

Anita Radcliffe walking Rangituhi Hill.
Photo: Supplied

It is only about two kilometres to the lookout and two more to the summit, but Radcliffe said it felt like a real achievement as you walk through the extraordinarily lush bush, full of nīkau and supplejack.

Rangituhi Hill.
Photo: Supplied

“You see all walks of life hauling themselves up the stairs, everyone is out giving it their best and cheering each other on,” she said.

“It transports you away from your worries and makes you feel like you’re deep in the bush. It even has a small waterfall and glowworms at night. A small walk but it packs a punch.”

Rangituhi Hill.
Photo: Supplied

North-West Circuit Track, Rakiura National Park

Backcountry Trust Manager Rob Brown said the 10-12 day odyssey around Stewart Island was one of the best longer tramping trips in the country if you were looking for a real outdoor quest.

Rakiura National Park.
Photo: Supplied

“The challenging walk offers a spectacular mix of windswept beaches, forest and coastal scenery that never disappoints,” he said.

There was also an “almost certain chance to see Kiwi in the wild,” and visit huts in perfectly idyllic locations.

Rakiura National Park.
Photo: Supplied

“By the time you get to East Ruggedy Hut, you feel a long way from anywhere,” Brown said.

An amble along the Paekākāriki Beach

Ric Cullinane, chief executive of Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa, the Outdoor Access Commission, has explored walks worldwide. But his favourite is outside his front door, along Paekākāriki Beach.

Paekākāriki Beach.
Photo: Supplied

“It’s never the same beach,” Ric said.

“It’s spectacular. The colours, sea, the jetsam, are always changing.”

Ric Cullinane, chief executive of Herenga ā Nuku Aotearoa, the Outdoor Access Commission on Paekākāriki Beach.
Photo: Supplied

He usually walks along the beach every evening with his three Labradors.

The beach walk links up to the south with the towering and wildly popular Escarpment Track. To the north, it links with a plethora of tracks through Queen Elizabeth Park. During the summer, Te Araroa walkers make their way along this long ribbon of walkways.

Paekākāriki Beach.
Photo: Supplied

Kāpiti Island’s Trig Track

One of NZ Mountain Safety Council chief executive Mike Daisley’s favourite walks is the Trig Track on Kāpiti Island, which climbs to the island’s highest point, Tuteremoana at 521m.

Mike Daisley.
Photo: Supplied / Sarah Topliff

“I love this track because you get to experience the magic of Kāpiti Island,” Daisley said.

The island is a predator-free sanctuary with regenerating native forests.

“You’re likely to hear noisy kākā overhead, encounter curious weka and, if you’re lucky, spot a takehē,” he said.

You will need to pre-book a Kāpiti Island Nature Tour for your boat trip to the island and attain a Department of Conservation permit. He recommended using Plan My Walk, the NZ Mountain Safety Council’s free app and website for planning your next outdoor adventure.

Adventure to Ballroom Overhang

Wilderness Magazine deputy editor Leigh Hopkinsin’s favourite bush walk is up the Fox River to the Ballroom Overhang, on the South Island’s wild West Coast.

Ballroom Overhang – Leigh Hopkinsin walking up the Fox River.
Photo: Supplied

The Ballroom is a massive limestone overhang that forms a natural shelter. It is on the Inland Pack Track, but you can do it as a return trip, 6km each way or camp for the night.

“I love this walk because the river allows you easy access to these incredible places that would be challenging to get to otherwise,” she said.

Ballroom Overhang.
Photo: Supplied

If you time it right, you can finish with a swim, a coffee and Pad Thai at the laid-back Fox River Market, held at the river mouth every Sunday.

A Ruahine Forest Park Loop

One of the Federated Mountain Club president’s favourite “on-track” walks is the loop around Otukota, Colenso and Ironbark hut in the Ruahine Forest Park.

Ruahine Forest – Megan Dimozantos crossing the Maropea River below Otukota Hut.
Photo: Supplied

The area holds a special place in president Megan Dimozantos’ heart as FMC has worked to ensure access via Mokai station remains unobstructed for everyone to enjoy.

“It features a plethora of excellent huts that Backcountry Trust volunteers have lovingly restored and cared for,” she said.

The Otukota Hut, restored by the Backcountry Trust.
Photo: Supplied

The area is also well-trapped by Ruahine Whiō Protectors. Dimozantos saw two Whiō whānau on her last trip there.

“The area is just such a beautiful reminder of just how special our wild places are,” she said.

The Whirinaki Track

Neil Mythen, this writer’s father, has spent over 40 years tramping around Aotearoa.

He said the “untouched lush native forest full of majestic trees” of the Whirinaki Track is an unbeatable bush walk.

He said the area filled with rimu, matai, kahikatea, miro and totara, all hundreds of years old, is a magical place.

“It will take your breath away as you meander along the track, where you could imagine a dinosaur appearing around the next corner.”

Unbelievable as it may seem, in the late ’70s and early ’80s, this forest was set to be selectively logged by the then NZ Forest Service, Mythen said.

A campaign was started to save the forest, which captured the public’s imagination and was basically the forerunner of the Green movement.

The forest was saved and a new government department was formed to look after our native forests… the Department of Conservation.

Mt Fox

Alpine adventure company, Mountain Journey’s owner Rob Frost set his sights on Mt Fox.

He said it was a steep and difficult track which “doesn’t muck around,” climbing 1200m over a distance of less than 4km.

Mt Fox.
Photo: Supplied

But it is worth the hustle he said, offering unparalleled views of the Fox Glacier / Te Moeka o Tuawe, the highest section of the Southern Alps / Ka Tiritiri o te Moana, as well as both north and south along the West Coast.

There is plenty of variety, too: it starts in lowland podocarp-hardwood forest draped with mosses, and climbs through tree ferns, dracophyllum forest, subalpine shrubs, to finally reach alpine tarns amongst the tussock.

“Allow a day, and plan to use your hands for the steep bits,” he said.

A bath for a princess

Just a couple of hours’ drive into the back of Hanmer Springs, you will find yourself at sapphire blue Lake Tennyson.

Looking over the lake is Mt Princess, where nestled under its peak is a glorious tarn, named Princess Bath.

There is no set route up to the tarn, but you can follow the ridgeline eventually arriving for a cool dip to wash off the summer’s heat.

Author and her dad, Neil Mythen at Princess Bath.
Photo: Supplied

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