Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand 8 - Preview · 2018. 10. 30. · HIKING & TRAMPING IN New Zealand Andrew Bain, Jim DuFresne # # # # _ _ ^ ^ Taranaki & Southern North Island p110
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Wing into Christchurch and stock up on supplies before heading for some of the South Island’s best tracks.
Head south past gorgeous Lake Tekapo, taking in the obligatory view at the Church of the Good Shepherd, before continuing on to Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park. Warm up your tramping legs on the easy hike through the Hooker Valley before giving them a sterner test on the Mueller Hut Route, staying up high in one of NZ’s loftiest huts.
Drive on over Lindis Pass into the adrenaline bowl that is Queenstown. Get perspec-tive from atop Ben Lomond, and detour out past Wanaka into Mt Aspiring National Park to climb to a glacial extravaganza on the Rob Roy Track. Only in Queenstown can you then give your legs a rest by taking a bungy jump, or by skimming across Lake Wakatipu in a shark-shaped vessel.
Cross the Southern Alps on the Routeburn Track before taking a day off to ogle, cruise or kayak Milford Sound, before returning to Queenstown along the Greenstone Caples Track, which horsehoes through two distinctly different valleys – take your pick – that meet near the shores of Lake Wakatipu.
Kick off your tramping bonanza in metropolitan Auckland. Warm up with a day hike on the volcanic island of Rangitoto, before driving north to the beautiful Bay of Islands. Set out on foot from its shores to rugged, lighthouse-tipped Cape Brett, getting a differ-ent perspective on the famed Hole in the Rock along the way.
Head south to the sun-soaked Coromandel Peninsula to explore its myriad attractions as well as venturing in to Kauaeranga Valley to scale the Pinnacles. Travel south, getting steamed and sulphured at Rotorua and Taupo before donning the backpack again among the volcanic landscapes of Tongariro National Park. Savour them on the Tongariro Northern Circuit, or, if time is tight, traverse the much heralded Tongariro Alpine Crossing.
Head to Wellington to wander through the national museum, Te Papa, before cross-ing Cook Strait to the South Island. Stretch your arms now as well as your legs in Abel Tasman National Park, home to the most popular of NZ’s Great Walks as well as golden beaches and turquoise waters begging to be kayaked.
Two more national parks – Kahurangi and Nelson Lakes – lie nearby. Tramp the Heaphy or Lake Angelus Tracks on your way to the wild West Coast. Follow the stunning coast road, pausing at the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki.
Keep on trucking south towards glacier country. Take a guided glacier walk onto Franz Josef Glacier before tramping into Welcome Flat for a well-earned soak in the hot springs. Having cleared Haast Pass, head for lakeside Wanaka, from where you can head into Mt Aspiring National Park along the Matukituki Valley, veering away onto the Rob Roy Track to find a dramatic grandstand position beneath a hanging glacier.
Head over the Crown Range to the self-branded ‘adventure capital of the world’, Queens-town. Take your pick from some of NZ’s most fabulous tramps – the Routeburn, Greenstone Caples and Rees-Dart. Head round to the almost-mythical Milford Sound, arriving by vehicle through the Homer Tunnel or on foot along the Milford Track, the tramp once de-scribed as the finest walk in the world. Finish by heading back to Queenstown, where you can wind down in one of its many inviting bars.
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Ease into things with a couple of days in Christchurch, before heading inland and upland to Arthur’s Pass National Park, where Bealey Spur rewards trampers with a simple climb that’s blessed with views. Head north to the hot pools of Hanmer Springs before continuing to Nelson Lakes National Park, spending your days on the Mt Robert or St Arnaud Range climbs, and your nights in local accommodation. Meander through the Motueka Valley, popping in to the Tableland in Kahurangi National Park before hitting Abel Tasman National Park and the most idyllic of NZ’s Great Walks. You might want to hang around for a few days to get a different perspective on the park from a kayak or boat.
Indulge in the fine local food and wine in Nelson, then wind your way eastwards to Picton along the scenic Queen Charlotte Drive. Cruise through the Marlborough Sounds, then hit the Queen Charlotte Track while your bags are ferried ahead of you by water taxi. Take a restorative tour of Marlborough’s world-class wineries before hopping the ferry to Wellington.
Stroll into cinematic excellence at Putangirua Pinnacles, with plenty of time left in the day to visit the lighthouse and seals at Cape Palliser. Head north to discover one of the easiest ways to an alpine pass in NZ on the Sunrise Track before stopping for a couple of days in art-deco Napier in sunny Hawke’s Bay. Gorge yourself on the region’s ample produce, then burn off the calories on its flat cycling trails.
Venture into mystical Te Urewera to complete the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk then soak up some Māori culture and a good dose of sulphur at the many geothermal delights of Rotorua. Be sure to soak away any tramping aches in a hot spring here.
Swing across to Taupo, the lakeside resort just a stone’s throw from Tongariro National Park and the legendary Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Check out the twinkling glowworms of Waitomo Caves before heading to Auckland, finishing your journey with an easy day tramp on volcanic Rangitoto Island or heading further north for a cou-ple of days on the rewarding and dramatic Cape Brett Track.
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Begin in Auckland and head south to the geothermal hot spot of Rotorua, where geysers, bubbling mud, steaming vents and Māori cultural performances await.
Venture into densely forested Te Urew-era and tramp the Great Walk around Lake Waikaremoana, before driving to Taupo to do a skydive, raft a river or catch a trout.
Nearby is volcanic Tongariro National Park, home to the famed Tongariro Alpine Crossing, almost universally claimed as NZ’s best day tramp. Then retire the boots for a few days as you splash into the Great Walk that’s actually a river paddle: the 145km Whanganui Journey through the North Island’s largest lowland wilderness, Whanganui National Park.
Truck west to Egmont National Park and the near-symmetrical cone of Mt Taranaki. Tracks abound on the mountain, but it’s worth tramping the Pouakai Crossing to decide for yourself whether it’s actually better than the Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Loop back to Auckland via Waitomo Caves, where you can ogle at glowworms or don a wet suit and abseil and river-tube deep into subterranean passages and caverns.
Start in vibrant Nelson before heading off on this tour along the spine of NZ’s South-ern Alps. Drive to Nelson Lakes National Park, where the Lake Angelus Track climbs up Robert Ridge for sweeping views of the Southern Alps.
Wend your way through the wild Buller Gorge, which doubles as the starting point for one of NZ’s newest tramping tracks, the Old Ghost Road – if time is tight, you can always mountain bike it.
Take in the Pancake Rocks at Punakai-ki as you briefly touch the west coast, before heading east to Arthur’s Pass Na-tional Park to scale Avalanche Peak.
East of the pass, stick close to the moun-tains on the Inland Scenic Route through to Tekapo and Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, where you can climb to Mueller Hut for views of NZ’s highest mountain, or stroll through the Hooker Valley for
Swing through Wanaka and into Mt Aspiring National Park, climbing high to Cascade Saddle or low (but with high views) on the Rob Roy Track. Finally, make an alpine crossing on the Routeburn Track before finishing in Queenstown.
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WRITER THANKSAndrew BainBig thanks to an army of DOC staff who provided invaluable help with this edition. To Lizzy Sutcliffe for being my go-between, Phil Brownie for your update, and to DOC staff across the country, including Des Williams, Lizzie Coates, Trish Grant, Amy Rutledge, James Barsdell, Fiona Oliphant, Sarah Ensor, Jennifer Ross, Ray Bellringer, Jayne Ram-age, Jess Curtis, Sarah Keeble, Sorrel Hoskin, Neil Murray, Margot Ferrier, Graeme Kates, Helen Dodson and Jose Watson. Thanks also to Derek Brenchley at the Ngai Tūhoe, Phil Rossiter at the Old Ghost Road, Nathan Watson at the NZ Mountain Safety Council,
Emily Thorn at Auckland Council, Cedric Wedderburn at the Hump Ridge Track and Heather Macfarlane at the Kaikoura Coast Track. To Jason and Megan Hopper for a whole bunch of stuff, including the excellent company on the trails, I owe you one.
THIS BOOKThis 8th edition of Lonely Planet’s Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook was researched and written by Andrew Bain, with contri-butions from Brett Atkinson, Peter Dragicevic, Samantha Forge, Anita Isalska and Sofia Levin. The previous edition was written by Sarah Bennett and Lee Slater, and earlier editions were written by Jim DuFresne. This guidebook was produced by the following:
Destination Editor Tasmin WabySenior Product Editor Kate ChapmanProduct Editor Jessica RyanSenior Cartographer Diana Von HoldtBook Designer Gwen CotterAssisting Editors Michelle Bennett, Nigel Chin, Peter Cruttenden, Melanie Dankel, Andrea Dobbin, Jennifer Hattam, Jodie Martire, Lou McGregor, Kristin Odijk,
Monique Perrin, Simon WilliamsonCartographer Michael GarrettCover Researcher Naomi ParkerThanks to Izzy Bowles, Jakob Burger, Jennifer Carey, Daniel Corbett, Paul Cu-churean, Shona Gray, Jane Grisman, Liz Heynes, Andi Jones, Sandie Kestell, Emiel Konings, Claire Naylor, Karyn Noble, Kirsten Rawlings, An-gela Tinson, Tracy Whitmey
see also campsites, huts, lodges, individual accommodation types, individual tracks
activities 28-33, see also individual activities
Ada Pass Flats 196Ada Valley 197Ahukawakawa Swamp 120air travel 327-9Akaroa 215-16Alpine Memorial 213Amoeboid Mire 287Anakiwa 146Anapai Bay 165Anapai Bay Track 165Anchorage 164Anchorstone/Te Puka 296
Angelus Basin 179animals 314-17, see also birdsAntimony Mine Track 144Aoraki/Mt Cook 210, 41Aoraki/Mt Cook National
Park 209-14, 41environment 209-10history 209maps 210planning 210travel seasons 210
history 191maps 192packing 192planning 192travel seasons 192travel to/from 192
Bark Bay 164bays
Anapai Bay 165Brod Bay 286Camp Bay 144Davies Bay 146Fletcher Bay 78Goat Bay 165Horseshoe Bay 296Islington Bay 70Kaipipi Bay 297Lee Bay 296Mistletoe Bay 146Oke Bay 65Pandora Bay 62Poley Bay 78Resolution Bay 143Sandy Bay
(Otangawhiti) 62Sawdust Bay 297Spirits Bay 63Stony Bay 193Tapotupotu Bay 61-3Torrent Bay 164Waiharakeke Bay 165Whariwharangi Bay 166
see also individual birdsbellbird, See korimakoblue duck, See whiofalcon, See kareareafantail, See piwakawakagrey warbler, See rirorirokiwis 316miromiro 36, 36morepork, See ruruNew Zealand pigeon,
See kererupiwakawaka 34, 34pukeko 34, 34rifleman, See tititi
pounamusilvereye, See tauhoutauhou 34, 34tomtit, See miromirowoodhen, See weka
bird-watching 28, 34-7, see also individual species
Architect Creek 232Blue Duck Creek 170Breakneck Creek 293Bullock Creek 228Captain Creek 149Cascade Creek 255Chair Creek 282Coal Creek 286Coffins Creek 75Cupola Creek 182Deception Creek 170Dilemma Creek 228Eel Creek 281Flat Creek 291Fossil Creek 228Gorge Creek 169, 203Hidden Falls Creek 281Hokuri Creek 283Homer Creek 281Hopeless Creek 182Lyell Creek 223Murray Creek 171Open Creek 232Palaver Creek 232Pfeifer Creek 205Ploughman’s Creek 152Pompolona Creek 278Potters Creek 245Rainbow Creek 281Roaring Creek 245Roebuck Creek 150Rough Creek 232Scott Creek 232Sheep Creek 169Slip Creek 249, 283Snowy Creek 252Speargrass Creek 184Stag Creek 259Steele Creek 249
Swamp Creek 281Tekano Creek 232Twenty Five Mile Creek
251Webb Creek 81Wekakura Creek 171
Crown Battery 84culture 300-1currency 14, 324customs regulations 322cycling 329, see
also mountain biking
DDancing Camp Dam 81dangers, see safetyDarkies Ridge 62day hikes 66-7Deadman’s Track 245debit cards 324-5Deep Water Cove 65Demon Trail 283Diamond Lake & Rocky
first aid 46fishing 29, 250Flanagan’s Corner 169Flea Bay Cottage 193flora 314-18Flora Saddle 173Foliage Hill 212food 51, 322-3footwear 48Forest Burn Saddle 286Fox Glacier 236Franz Josef Glacier 237Freda’s Rock 213
Ggaiters 48gay travellers 323Gentle Annie Hill 279Gertrude Saddle 287-9, 288
huts 288maps 288planning 288
travel seasons 288travel to/from 289
geysers 318Gibbs Hill Track 166Gibbstown 223Gillespie Pass Circuit
Ada Pass Hut 196Anchorage Hut 163Angelus Hut 179Anne Hut 197Architect Creek Hut 232Arthurs Creek Hut 251
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huts continuedAspiring Hut 255Atiwhakatu Hut 129Awaroa Hut 165Bark Bay Hut 164Bealey Spur Hut 208Beech Hut 279Blue Lake Hut 183Boyle Flat Hut 198Browning Hut 150Camerons Hut 205Cannibal Gorge Hut 196Cape Brett Hut 66Captains Creek Hut 149Christopher (Ada)
Cullers Hut 197Christopher Hut 197Clinton Hut 278Coldwater Hut 180, 182Daleys Flat Hut 253Dart Hut 252Demon Trail Hut 282,
283Douglas Rock Hut 232-3Dumpling Hut 279Flora Hut 174Ghost Lake Hut 223Goat Creek Hut 224Goat Pass Hut 203Gouland Downs Hut 169Greenstone Hut 249Hacket Hut 151Harper Pass Bivouac 205Heaphy Hut 171Hidden Falls Hut 281Hokuri Hut 283Holly Hut 119Homer Hut 289Hurunui Hut 206Hurunui No 3 Hut 205Iris Burn Hut 287James Mackay Hut 170John Tait Hut 182Jumbo Hut 129Kahui Hut 115Kaiaraara Hut 75Kerin Forks Hut 260Kiwi Hut 205Lake Alabaster Hut 282Lake Dive Hut 117Lake Howden Hut 246,
248Lakehead Hut 182Lake Mackenzie Hut 245
Lewis Hut 170Liverpool Hut 255Locke Stream Hut 205Luxmore Hut 286Lyell Saddle Hut 223Maketawa Hut 118Mangatepopo Hut
97, 100Marauiti Hut 106Martins Bay Hut 284McKellar Hut 248McKerrow Island Hut 282Mid Caples Hut 248Mid Greenstone Hut 249Middy Creek Hut 149Mingha Bivouac 203Mintaro Hut 278Mokihinui Forks Hut 224Moturau Hut 287Mt Arthur Hut 173Mt Heale Hut 74Mueller Hut 212North Arm Hut 296Old Shelter Rock Hut 252Old Waihohonu Hut 101Oturere Hut 100, 2Panekire Hut 105Perry Saddle Hut 169Pinnacles Hut 81, 82Port William Hut 296Pouakai Hut 120Powell Hut 129Rat’s Nest Hut 249Rocks Hut 150Roebuck Hut 150Rokeby Hut 198Routeburn Falls Hut 245Routeburn Flats Hut 244Sabine Hut 184Saxon Hut 169Shallow Bay Hut 287Shelter Rock Hut 252Siberia Hut 260Speargrass Hut 184Specimen Point Hut 224Stern Valley Hut 224Sunrise Hut 126Syme Hut 118Upper Caples Hut 248Upper Deception Hut 203Upper Gridiron Hut 174Upper Travers Hut 182Waiaua Gorge Hut 115Waiharuru Hut 106Waihohonu Hut 101Waingongoro Hut 118Waiopaoa Hut 105Wehi Wehi Hut 65
Welcome Flat Hut 232West Sabine Hut 183Whanganui Hut 106Whariwharangi Hut 166Young Hut 259
Endeavour Resort 144Portage Resort Hotel 145Punga Cove Resort 144Te Mahia Bay Resort 146
ride-sharing 333rifleman, see tititipounamuriroriro 34, 124, 127, 151,
199, 226, 264river crossings 43-4rivers 17-18
Anne River 197Bealey River 203Boyle River 197, 207Clinton River 278Copland River 232Dart River 252Deception River 203East Branch Sabine
River 183Falls River 164Forest Burn 287Fox River 228Greenstone River 248,
249Gunner River 171Heaphy River 170Henry River 197Hollyford River 281Hooker River 213Hope River 206Hurunui River 205Iris Burn 286Karangarua River 232Kauaeranga River 81Kohaihai River 172Makarora River 259, 260Matukituki River West
Branch 255Mingha River 203Ohinemuri River 84Otehake River 205Otira River 204Pelorus River 149Pororari River 228Pyke River 281-2Rees River 251, 252Roaring Burn 279
Route Burn 244Saxon River 170Stony River 115Taramakau River 205Travers River 180, 182Waimakariri River 208Waipawa River 126Waitawheta River 84Waiwhakaiho River 121West Branch Sabine
River 183Wilkin River 260Young River 259
Rob Roy Track 256-7, 257accommodation 256guided tramps 256maps 256planning 256travel seasons 256travel to/from 256
ShoppingNote: Not all symbols displayed above appear on the maps in this book
Map Legend
OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their first travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offices in Franklin, London, Melbourne, Oakland, Dublin, Beijing and Delhi, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.
Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reasona-ble care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maximum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.
OUR WRITERSAndrew BainAndrew prefers adventure to avarice and can usually be found walking when he should be working. His writing and photography feature in magazines and newspapers around the world, and his writing has won multiple awards, in-cluding Best Adventure Story and Best Australian Story (three times) from the Australian Society of Travel Writers. He was formerly commissioning editor of Lonely Planet’s outdoor adventure series of titles, and is the author of Head-
winds, the story of his 20,000-kilometre cycle journey around Australia, and Lonely Planet’s A Year of Adventures.
Jim DuFresneJim first came to New Zealand more than 20 years ago in search of high peaks and wild places. He found both, along with some fine trout fishing, and has been returning ever since with his backpack and fly rod in hand. Jim began his writing career as the sports and outdoors editor of the Juneau Empire and was the first Alaskan sportswriter to win a national award from Associated Press. Today he lives in Michigan and feeds his appetite for the alpine world with frequent trips
to Alaska and New Zealand, having authored Lonely Planet’s Alaska, Hiking in Alaska and previous editions of this guidebook.
Contributing WritersBrett Atkinson Brett is based in Auckland, New Zealand, but is frequently on the road for Lonely Planet. He’s a full-time travel and food writer, specialising in adventure travel, unusual destinations and surprising angles on more well known destinations.Peter Dragicevic Over the last decade Peter has written dozens of guidebooks for Lonely Planet on an oddly disparate collection of countries, all of which he’s come to love. He calls Auckland, New Zealand his home.Samantha Forge Samantha became hooked on travel at the age of 17, when she arrived in London with an overstuffed backpack and a copy of Lonely Planet’s Europe on a Shoestring. After a stint in Paris, she moved back to Australia and now works as a freelance writer and editor.Anita Isalska After several merry years as a staff writer and editor – a few of them in Lonely Plan-et’s London office – Anita now works freelance between Australia, the UK and any Alpine chalet with good wi-fi.Sofia Levin Sofia is a Melbourne-based journalist with an insatiable appetite for food and travel. A regular contributor to Lonely Planet, Sofia also runs Word Salad – a social media and copywriting business, plus has an Insta-famous toy poodle, @lifeofjinkee.