The best NZ walks for families with small kids.
Hannah-Rose Watt is a Christchurch-based hiking guru, tramping influencer and the author of Wild Walks Aotearoa: A Guide to Tramping in New Zealand. Here we detail five of the best NZ walks for families with small children, extracted from the book.
Kerikeri, Northland
For the Northland nomads seeking the perfect leg stretch, here’s a gem to add to your roadie spreadsheet – an efficient yet wholly enchanting small walk that promises epic views while keeping within your allocated roadie stop time. This trail takes you on a journey where such perils as wet feet, elbow-deep mud and sticks in your hair can be forgotten. It’s a trail where you can hop out of the car, zip up the pants you unzipped for the drive and boogie on down to the falls. The meticulously maintained and easily accessible track opts for efficiency by travelling straight down to the falls; dilly-dallying through bush and forest is unnecessary (apparently). The trail passes through a kauri dieback cleaning station, so when stuffing your feet into random shoes from the car’s footwell, opt for enclosed footwear to avoid detergent on your socks. For those who prefer to delay their rendezvous with the falls, higher viewing points give you eyes on the top, where fairy pools replenish themselves with every blink. It is also a part of the Te Araroa Trail, so the option is there to make the walk longer (not the whole-length-of-Aotearoa longer, just a few extra kilometres will do). As the track swiftly zigs and zags to the base, the enchantment unfolds. The falls, wreathed in lush ferns and foliage, cast a shimmering veil that delicately interrupts the air with mist. Come summertime, the falls and pools transform into a popular swimming place. The accessibility, coupled with the allure of the magic behind the falls, makes it a sweet spot for those seeking a touch of sublime.
Time: 20 minutes return
Distance: 800m return
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Mount Damper and Waitaanga Conservation Area, Taranaki
Let’s journey through ferns to behold one of Te Ika-a-Māui’s highest waterfalls. Nestled off the beaten path, this hidden gem is often witnessed in solitude, away from crowds. It’s not often a spectacle of cascading water is yours alone to witness. Something so short and off the beaten highway wouldn’t usually be a must-do, but this one surprised me. A perfect side trip from the enigmatic, and potentially sometimes stressful, Forgotten World Highway (a route worth driving), the trail is accessed from a quiet, out-of-the-way road. Initially traversing private farmland, it is soon immersed in the embrace of native bush. As the track gently descends, a viewing platform reveals the majestic 74m falls. Geologically captivating, the slate-grey rock and wild mass of ferns surrounds the water’s dramatic plunge to the pool below. The smooth cliff face offers no other cracks or fissures, leading the eye to only the rainbow-filled centrepiece. The track descends more steeply to another viewing platform offering an unobstructed view of the falls. A short detour, via a small goat track, leads to an additional viewpoint showcasing a smaller yet equally captivating waterfall opposite. This trail converges with Te Rerepahupahu Falls Track if you fancy an eight-hour detour.
Time: One-hour return
Distance: 2km return
Bay of Plenty, Northland
In Aotearoa the landscape tells stories. With limited knowledge, you can use your eyes to trace the tales carved by glaciers, the force of water and, particularly in Te Ika-a-Māui the North Island, the echoes of volcanic history. You may have heard of a lost wonder, Aotearoa’s famous Pink and White Terraces. The volcano that dominates this journey buried them during one of Aotearoa’s most significant eruptions. Its 1886 upheaval etched Mount Tarawera’s surroundings to give us the lakes, forests and cliffs we see now. The journey begins alongside the Tarawera River and follows the crystalline flow upstream. The track is well-marked, maintained and graded, snaking through the bush on a gentle (and I mean gentle) gradient. A cautionary tale: some of the most alluring waters are trailside on this hike. A quick dip in the cool, tantalising waters seems idyllic, but choose your swimming spots wisely unless you like holding hands with amused strangers as they pull you back up a bank. Enticed, a friend and I slid into the river to enjoy the volcanic waters. Unfortunately, due to situation-induced laughter, we couldn’t summon the strength to haul ourselves up the bank. Hence the strangers. Not only are the falls visually reminiscent of an Avatar-esque hidden world, but they’re also geologically pleasing because the water comes through narrow fissures in a rhyolite lava cliff. The water flows from the fractured rock in an ice-coloured torrent before revealing its lucent blue and green hues that will captivate you throughout the walk. If you’re at the falls and having a bit of a geological nerd-out and want to indulge in more lava flow, continue to the Tarawera Outlet (on Lake Tarawera), which is another 5km away. The track passes fascinating sections of the river that flow underground, disappearing into the earth. There is also another mesmerising swimming hole just past the top of the falls. All other trails are signposted at the car park and straightforward, offering you the freedom to continue exploring.
Time: 40 mins return
Distance: 700m return
Hokitika, West Coast
We all like to misbehave. Hokitika Gorge is no different. Sometimes, the milky turquoise water will be off the charts; other times, it will play coy. You’ll just have to keep returning until it turns on the turquoise. If you’re new to Aotearoa, let me sum up the West Coast. It’s either wet, like, really wet, or bluebird. When it rains, it pours, and it’s that delicious sideways rain with fat raindrops that makes you want to lean against a window and read a book. The rivers rise and fall rapidly and flood quickly. The gorge is a regular Coasty river and acts like it, so if angry, muddy grey water is not your thing, save this one for a calmer, sunnier day. There are two ways to see the gorge – an ambling walk that leads to a high lookout or a longer womble that leads to the shores of the gorge, where the opaque, misty waters stand stark against the forest canopy of miro, rimu and kāmahi. The track is well-marked, graded and ascends/descends gently. Sometimes the walk is a loop, and other times (when the main swingbridge is closed) it’s a one-way trail. Regardless of whether it’s a loop, heading down to the clouded cobalt waters is a must-do. Starting on the trail in an anti-clockwise direction, it winds through a tangled, lush forest with a plethora of lookouts spanning over the gorge and up the Whitcombe River. The final viewing platform has a gate leading to the water-ravaged rocks and opaque shoreline. You can dip your toes in; however, swimming isn’t advised due to the swiftness of the flow. Instead, enjoy sitting on the rocks and unintentionally feeding the sandflies. If the bridge is open, it is worth making the whole loop; if not, return the same way.
Time: 1 hour return
Distance: 2km return
Fox Glacier, Westland Tai Poutini National Park, West Coast
Aotearoa’s two towering peaks, Aoraki Mount Cook and Te Horokōau Mount Tasman, are painted picture-perfect on to the surface of this small, unsuspecting lake. In the evenings, the snow-clad giants are draped in rays of peach and gold light, which, in turn, add hues to the calm surface of Lake Matheson. The key ingredient for a rad reflection is humus (not to be confused with the tahini, garlicky, chickpea delight), which is the organic runoff from the forest floor responsible for the water’s dark-amber tannin. You can make jokes about forbidden hummus all you want; it works a treat. This crispy little West Coast loop takes just over an hour to complete. Alternatively, it’s about 15-20 minutes to the first viewing platform where the sublime photography takes place. The track is impeccably marked, well-maintained and remarkably easy – a pathway you could boogie down barefoot between bowls of hot chips at the pub. Although the lake is crispy and magical on any clear, still day, sunset definitely adds another layer of allure. I suggest beginning the walk around 45 minutes before sunset. This allows enough time to hug some trees en route and still get there for golden hour. The best colour is just as the sun sets; however, nature also puts on a spectacular show beforehand.
Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes return
Distance: 4.4km
Wild Walks Aotearoa: A Guide to Tramping in New Zealand is on sale October 15. RRP $50
If you need a break from the slopes or don’t fancy a ski, there’s still a lot to do this.