Hiking in New Zealand
Aotearoa New Zealand is world-renowned for its beautiful forests, stunning mountains, and crystal clear waters. There is an extensive network of tracks, ranging from short walks to day tramps right through to multi-day adventures, including the fabled ‘Great Walks’.
Weather
New Zealand features highly changeable weather. Crowded House even wrote a song about it. A tropical island we are definitely not! Average summer temperatures are in the low to mid 20oC/70F. The climate is subtropical in the upper North Island and temperate through the rest of the country. Some might say downright freezing the further south toward Antarctica you go (even though average winter highs in Southland are just under 10OC/50F).
Most weather systems tend to come from the west bringing moisture-laden air that dumps itself on the west coast of the country and in the Southern Alps. The annual rainfall on the west of the country can reach over 5,000 mm. The east coast is far drier at an average of 500 mm. The weather systems are often followed by cold fronts from the South which can bring quite dramatic changes in temperature.
According to the New Zealand Mountain Safety Council, the bushline in New Zealand is generally at 1200-1300 metres and around 8oC cooler than sea level. Snowfall can happen outside of the usual season (early June - October). In the South Island, winter snow tends to persist at around 1000 m, rising to 2,000 metres in summer.
Sun
The sun is bloody strong in New Zealand. On a sunny summer’s day, expect to start burning in as little as 15 minutes. The UV level can be 40% higher than similar latitudes in the UK and America. This is due to the Earth’s elliptical orbit putting New Zealand closer to the sun during summer months. Also, New Zealand’s relatively clean air means there is less air pollution to disperse the UV radiation. Finally, the atmospheric ozone layer above the country begins to thin during summer, absorbing less UV radiation.
Be sure to carry good quality sunblock with a sun protection factor (SPF) of at least 30. A wide brimmed hat to cover neck and nose is also an excellent idea.
Department of Conservation (DOC)
The Department of Conservation (hereafter DOC) are the government department responsible for preserving New Zealand’s natural and historical heritage on a large portion of government land in New Zealand. This is known as the DOC estate, and covers some 8 million hectares, or roughly 30% of New Zealand’s land area.
Supporting backcountry recreation by maintaining tracks and over 1000 backcountry huts is a big part of what DOC do.
Types of walks
DOC classify different hikes into the three categories below depending on their length, difficulty. There are no fees for walking on tracks in New Zealand. There may be fees for staying in huts on the track though.
Walks - these are walks of up to a day. The track is usually well-formed and well-defined making navigation easy. River crossings are mostly bridged, except for small ones.
Tracks - tracks can be day or multi-day affairs. A reasonable level of fitness is required as some of the terrain on these tracks can be quite rough and steep. Orange markers on trees mark the track. Orange-topped poles are used above the tree line.
Routes - routes are challenging day or multi-day hikes where navigation skills are required. The track will often be an unformed route. Orange markers do mark the route still at points. Expect river crossings to be unbridged.
The Great Walks - New Zealand’s Great Walks are, according to the DOC website, “premier tracks that pass through diverse and spectacular scenery.” These tracks are extremely popular and need to be booked much in advance. There are 11 in total; eight in the South Island and three in the North.
You can find out more about the different types of walks on this DOC webpage.
Personal locator beacons
Every year, both locals and international visitors to New Zealand have to be rescued from New Zealand’s native bush. A personal locator beacon is the best way to tell people that you need help and to show them where you are.
PLBs are available for hire from places like Macpac or you can buy them online.
Sandflies
Sandflies are super common in the NZ bush. Carry insect repellant, cover your ankles, but know that you are likely to get bitten anyway!
Topographical maps
These can be bought from certain outdoors shops but also found online these days. For example by searching Mt Somers Track and pulling up the DOC page on it, I learn the topo maps required are BX19 and 20. Doing a search for these, brings up a page from Land Information New Zealand with the maps for download in high quality image formats.
Where to buy gear
Macpac – Iconic New Zealand outdoors brand, well-regarded around the world. Quality outdoor gear for the serious enthusiast. Learn more about them here.
Kathmandu - more of an ‘everyman’ brand than Macpac. Kathmandu puffer jackets are a near ubiquitous Kiwi item. Decent gear at more reasonable prices. Members get phat discounts. Kathmandu is a certified B Corp company - find out more here.
Mountain Warehouse - British outdoor company focused on really competitively priced outdoors gear.
Hunting and Fishing - Kiwis love their hunting and fishing!
Local lingo
Kiwis have traditionally used the word ‘tramp’ instead of hike, but as immigration makes us a more cosmopolitan society and as Youtube continues to Americanise the fuck out of us, that appears to be changing, and ‘hiking’ is becoming more widely used. It might have to do with websites set up to appeal to international visitors trying to speak their language too… I dunno…
Safety
River Crossing
Whilst some river crossings will feature bridges or ropes, many do not. Special care must be taken to assess the conditions and cross only if you’re sure you and your group are able to safely. According to the Mountain Safety Council, there are, on average, three river crossing deaths a year in New Zealand, and 80% of these accidents are in flooded rivers or side streams.
Weather is a key issue to consider when crossing rivers. Rainfall can rapidly increase the size and strength of river flows, turning safe crossings into unsafe ones relatively quickly. A river that you were able to cross safely on the way in may have become unsafe by the time you are coming back out. If you decide the river is unsafe to cross, either wait for the river level to decrease or choose a different route.
If you are hiking in a group, the mutual support method is recommended for crossing rivers. Line up parallel and grip each other around the waist. Grabbing hold of waist belts, pack shoulder straps or clothing works well. This means that if one person loses their footing, they will have the help of others to support them. You can find out more about the mutual support method, along with info on depth, currents, and safe entry and exit points in this Water Safety NZ document.
Giardia/cryptosporidium
These are microscopic parasites that live in some New Zealand waterways and can cause diarrhoea, stomach cramps, fever, vomiting, and nausea - the last thing you need in the great outdoors! They enter water via poor toilet waste disposal, so please use a toilet where available, or select a toilet site at least 50 metres away from water, dig a shallow hole, and bury toilet waste and paper.
The best answer, of course, is to either boil drinking water or run it through a portable filter (check out these options from Macpac, Dwight Outdoor, and Kathmandu). If these options are unavailable to you though, collect water from the top of a pool as the parasites sink to the bottom if water is calm.
Wasps
Keep an eye out for high numbers of wasps as this can be signs of a nest and wasps will vigorously defend their nests. These are usually near to ground in clearings or hollow trees. If you are travelling in areas that are known to have many wasps (this is often signposted), it is best to keep to the track.
Stinging nettle
The native stinging nettle is known as ongaonga, and it is not pleasant (trust me, I know from personal experience!). Like common nettle, ongaonga has serrated leaves. The stinging hairs, according to the Mountain Safety Council, look like “tapering glassy spines on the leaves and stems.”
Ongaonga grows only up to 500m above sea level, so it won’t be an issue in the high country. It is more common on forest margins where coming out of heavy shade into well-lit places like clearings or farmland. It can also be found at the heads of streams.
Antihistamine cream can help if you get stung, but do not put water on the affected area as this can make the pain worse.
Snow and Avalanches
The heaviest snow falls between Mt Aspiring and Arthur’s Pass National Parks in the South Island between May and September of each year. Snow can be hazardous for a few reasons. First and less deadly is its ability to burn. The reflection of the sun on snow can burn quickly, so wear sunscreen and protection for your lips also. The light can also cause snow blindness, so wear sunglasses or snow goggles also.
Snow can be very slippery. A change in the weather can make snow an icy surface quite quickly. If you can, avoid taking a route over snow that travels above bluffs. If you know that you will be travelling on snowy surfaces, you should carry an ice axe. Use it (or a trekking pole) as a third point of contact as you move across the snow. Keep it on the uphill side of your body, so you can plunge it into the snow if you slip. Kick steps into a slope with the edge of your boot if moving diagonally uphill. If you can’t kick a good step, you shouldn’t cross the slope unless you have an ice axe. Moving downhill, use your heels to make ‘plunge steps’.
Avalanches are most likely in winter and spring, but can happen at any time of the year. You should never travel alone in avalanche terrain. Before travelling it is a good idea to obtain an advisory from www.avalanche.net.nz.
Sources:
Allan, S. (2006) Bushcraft: Outdoor skills for the NZ Bush. Wellington N.Z.: New Zealand Mountain Safety Council.
Mountain Safety Council. New Zealand Avalanche Advisory. Available at: https://www.avalanche.net.nz/ (Accessed 24 May 2025)
UV intensity: STATS NZ (2017) UV intensity. Available at: https://www.stats.govt.nz/indicators/uv-intensity/#:~:text=First%2C%20Earth’s%20elliptical%20orbit%20means,UV%20radiation%20reaches%20the%20ground (Accessed: 28 February 2025).
Water Safety NZ. Be River Safe. https://cdn.fld.nz/uploads/sites/watersafety/files/PDFs/Resources_Section/River_Crossing_Facts.pdf (Accessed 24 May 2025).
Wikipedia. Department of Conservation (New Zealand) (2025) Wikipedia. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Department_of_Conservation_(New_Zealand) (Accessed: 01 March 2025).