The Best One-Day Hikes in New Zealand

Even the drive to the trailhead of Isthmus Peak is a doozy, as the milky-blue waters of Lake Hawea flash past car windows. Park up at one of the two lots on Makarora-Lake Hawea Road and then hit the track. First, weave through clusters of scented pines and dwarf palms. Then the path turns grassy, running between farm fields framed by the high eastern Otago ranges. The zigzags begin in earnest on the edge of the mountains. They zip left and right, occasionally opening onto rocky outcrops that make for perfect photo stops. Nearing the summit, hikers cross over the ridges that bridge Lake Hawea with Lake Wanaka. Here, an amphitheatre of snow-capped peaks unfolds. The scene is dashed with tussocks and topped by the spires of the Mount Aspiring National Park to the west.

Taking in the lush rainforests and coastal hills of the legendary Coromandel Peninsula, this four-hour walk (each way) is an extraordinary way to explore the North Island. In a mecca for beach lazing and surfing in New Zealand, visitors can also turn their toes to the trail, on a route that encompasses old-growth kauri forests and remote coves like Poley Bay. The whole trip is relatively easy grade but rewards participants with a grand finale on bucolic Fletcher Bay, where emerald hills tumble straight into the Pacific Ocean.

Mike Watt, operator of the North Island travel sites My Guide Rotorua and My Guide Wellington, says, “The Tongariro Alpine Crossing is New Zealand’s most famous and best one-day hike.” Cutting right through the oldest national park in the country for a whopping 19.4-kilometre (12-mile), the “much-photographed walk features incredible volcanic terrain, emerald and blue lakes, and Mt Ngauruhoe, which doubled up as ‘Mount Doom’ in the Lord of the Rings film trilogy,” Watt says. It’s certainly not a cinch, however, with fast-changing weather conditions and some hard ground to conquer. Remember that there are limits on car spaces inside the national reserve, so it’s best to park outside and use a shuttle bus to get to and from the start and end points.

For Robbie, of adventure travel tour provider Wild Kiwi, the Roberts Point Track is their favourite walk.”It has everything – epic scenery, rainforest, swing bridges, river crossings, and one of the best views of the glacier.” The trip takes walkers over the roaring Waiho River, before plunging into misty woodlands, crossing waterfalls and sheer-faced ridges of mud. Some scrambling might be required, so it’s not a good option after heavy rainfall. However, the final piece de resistance is that panorama of the colossal Franz Joseph Glacier.

Ben Lomond is the mountain that keeps watch over Queenstown. “Walking from the top of the Skyline Gondola, the Ben Lomond Trek twists and turns through grasslands before taking a steeper and rockier turn up to the summit,” Watt says. It’s certainly not the easiest trek to take from the adventure-mad town. “The six-to-eight-hour return walk is demanding, but the panoramic views of Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables are well worth the effort,” he adds. Expect to pass through pine woods, open grasslands and high alpine terrain before meeting the curious kea parrots that frequent the top.

Prepare to be challenged by the Mueller Ridge ascent. Park up at the DOC centre in Mount Cook Village and be sure to check that the trail is safe – strong winds can often shut the higher paths. From there, the track runs under soaring Mount Cook, before switching to steep staircases. They are wide and well-maintained, but can seem endless. Altitude clocks up fast, as the clusters of wild herbs are slowly replaced by edelweiss and lichen blooms. Midway, the Sealy Tarns offer a stunning rest spot by a series of mirror-like ponds. Then the trail changes to an alpine track marked only by coloured poles. Up there, Robbie says it’s “nice to be away from the crowds of the Hooker Valley walk and see some of the most epic views of Mount Cook and Mount Sefton.”

Clocking up a whopping 2,518m (8,261ft) on the edge of North Island, Mount Taranaki is a quintessential volcano cone. Despite the altitude, it can actually be conquered in a single day’s trek, but it’s certainly not easy. There are sections that run over craggy lava flows and zigzag up stairways cut straight into the slopes. Robbie says of this one that, “It was a challenging walk, but well worth it for the incredible 360-degree views.” And they certainly are stunning, with even the outlines of the Kaikoura Range over on South Island visible on clear days. The Mount Taranaki Summit Track remains closed in winter, when the mountain is covered in snow.