New Zealand’s 11 Great Walks (Which One Should You Do?)

I’ve now done eight of New Zealand’s eleven Great Walks. Some twice. One at a run, one in a canoe and at least one with mud somewhere around my knees.

They are not eleven versions of the same polished hut-to-hut tramp. Waikaremoana is properly remote and rough around the edges. Abel Tasman can involve beaches, jandals and a water taxi. Hump Ridge will sell you a sausage and a beer at the lodge. Rakiura is basically an organised argument with mud.

That is why choosing by distance alone is fairly useless. The better question is what sort of few days you actually want.

The Short Version

If this is your first proper Great Walk, I would book the Tongariro Northern Circuit. It has the most dramatic terrain, great huts and enough variety to feel like a genuine expedition without swallowing a full week. I’ve done it twice, in both directions, and it is still one of my favourites.

For an easier introduction, do Abel Tasman. For the best trip with a group of mates, paddle the Whanganui Journey. For solitude and a rougher backcountry feel, Waikaremoana is the one. Paparoa was phenomenal in bluebird weather, but walkers need to accept that the track was very much designed with mountain bikes in mind.

I haven’t walked Kepler, Milford or Routeburn yet, so I have kept those three in their own section rather than pretending a DOC brochure is a personal recommendation.

Great Walk	My honest take	Normal trip
Tongariro Northern Circuit	Best first proper Great Walk	3 days*
Abel Tasman Coast Track	Easiest introduction; beaches and flexible water taxis	3-5 days
Whanganui Journey	Best group adventure, and no walking required	3 or 5 days
Lake Waikaremoana	Rough, remote and often almost empty	3-4 days
Heaphy Track	Best landscape variety	4-6 days
Paparoa Track	Fantastic ridgeline walking shared with fast bikes	3-4 days
Hump Ridge Track	A hard first day followed by oddly civilised lodges	3 days
Rakiura Track	A short bog fest with kiwi after dark	3 days
Routeburn Track	The unwalked one I would book first	2-4 days
Milford Track	The famous one, with famous booking pressure	4 days
Kepler Track	A convenient Fiordland loop from Te Anau	3-4 days

*For the 2026/27 season, Tongariro is temporarily an end-to-end walk rather than a full circuit because the fire-damaged Ditch Track remains closed.

The Eight Great Walks I’ve Actually Done

Tongariro Northern Circuit – My Best First Pick

Tongariro is the walk I keep coming back to. You cross bare volcanic country, share the dramatic middle section with the Alpine Crossing, then leave the day walkers behind and head into the quieter desert around Oturere and Waihohonu. When the weather turns, it can erase all of that in minutes.

I’ve walked it clockwise and anticlockwise. Go the normal clockwise direction when the complete circuit reopens: you move with the Crossing traffic and, more importantly, avoid battling your way up the loose scree everyone else is sliding down.

Oturere was always my favourite night. We took wine and chocolate, sat above the desert road and watched the sun disappear. The old hut has now been replaced, while the 2026/27 route starts at Mangatepopo Road end and finishes at Whakapapa because of the fire closure.

Read my complete Tongariro Northern Circuit guide before booking; the temporary route changes the transport and itinerary.

Abel Tasman Coast Track – The Easy First One

I’ve hiked Abel Tasman twice. Almost. The water taxis make it very easy to shorten, rearrange or abandon bits of the route, which is part of why I rate it so highly for a first multi-day walk.

The terrain is mild enough that I did it in jandals, the huts and campsites sit beside genuinely good beaches, and you can stop for a swim without turning it into a survival decision. You do, however, need to take the tidal crossings seriously. We reached Awaroa late and I ended up carrying my pack over my head as the water came in. Brilliant planning.

My favourite sampler is the water taxi to Torrent Bay, then the 18 km walk back to Marahau via Cleopatra’s Pool. It gives you a proper day on the track without booking a whole expedition.

Keep the food zipped up at the huts too. The local weka inspect unattended packs with a level of confidence that suggests this is not their first offence.

For the full route, tides and transport, use my Abel Tasman walking guide.

Whanganui Journey – Best With Mates

Yes, the only Great Walk without much walking is one of the best. We paddled the full Taumarunui-to-Pipiriki journey in four days with a big group of mates, doing our own thing rather than joining a guided trip.

The upper river is calm and, honestly, can get a bit monotonous. Then the bush closes in, the road disappears and the trip starts to feel properly removed from normal life. The rapids add enough jeopardy to keep everyone awake, while the Bridge to Nowhere side trip breaks up the paddling.

The river is gentle enough to figure out as you go. Your arms adapt. Your backside may not, because humanity is yet to invent a comfortable canoe seat.

I used Owhango Adventures and would use them again. My Whanganui Journey guide has the operator, barrels, shuttle and four-day itinerary details.

Lake Waikaremoana – Best for Solitude

I’ve done Waikaremoana twice, most recently only a few months ago. Let me be blunt: the track and huts are nowhere near the standard you normally associate with a Great Walk.

It is rougher, muddier and less manicured, with basic huts that do not have gas, lighting or even toilet paper supplied. Access is a mission too. The road around Te Urewera includes long gravel sections, the trail is one-way and you need to coordinate a shuttle or water taxi.

But that is also its charm. Few people seem to be walking it now and you may have entire stretches, or even a hut, to yourself. Panekire gives you the big lake view; Korokoro Falls is the side trip worth making; the rest feels low-key, enclosed and crazy remote. Do this one because you want Te Urewera, solitude and something closer to a normal backcountry tramp. Not because you want premium huts.

Lake Waikaremoana is cared for by Te Uru Taumatua, Ngai Tuhoe’s operational entity, within Te Urewera. Book the huts and transport separately, and check current road and water-taxi access before setting off.

Heaphy Track – Best for Variety

The Heaphy changes character more dramatically than any of the others I’ve walked. You start around Golden Bay, cross tussock and limestone country, drop through forest, then suddenly finish among nikau palms and the rough West Coast sea.

I walked the full track in 2017 and returned for part of it in 2023. We met giant snails and got accosted by takahe at Gouland Downs, which is a better hut story than another evening arguing over a packet of dehydrated pasta.

Four days means stacking up roughly 20 km most days. It is not especially technical, but that distance gets old with a full pack. Take five if you are not used to long days, or if you would rather enjoy the huts than arrive, inhale dinner and fall over.

My Heaphy Track guide covers the hut choices and awkward end-to-end transport.

Paparoa Track – Best in Fine Weather

Paparoa was phenomenal. We got bluebird weather across the tops, which is doing an enormous amount of work in that verdict, but on a clear day the ridgeline walking and views towards the Tasman Sea are hard to beat.

We took four days and stayed at Ces Clark Hut on the first night, while many three-day itineraries push straight past it. I liked having the shorter opening day and more time up high. We also walked out to the Pike29 viewpoint. The history matters; the viewpoint itself is nothing too spectacular.

This is a shared walking and mountain-bike track, and it feels designed for bikes. Expect to step aside while somebody comes whizzing through. The tradeoff is a broad, well-built trail and very comfortable huts. A swim by the swing bridge on day four was one of the best moments of the trip.

Tuatapere Hump Ridge – The Oddly Civilised One

Hump Ridge became the eleventh Great Walk in 2024, but it has never felt like a standard DOC Great Walk. The charitable trust runs it, bookings are separate, and the two lodges offer catered packages alongside the normal shared accommodation.

Day one is a slog. Between the logistics of reaching Rarakau and the long climb to Okaka Lodge, we were running out of daylight. Then you arrive and discover you can buy sausages and beers. Strange for a tramp… but kinda fun.

We saw dolphins off the coast, and the route’s mix of subalpine tops, old logging history and the southern coastline gives it a real identity. Two historic viaducts are currently closed for safety, but the track remains open using established bypasses.

Tip: Do not treat the first day as a casual late start. Sort the Tuatapere transport the night before and leave enough daylight for the full climb to Okaka.

Rakiura Track – Best for Kiwi, Worst for Mud

Rakiura is the shortest Great Walk, so I ran it rather than hiking it. This did not stop the mud. It is a bog fest, with mud up to your knees on what could reasonably be described as a good day.

The walking itself is probably the least interesting of these eight: a lot of forest, not much elevation and fewer big moments than Tongariro or Paparoa. But Stewart Island is about the wildlife. You have a genuine chance of seeing a Rakiura tokoeka after dark and, even if you miss one, will probably hear them calling around the huts.

Getting to the island is enough of a mission that I would not sail or fly over, do the three-day loop and immediately leave. Stay a few extra days in Oban and walk part of the much wilder North West Circuit. That is where Rakiura starts making sense.

Three Fiordland Classics

Routeburn Track – Short, Alpine and Logistically Annoying

Routeburn packs a lot into 33 km. The usual three-day route climbs from beech forest beside the Route Burn to Harris Saddle, crosses the exposed Hollyford Face and drops past Lake Mackenzie towards The Divide. It is the shortest of the three big Fiordland tracks, but probably the most immediately alpine.

The real difficulty is not the walking. Routeburn Shelter is near Glenorchy, while The Divide is on the Milford Road near Te Anau. They sit only 33 km apart on foot but 325 km apart by road, which is a magnificent piece of South Island geography when you are trying to organise a shuttle.

Most people stay at Routeburn Falls and Lake Mackenzie huts. If three days feels excessive, the Routeburn Falls side makes an excellent overnight trip, while Key Summit gives you a small taste from The Divide end.

Milford Track – The Famous One

Milford is the least flexible Great Walk. It runs in one direction from Glade Wharf to Sandfly Point, always over four days and three nights, with a boat required at both ends. Everyone stays at the same sequence of huts and crosses Mackinnon Pass on the same day.

That rigid format is part of the appeal. The route follows the Clinton Valley, climbs over the pass, drops past the Sutherland Falls side trip and finishes in Milford Sound. Fiordland rain is not an unfortunate interruption here; it is what turns every wall of the valley into a waterfall. You just need to be psychologically prepared for your expensive booking to coincide with a great deal of it.

Milford is also the booking to attack first. Huts reached roughly 95% occupancy last summer and camping is not permitted. For 2026/27, the huts cost NZD $106 per night for New Zealand adults and $152 for international adults, before adding the boats and transport.

Kepler Track – The Easiest Fiordland Logistics

Kepler is a purpose-built 60 km loop beginning just outside Te Anau. That immediately removes the expensive end-to-end shuffle hanging over Milford and Routeburn; you can arrange a short transfer, or walk about 50 minutes from town to the track entrance.

The classic four-day route follows Lake Te Anau, climbs hard to Luxmore Hut, spends its big day on the exposed ridgeline above the Iris Burn, then returns through forest and wetlands beside Lake Manapouri. The alpine day is the reason to do it, and also the reason not to wander up in bad weather assuming Great Walk equals easy.

Kepler makes the most practical choice if you want to base yourself in Te Anau and avoid coordinating two trailheads. Luxmore Hut is also reachable as an overnight trip, although stopping there skips the long ridge traverse that gives the full circuit its character.

Booking and Cost: What Actually Matters

There is no single Great Walk price. For the 2026/27 summer season, adult New Zealand hut rates range from $35 at Waikaremoana and Whanganui to $106 per night on Milford. International rates are higher on most tracks. Hump Ridge uses its own lodge packages and booking system, so it sits outside the DOC price table entirely.

Create your DOC account before booking day and have a second-choice date ready. The official Great Walks page has the current booking links, prices and alerts. Do not copy an old itinerary from a blog and assume a fire, slip or bridge closure has politely waited for you.

Packing is still normal New Zealand tramping: waterproof layers, warm clothing, a pack liner, sleeping bag, cooker where required, headlamp and a personal locator beacon. Great Walk grading means a formed track and serviced facilities in season. It does not mean stable weather, dry feet or rescue being conveniently nearby.

Where I Would Go Next

If you are choosing your first one, stop comparing all eleven and book Tongariro or Abel Tasman. They answer two very different versions of the question, and both have flexible shorter options if a full multi-day trip still feels like a lot.

My own next booking should probably be Routeburn. Then Milford. Kepler can wait until I have forgiven Fiordland for making every weather forecast feel like a creative-writing exercise.

Once you’ve picked the track, read the dedicated guide rather than trying to plan from this roundup. That is where the hut order, transport mistakes, side trips and things I would actually pack live.