All the hiking highlights of New Zealand's North and South Island and some unforgettable 'off the beaten track' experiences
New Zealand is an outdoor lover's paradise with volcanoes, mountains, beautiful coastline, forest, beaches and huge lakes to enjoy, in this 3 week holiday we have attempted to include all the hiking highlights of this wonderful and welcoming country and to get ‘off the beaten track’ as much as possible. To the Maori, New Zealand is Aotearoa, Land of the Long White Cloud and the contrasting North and South Islands have become a patchwork of Maori, European, Asian and Pacific Island history. With only 4 million inhabitants in a country the size of the UK, there's s a lot of fresh air and open space to explore! Starting in Auckland on the North Island, we transfer to volcanic Rotorua and hike the Tongariro Alpine Crossing ‘the best 1-day hike in New Zealand'. Then taking a ferry across the Cook Strait from Wellington to the South Island, we enter the famous Marlborough Sounds where we enjoy a trek on the Queen Charlotte track (with 2 night stay in a stunningly located ecolodge), a sailing boat journey, and hike part of the stunning Abel Tasman Coastal Track. Heading down the West Coast, we visit the Pancake Rocks at Punakaiki and hike up to the Franz Josef Glacier. Looping inland via Lake Wanaka, we reach the gateway to the amazing Fiordland at Te Anau. Here we make a scenic hike on the Routeburn Track and take a cruise on Milford Sound. Making our way north towards Christchurch, our final walks are to the Mueller Hut below Mount Cook and then a final 2 day hike where we will overnight at Rex Simpson hut near Lake Tekapo, which we will book out exclusively. Lake Tekapo has been declared an International Dark Sky Reserve and as we enjoy star-gazing from the hut, we can reflect on our unforgettable visit to this amazing country, far away in the South Pacific.