Beth Phipps, one of our clients, walking on the Milford Track
Tramping (Kiwi for hiking)
Strange as it sounds, this is the Kiwi word for hiking. It is not surprising that a country that is bigger than the UK, has only 7% of our population and has vast areas of spectacular mountain wilderness, intact native forest and untouched coastline offers some of the best walking in the world.
Tramping in Aoraki National Park
The number of walking tracks is huge and range from easy day walks to really challenging five day adventures. New Zealand walks are as diverse as they are numerous and cover every type of terrain and landscape. The following examples highlight that diversity perfectly.
The Milford Track is one of the best known walks in the world and is a four day tramp through the incredibly scenic country of Fiordland National Park in the south of the South Island. The walk will give you pristine lakes and fiords, lush rainforest, remote river valleys, towering mountains and, very probably, rain. Believe it or not, this is what you should hope for and come for. You have not experienced the Milford Track until you have experienced it in the rain. Waterfalls appear from nowhere and cascade down the mountainsides in a breathtaking and unforgettable display of the power of nature.
In the north of the South Island, the Abel Tasman Coastal Track is a shorter and easier two to three day walk that offers very different scenery. One of the most beautiful in the country, this tramp will take you through native bush to a beach after beach and cove after cove, all with golden sand lapped by clear blue water. It is so satisfying to rest on one of Abel Tasman’s lonely beaches or swim in the warm, sheltered waters knowing that you have made a special effort to be here and that your way of getting here is the only way. Not a coach, deck chair or jet ski in sight!
The central North Island offers a tramp that can sometimes make you feel as though you are on a different planet rather than a different island. The Tongariro Northern Circuit includes the famous Tongariro Crossing and takes you through the volcanic terrain of Tongariro National Park. This four day tramp crosses the slopes of Mt Tongariro and then tracks round Mt Ngaurohoe, both active volcanoes, and the terrain varies as you climb from lush forest to alpine scrub to a lunar landscape of ash and scoria that is devoid of vegetation. You will walk through volcanic craters, over ancient lava flows and around brilliantly coloured volcanic lakes, all part of a unique other worldly experience.
Please contact us for further information about these and New Zealand’s other fabulous walking experiences.
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