Outdoor Video Magazine

See also my post on Hiking New Zealand’s North Island.

I spent a month and a half on New Zealand’s South Island in the summer (our winter) of 2003/4. It was their wettest summer on record I believe! Yes I did get wet, often. But I still think New Zealand is the best country I’ve ever been to in general, and the best country for outdoor activities (sorry Canada, but you’re just too big).

I will give you a run-down of my highlights of hiking the South Island, and will again point you in the direction of the Lonely Planet Tramping New Zealand book which is an excellent purchase. It is also easily available in bookstores and outdoor shops outside of NZ which is useful for planning your trip in advance.

First off the most famous tramp (that’s a Kiwi style hike) is Milford Sound. Unfortunately I can’t comment on this one…I expect its very beautiful and TOTALLY over commercialized, busy and way too well-maintained for me! But maybe I’m just jealous because you need to book many, many months in advance to hike it between October and April, and the average INDEPENDENT hiker spends $275NZ to do the hike! Yes, that’s unguided. And you’re not even allowed to camp! Huts only. If you like ‘real’ hiking, only consider this hike out of peak season, or accept it as a walk in the park.

The next most popular tramp would be the Routeburn…easier to get on than Milford, but book well in advance if you want to use the huts. However, you can camp on this one. It is a gorgeous hike, but way to tame and too busy for me. It’s supposed to be a 3/4 day hike, but I actually hiked it in one day (including the side trip and many photo opportunties, so no, I didn’t miss out!). It’s worth doing, just be prepared for crowds.

OK, time to talk about the more ‘interesting’ hikes. Abel Tasman is one of the great walks, but how about kayaking it? Kayaking a walk you say? Yep…the trail goes right along the coast, and you can get to all the same campsites by sea-kayak. The views are better from the sea than the trail, you get access to some hidden coves hikers can’t get too, and you get to play with sea lions. Plus you can take beer because weight doesn’t matter so much in a kayak! If you have some experience, then defintely do this non-guided.

OK lets get away from the crowds and the great walks. Lets talk Arthurs Pass. Just a short drive inland from Christchurch, this place sees less tourists and more locals. Gotta be a good thing. If you come here…you HAVE to stay at the youth hostel on the North ide of the road (there are two youth hostels, and one road, its pretty easy to find!). It’s a great place and the owner is the nicest, coolest, most helpful person you’ll ever meet. The scenery is not as dramatic as the southern end of the Southern Alps, the mountains not quite as big and scary looking, but as a result the area is more accessible to non-mountaineers and there are some great hikes. Avalanche Peak is an excellent day trip, you can do it from town, and it has some beautiful views and a bit of scrambling/exposure at the top. Then there is the Waimakariri-Harman Pass route which is awesome. Trackless in parts, beautiful scenery, some interesting river fords, a self-powered cable-car crossing, single wire bridges, and dig your own hot-springs. This hike has it all. Plus I did it with a lovely Swiss girl who is now a lifelong friend and a German guy who baked us fresh garlic bread on his Trangia. Check out the MANY other routes (a route is more challenging than a tramp in terms of route finding and trail conditions…so they’re more fun!) in the Arthurs Pass area here. Beware Kea’s (parrots) eating your tent, your backpack, your bike, your anything-you-leave-unattended-for-30-seconds. Aren’t they cute….bas***rds.

Stewart Island is well worth a visit for hiking. The terrain is very different from the other areas of NZ and it is your best chance to see a wild kiwi (the bird, not the local or the fruit… or the fruity local!). The 3-day Great Walk is mostly on boardwalk…urgh…but it’s still pretty. If you have time, the 8 day NWC (North West Circuit) is an awesome mud-fest of fun and endurance with some stunning lonely beaches. An alternative is to head out to Mason’s Bay, then arrange for a water-taxi to pick you up on your way back from the hut that is before you get to Mason’s Bay (to save you backtracking all the way).

Another good one is the Copland Track (unfortunately an out-and-back) which has some stunning mountain, forest and river scenery. Also the Rees-Dart is fantastic if you link it with the Matukituki Valley Track via the Cascade Saddle, which gets you high up in the Alpine zone. A side-trip up the Matukituki Valley with a night at Liverpool Hut also provides some stunning views of glaciers and some of the highest peaks in New Zealand including Mt Aspiring.

North of Christchurch in the Kaikoura region (where the whale watching is done from) I would recommend a challenging route up Mt Richmond