Walking

Linking Mount Aspiring National Park with Fiordland National Park, this famous hike – one of New Zealand’s nine Great Walks – offers an epic adventure in the Great Outdoors. At 32km long (19.8mi), hiking the Routeburn Track takes around 3 days. Popular among visitors and locals alike, the track is famous for its crystal-clear rivers, Middle-earth like Beech forests, awesome mountain vistas and impressive waterfalls.

It’s the sheer diversity of the North Island that will inspire you to want to explore on foot. From dormant volcanoes to golden coastline and native forests, we’ve put together a few of what we think are the North Island’s best day walks for you to enjoy when you visit.

The mountains, glaciers, lakes and rainforests of New Zealand’s South Island are famous the world over. It’s these landscapes that have become the ‘face’ of New Zealand; earning the country a reputation for stunning wilderness and a clean environment. When visiting the South Island, one of the best ways to properly explore is on foot. Below, we’ve listed a few of what we think are the South Island’s best day walks, ranging from a few hours to a full day.

New Zealand boasts some of the best short walks in the world and you don’t need to do a multi-day hike to get a taste of our wonderful flora, fauna and landscapes.