Milford Sound
The Great Walks of New Zealand are the country’s premier multi-day hiking trails, a network of 11 tracks managed by the Department of Conservation (DOC) that show off the best of Aotearoa’s landscapes. From the volcanic plateau of the central North Island to the fiords of the deep south, the Great Walks are bucket-list walking for Kiwis and international visitors alike.
So, how many Great Walks are there in NZ? Currently 11, with the newest, the Hump Ridge Track in Fiordland, joining the network in 2024. Here’s the complete list.
What makes a Great Walk
The Great Walks are premier tracks offering a high standard of track, huts and bridges, booked through DOC during the Great Walks season (typically late October to late April). Most are two to six days in length, graded “easy” to “intermediate” on DOC’s tramping scale, and designed so that walkers of reasonable fitness can complete them with huts, no tent required.
Outside Great Walks season, huts drop to basic standards, bridges may be removed, and conditions can be serious. The summer booking window is the safest and most popular time to walk.
North Island Great Walks
### Lake Waikaremoana Track (Te Urewera)
A 46km, three to four-day walk around the edge of remote Lake Waikaremoana in Te Urewera. Dense beech and podocarp forest, the dramatic Panekire Bluff climb, and lake views define this track. Grade: intermediate.
### Tongariro Northern Circuit
A 43km, three to four-day loop around Mount Ngauruhoe through the volcanic heart of the Central Plateau. Includes the Tongariro Alpine Crossing day-walk section. Grade: intermediate.
### Whanganui Journey
Technically a canoe trip, not a walk, but officially a Great Walk. The 145km, five-day paddle down the Whanganui River winds through native bush and Maori history. Grade: intermediate.
South Island Great Walks
The great walks south island list is the longest of the three regions, with six tracks concentrated in the Southern Alps and Fiordland.
### Abel Tasman Coast Track
A 60km, three to five-day walk along the golden-sand beaches and turquoise bays of Abel Tasman National Park. The easiest and sunniest of the Great Walks. Grade: easy.
### Heaphy Track
A 78.4km, four to six-day walk across Kahurangi National Park from Golden Bay to the West Coast. Varied terrain including tussock downs, nikau palm forest and wild beaches. Grade: intermediate.
### Paparoa Track
Opened in 2019 as New Zealand’s newest Great Walk at the time. A 55km, three-day walk across the Paparoa Range on the West Coast, with a memorial spur to the Pike River mine. Grade: intermediate.
### Routeburn Track
A 32km, two to four-day walk crossing the Southern Alps between Mount Aspiring and Fiordland National Parks. Alpine scenery at its finest. Grade: intermediate.
### Kepler Track
A 60km, three to four-day loop from Te Anau through Fiordland’s beech forests and onto the Luxmore tops. Grade: intermediate.
### Milford Track
Widely known as “the finest walk in the world”. A 53.5km, four-day walk from Lake Te Anau to Milford Sound (Piopiotahi), finishing at Sandfly Point. Walked one-way, north to south, during Great Walks season. Grade: intermediate.
### Hump Ridge Track
Added to the Great Walks network in 2024, the newest of the 11. A 61km, three-day loop in southern Fiordland, passing historic viaducts, tussock tops and the wild Southern Ocean coastline. Grade: intermediate.
Stewart Island Great Walk
### Rakiura Track
A 32km, three-day loop on Stewart Island (Rakiura), through coastal forest and along remote beaches. One of the best chances to hear, and occasionally see, wild kiwi. Grade: easy to intermediate.
Booking the Great Walks
Bookings for Great Walks open in stages each year, typically from May for the following Great Walks season. The most popular tracks (Milford, Routeburn and Kepler) often sell out within minutes of bookings opening, particularly for summer weekends.
International walkers pay a higher rate than New Zealand residents. Always book huts or campsites before you travel. Walking a Great Walk in season without a booking is not permitted.
Choosing your Great Walk
For first-time walkers, the Abel Tasman and Rakiura offer gentler terrain. Tongariro and Routeburn deliver the most dramatic alpine scenery. Milford and Kepler suit those wanting the classic Fiordland experience. Hump Ridge and Paparoa reward walkers seeking quieter, newer trails.
Plenty of our guests combine a Great Walk with non-walking days to rest weary legs. For Milford Track finishers, a cruise on Milford Sound with us is the traditional post-track reward, watching from the deck as the waterfalls you just walked past thunder into the fiord.
One country, 11 walks
The Great Walks of New Zealand are a career’s worth of walking for most trampers, a lifetime of landscapes, weather and memories, all on one small archipelago at the bottom of the South Pacific. Pick one, book early, and start ticking them off.
Ready to round out your Great Walk on the water
Whichever track you choose, we’d love to see you on Milford Sound afterwards. Our coach and cruise from Te Anau or Queenstown is the easiest way to swap tired legs for a relaxed day on the deck, with waterfalls, peaks and wildlife all around you.
Book a Milford Sound Coach & Cruise
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