Walking in New Zealand - North Island 2027 - 10 Days

Our tour starts today in Auckland, New Zealand's largest and most diverse city. Surrounded by volcanoes and volcanic cones, beautiful beaches and rolling countryside, Auckland is the perfect introduction to New Zealand. Situated on the North Island, the cosmopolitan city spans a narrow isthmus, between the harbours of Waitemata and Manukau. If your flight arrives earlier in the day, you might like to take a stroll around the city centre and wharf or get a bird's eye view of the sprawling city with a trip up the Sky Tower. For those arriving in time today, our tour leader plans to meet you in the hotel reception at 6pm for a welcome meeting. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive in Auckland at any time. We don't provide airport transfers on this tour, but you can find information on how to reach your hotel using the shuttle bus in the final documentation. Please note, if you plan to arrive before 3pm on Day 1 you might not be able to check-in to your hotel room, but baggage storage is available if you wish to explore the city.

After breakfast this morning, we'll wave goodbye to Auckland and head south through the Waikato Region to Rotorua (around a three-hour drive), the North Island's most famous destination for overseas visitors and an important cultural centre. Don't worry, you'll soon adapt to the distinctive sulphur smell, which comes from the vents to the underground thermal region. The area is known for its many geysers, steaming lakes and streams, and mud and hot mineral pools which are famed for their curative properties. We explore this remarkable land on several optional walks and your tour leader will recommend the most suitable route for the weather and accompany where possible. The Te Waihou Walkway (also known as Putāruru Blue Springs) is approximately 1.6 kilometres/1 mile, there is a 2.2 kilometre/1.3 mile trail through the magnificent Redwood and Douglas Fir trees of Whakarewarewa Forest and the walk around Blue Lake or Lake Tikitapu is 5.5 kilometres/3.4 miles. We'll grab a bite to eat for lunch at some point, explore Rotorua town and finally check in to our hotel. In the evening, we'll get to experience a Māori 'hangi' dinner, cooked using heated rocks in a pit oven. Our Māori hosts’ project is designed to sustain land, place, stories and people, honouring the natural environment and sharing customs and history. The total driving time for today will be around three hours. Today's optional walks total 9.3 kilometres/5.8 miles, mostly on the flat, and are expected to take around three-and-a-half to four hours.

We have an early start today, with a busy but rewarding day ahead. Our first stop is at Mount Tarawera, a sacred volcanic mountain in Rotorua where meet our local guides, drive up to the mountain and walk around the 4-kilometre/2.4-mile rim of the crater with super views. Next up we continue to learn about Rotorua with a visit to the Waimangu Volcanic Rift Valley - a fascinating hydrothermal system of bubbling mud pools, hissing geysers and steaming lakes created in 1886 following the volcanic eruption of Mount Tarawera. This is the world’s youngest geothermal system and your tour leader will be able to explain the self-guided walks amongst the hot springs and steaming cliffs on the crater track and terrace walk. Finally we drive to Tongariro National Park, arriving early evening, where we will check in to our hotel for the next two nights. The total driving time for today will be around two and a half hours. Today's 6.8 kilometre/4.3 mile walks are gently undulating and expected to take around four hours.

Today we can choose from different walking options to see the best of Tongariro National Park. Located in the centre of North Island and home to three active volcanic mountains, this is the oldest national park in New Zealand with a diverse and dramatic terrain of steam vents, volcanic peaks, waterfalls and magnificent views. Our tour leader will explain your choices for today as there are various optional hikes to cater for all interests and abilities. The day starts with a guided walk to Taranaki Falls, crossing scrubland to enter the beech forest. The path passes Cascade Falls and over Wairere Stream to the waterfall. There are views on a clear day to Ngauruhoe's cone (aka Mount Doom), keep an eye out for native birds in the diverse forest. This walk is approximately 6 kilometres/3.7 miles on undulating terrain. You can choose to either return to the vehicle or continue along this track to complete the Tama Lakes walk (a total of 17 kilometres/10 miles including the first 6 kilometres). For those interested in the stunning but challenging Tongariro Alpine Crossing you'll need to make an earlier start using local shuttle buses to reach this unguided 20-kilometre/12-mile optional hike. If time allows other options this afternoon include the Sky Waka for wonderful views along the gondola route itself, plus a Skyline Hike of 2.3 kilometres/1.4 miles at 2,300 metres/7,545 feet elevation. Today's 6 kilometre/3.7 mile walk to Taranaki Falls is expected to take around two hours and 30 minutes. You have the option to return with the tour leader or complete the 17 kilometre/10.6 mile self-guided walk to Tama Lakes. There is also an unguided 20-kilomtere/12-mile optional hike of the Tongariro Crossing.

Today, our road trip continues south through the fertile farmlands of Levin to Wellington (approximately a four-and-a-half-hour drive). New Zealand's capital lies partially on reclaimed land at the harbour and the steep hillsides adjacent to the Cook Strait. Wellington has been the capital city since 1865 and is also a cultural centre of the country, with an engaging mix of art, food and craft beer, combined with stunning harbour views and a backdrop of rolling hills and forest. We'll stop in the suburbs to visit Ōtari-Wilton's Gardens – a native botanic garden and forest reserve dedicated solely to native plants with around 100 ha of native forest and 5 ha of plant collections. To explore the bush here we will walk the Te Ara O Tama Track (4.6 kilometres/2.8 miles, with around 265 metres/869 feet of ascent and descent, which should take around two hours). Our next detour is a 2.6-kilometre/1.6-mile loop hike (one hour with 140 metres/459 feet of ascent and descent) from the edge of town to Mount Victoria from where we can enjoy a beautiful view over the city. Finally, we'll check in to the hotel and the rest of the later afternoon has been left free to explore. Ourtotal driving time for today will be around four and a half hours. Today's 7.2 kilometre/4.5 mile walks include about 400 metres/1,312 feet of total ascent and descent and will take around four hours.

This morning has been left free to explore the capital. You'll need to check out of your room by 10am and can leave luggage in a safe place. For history and culture, we recommend Te Papa Tongarewa, the modern National Museum, which gives a good insight into New Zealand history, Māori Culture and Pacific culture. More than 20 galleries house imaginative exhibitions and interactive experiences that explore New Zealand's unique natural environment, dynamic art heritage, fascinating history and the vitality of Māori culture. For nature lovers, we recommend a visit to Zealandia – an ecosanctuary, offering up to 32 kilometres/20 miles of walking tracks amongst nature and wildlife so you can choose how long and how far you like. In the early afternoon, we'll say farewell to the North Island and board the Interisland Ferry (a three-and-a-half-hour journey) to cross Cook Strait and make our way to the bustling port of Picton, at the head of the picturesque Queen Charlotte Sound. On arrival, we'll drive west, following the coastline of South Island to the town of Nelson. A lively city on New Zealand's northwest coast, Nelson is a haven for hikers, beachgoers, and kayaking fans, and is often known as the 'sunshine capital' of the country. Located next to the wine-making region of Marlborough, Nelson also has its fair share of wineries as well as being a great starting point for visiting the Abel Tasman National Park, full of golden sandy beaches, rocky outcrops, seals, and forest birds. Our hotel is located just outside the city, and we expect a late arrival into Nelson today. There is no included walking today.

Today we'll explore New Zealand's coastal paradise in Abel Tasman National Park, discovering its pristine waters and secluded coves with an expert local guide. Please note that today is a designated rest day for your Tour Leader, but you will be accompanied by a local guide. Note that if our group size is small (six or less) then we'll be sharing the guide with others. We have an early start this morning and are driven on a bus shared with other tourists for the one hour journey to Kaiteriteri to meet our local guide and register. We've planned a relatively flat and rewarding walking route through lush native forest generally following the coastline from Medlands Beach to Anchorage. Ask your Tour Leader about the chance of places to swim today to you can plan ahead. At the end of the walk we'll make our way back to Nelson. Tidal considerations could mean that we complete the walk in the opposite direction or change the route to accommodate weather or sea conditions. Today's 10.6-kilometre/6.6-mile walk includes around 110 metres/360 feet of ascent and descent and will take around four hours.

Our journey today takes us inland through an unbelievably scenic region with excellent roads and minimal traffic. Rugged, green and wild, the West Coast of South Island was one of the busiest and richest areas in the nineteenth century, when gold drew people from all over the world. On the way to Westport, we'll travel through Murchison, where we can learn about the earthquake of 1929. At Hawks Crag we'll drive under a spectacular overhang, where the road has been cut out of solid rock. We make our way to Paparoa National Park which ranges from the coastline to the peaks of the Paparoa Range and protects luxuriant coastal forest, limestone cliffs and canyons, caves and underground streams. We'll journey to Punakaiki, where we'll visit the famous Pancake Rocks with dramatic blow holes during high tides and take a 7-kilometre/4.3-mile walk along the Pororari River Track; this track follows a magnificent limestone gorge with two main features - a river with huge rocks in deep pools, and beautiful forest featuring subtle changes from sub-tropical to temperate. Our final visit near Westport is to Cape Foulwind, where you have the option to take another unguided walk of 3.4 kilometres/2 miles from the lighthouse to Tauranga Bay, or stay in the vehicle with our tour leader. At Tauranga Bay there is a colony of New Zealand Fur Seals in their natural habitat. Tonight, we'll stay in a motel, with simple apartment-style rooms and private facilities located on the West Coast Road. Our total driving time for today is around five hours. Today's 8.1 kilometre/5 mile walk is expected to take around two hours and is mainly on flat terrain. There is an optional additional walk of 3.4 km/2.1 miles on Cape Foulwind.

We complete our journey today with a drive to Christchurch, traversing an alpine landscape in the heart of the Southern Alps. At Lewis Pass, we'll break up the journey with an easy short alpine nature walk to take in a bit of the scenery and beech forest. This area is known as the Great Divide, and the Southern Alps have two contrasting landscapes with the eastern side featuring wide, shingle-filled riverbeds and dry mountain beech forests, while the western side features deep gorges and wet, dense rainforests. We'll make another stop at Hanmer Springs where we'll complete a short 1.5-kilometre/1-mile forest sculpture walk. Depending on timings, interest and weather today our tour leader will decide if we have time to complete one last walk – the optional Conical Hill 6-kilometre/3.7-mile track. We'll arrive at our final destination in the late afternoon. After an orientation tour, we'll check in to the hotel and have free time to relax before a farewell dinner (not included) to reflect on our experiences in beautiful New Zealand. Our total driving time for today is around five hours. Today's 2.3 kilometre/1.4 mile walks are expected to take around one hour and are mainly on flat terrain. Time permitting, there is an optional additional walk of 6 kilometres/3.8 miles with 200 metres/656 feet of total ascent and descent.

Our trip ends this morning at our hotel in Christchurch. There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart from Christchurch at any time. For those continuing your journey on our 'Walking in New Zealand - South Island', today is free and you'll meet the rest of the group and your tour leader this evening at 6pm for an introductory briefing. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel. We don't provide departure transfers on this tour, but you can find information on how to get to Christchurch International Airport (CHC) in your final documentation.