What are the best walks in new zealand , whereabouts are these, the time needed and the distances?

Question

how advance would i need to book i'll be going in summer so high season, from nov to jan

Answer 1

There are some walks that you can just do ( ie you need to plan etc but not book) and then there are the "great walks" where you do need to book.

These walks include the Milford Track, Able Tasman, Queen Charlotte, Heaphy Track....these vary in difficulty and length

The Department of Conservation runs and maintains most tracks in New Zealand and the website below would give you the best info about pretty much the most important or best scenic tracks around here.

Have fun I have heard they are stunning.....

Answer 2

There are books available written on this subject, seeing as we have so much bush & forests & walking tracks here.

try one of our bookstores like:

whitcoulls.co.nz

What do you mean by booking?  You don't need to book unless you are going on a tour with someone.   Ask the tourist office about tours.

newzealand.com

Be careful, tourists get lost every week in our forests & many of them die.  They get lost & are found dead or never found.  They fall off cliffs & down ravines, one Polish guy died last week as he got stuck & there was a flash flood & he must have drowned (he was not even bushwalking far from the city either, nowhere remote or anything).  They also die of hypothermia through being stuck in bush overnight & unprepared.  You have to know what you are doing.

You must let someone know if you are bushwalking (we call it tramping), like the local tourist office or your accomodation & let them know where you are going, what route you are taking & when you will be back.  You must make sure you have studied up on what you need to take like a first aid kit, wet weather gear, a torch & spare batteries in a dry compartment, compass, wool jersey, etc.  Our weather can be very unpredictable so even in summer you need to be equiped for anything.  Make sure you buy an emergency blanket (you can get them here for just a few dollars at The Warehouse store (ask where their camping equipment section is).  It is a blanket as small as a packet of cigarettes but it could save your life if you get stuck in the bush in terms of it keeping you warm & dry.

There are tramping clubs in NZ that do day tramps, usually on Sundays, for a small fee like $15.  Go to google.co.nz & google tramping clubs if that's something you think you might like to do.  In Auckland there is the Auckland Tramping Club & the North Shore Tramping Club.  Their websites are useful to look at if only to find out what sort of things they put in their backpack for their safety for even just a day trip.

Answer 3

you should try the tongerreiro (i appologise for my spelling) crossing - it is absolutely stunning but is very challenging and i would recommend that you only do it if you are physically fit.

Answer 4

you should totally do the tongariro crossing. we learnt about it in my geography class at school(its in the tongariro volcanic centre, in the middle of the north island). our class even went there and it was tiring but so worth it. it was about 8 hours long and it was approx 18 km from what i can remember. it is rated as the best one day trek in New Zealand. and you probably need about average fitness. heres a link for more info

http://www.tongarirocrossing.org.nz/

hope it helps! if a bunch of lazy 16 yr olds can do it, you could definitely do the walk!