Children on Te Puia Track, Mōhaka Valley, Kaweka Forest Park, Hawke's Bay. Photo / Shaun Barnett
Children on Te Puia Track, Mōhaka Valley, Kaweka Forest Park, Hawke's Bay. Photo / Shaun Barnett
The choices can seem overwhelming for people new to the Kiwi tradition of tramping. Fortunately, we have the perfect guide to the best hiking trails and tracks for beginners.
Shaun Barnett, author of Tramping in Aotearoa, New Zealand’s best 45 Tramps, offers advice for first-time trampers wantinga night in a hut, all hikes within striking distance of Auckland.
1. Cape Brett Track, Pēwhairangi/Bay of Islands, Northland
FULL-DAY HIKE
The long and impressive headland of Cape Brett, known to Māori as Rākaumangamanga, marks the eastern boundary of the scenic Bay of Islands. The seven peaks forming the spine of the peninsula are said to represent the seven waka in which the first Polynesians migrated to Aotearoa.
This tramp follows the forested spine of the peninsula, out to a rugged cape, which features an historic lighthouse and Cape Brett Hut. When the lighthouse began operating in 1910, three families occupied the cape to service it, each living in their own cottage. However, after automation in 1978, two of the houses were removed. In 1996 DoC restored the remaining lighthouse keeper’s cottage to serve as a tramping hut. It was an inspired decision.
Perched near the end of the cape, the hut offers exceptional views of the Although the full 16km Cape Brett Track is generally straightforward, it does require a full day, and involves a considerable amount of up-and-down, sometimes beside cliffs, with little water en route. For newbie trampers and family groups, I would instead recommend shortening the tramp by taking a water taxi to Deep Water Cove, from where it is a shorter and easier 2—3 hour tramp to reach Cape Brett Hut. Remember to book a bunk at the hut on DoC’s online booking system well in advance of your trip.
Cape Brett Hut, Cape Brett Scenic Reserve, Bay of Islands, Northland. Photo / Shaun Barnett
Aotea/Great Barrier Island is New Zealand’s sixth largest island and a trampers’ paradise. Despite its proximity to Auckland, the island’s tracks rarely get crowded, including this exceptional overnight tramp to the spectacularly sited Mt Heale Hut.
The Aotea Track boasts rugged volcanic topography, fine regenerating kauri forest, outstanding views over the Hauraki Gulf/Tīkapa Moana and a climb of Mt Hobson/Hirakimata – Aotea’s highest summit. Additionally, because the island has remained free of possums and stoats, the birdlife is excellent too, with flocks of croaking kākā, chattering kākāriki, and also the recently reintroduced pītoitoi/North Island robin.
There are various ways to reach Mt Heale Hut on the Aotea Track but the most accessible begins from Windy Canyon on the Palmers Track. This track takes about 3-3.5 hours each way. Mt Heale Hut has 20 bunks, and a woodburner, and must be booked well ahead of your tramp on the DoC online booking system.) Perched beneath its namesake volcanic spire, the hut affords sensational views across the Hauraki Gulf towards Te Hauturu-o-toi/Little Barrier Island. To complete a through-tramp, it is possible to walk out to Claris via the Peach Tree Track and Kaitoke Hot Springs.
Chris Maclean watches sunset over Little Barrier Island from Mt Heale Hut, Great Barrier Island, Auckland. Photo / Shaun Barnett
Beginning near Thames, the two-day Kauaeranga Kauri Trail offers a snapshot experience of the Coromandel Range, with its regenerating kauri forests, rugged volcanic topography and fascinating history. Although some trampers choose to tackle the tramp in a single day, an overnight stay at Pinnacles Hut allows a chance to climb The Pinnacles, and to see New Zealand’s best-preserved and largest remaining kauri dam.
Due to its proximity to Auckland, Hamilton and Tauranga, Pinnacles Hut (at 80 bunks, the largest in the country) is very popular, so make sure you book bunks well before your tramp on DoC’s online booking system. Access to the tramp begins inland from Thames, at the end of Kauaeranga Valley Rd, which has several bookable camping areas. The Kauaeranga River needs to be forded twice (on the way in and out), so check the forecast and river levels before you set off. Allow 3-4 hours each way to the hut, which has heating, gas cookers and solar lighting.
4. Central Whirinaki Hut, Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park, Bay of Plenty
OVERNIGHT HIKE
Whirinaki Forest is renowned for the conservation battles that occurred there in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Determined conservationists fought to save some of the finest podocarp forests in the country, which the New Zealand Forest Service planned to cut for timber. Podocarps, including rimu, kahikatea, tōtara, miro and mataī, occur in the Whirinaki Valley at a density rarely encountered elsewhere, forming a unique example of the type of forests that once dominated Gondwana some 150 million years ago. After spirited debate, protests and tension with a pro-logging local community, Whirinaki Forest Park was created in 1984. Now known as Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tāne Conservation Park, the park has since become a favourite haunt of trampers.
For newbie trampers, a night at the comfortable, large Central Whirinaki Hut offers an enticing taste of the park and its special forests and wildlife. From the car park at the end of Rover Rd, a well-graded track leads past the exquisite Te Whāiti-Nui-a-Toi Canyon, through dense stands of podocarp trees, and beyond to a pleasant clearing occupied by the 25-bunk hut. Allow 5-6 hours each way for the tramp, and listen out for the native whio/blue duck in the sections that pass the Whirinaki River. The hut does not require booking, with bunks available on a first-come-first-served basis.
Forest beside Central Whirinaki track, Whirinaki Valley, Whirinaki Te Pua-a-Tane CP, Bay of Plenty. Photo / Supplied
The largest and most popular hut in Kāweka Forest Park, Te Puia Lodge is a worthy destination for families or those with limited tramping experience. Best of all, the hut lies within reach of some very pleasant hot springs. No other tramp in New Zealand offers the chance to enjoy a soak at the beginning, middle and end of your trip.
The tramp begins from the end of the remote convoluted drive on the gravel Makahu Rd, where there is a shelter in an area known as The Gums. A short five-minute walk leads to the nearby Mangatutu Hot Springs Campsite, set above the mighty Mōhaka River. From the car park, the tramp into Te Puia Lodge (26 bunks, woodburner) follows a benched track beside the Mōhaka River and takes about 2.5-3 hours each way. No booking is required, but the lodge can be popular on weekends and in summer, so consider taking a tent.
Children on Te Puia Track, Mōhaka Valley, Kaweka Forest Park, Hawke's Bay. Photo / Shaun Barnett
6. Sunrise Hut, Ruahine Forest Park, Hawke’s Bay
DAY HIKE
Sunrise Hut occupies the charming subalpine basin known as Buttercup Hollow, in the central Ruahine Range, overlooking the hill country and distant coastline of Hawke’s Bay. Although it involves a reasonable climb through forest, the well-graded track ensures Sunrise Hut is a popular destination suitable for trampers of most abilities, including families with school-age children. During spring, alpine flowers abound, including korikori, the alpine mountain buttercup for which the hollow is named.
From a car park at the end of North Block Rd the well-benched track climbs through beech forest, climbing steadily towards the crest of the range. Sunrise Hut sits right on the bushline, and must be booked ahead of your tramp on DoC’s online booking system. Allow 2.5–3 hours each way. Beyond the hut, a short climb leads to Armstrong Saddle, an expansive tussock flat where, on a good day, the volcanoes Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe are visible in the near distance.
Dawn and moon at Sunrise Hut, Ruahine Forest Parl, Hawke's Bay. Photo / Shaun Barnett
Tramping in Aotearoa: New Zealand’s 45 Top Trax by Shaun Barnett is on sale now (Potton & Burton, RRP$49.99)
