A definitive ruling from someone who just did them all back-to-back.

On October 25 2024, the Hump Ridge Track officially opened as Aotearoa’s 11th Great Walk, adding another link in a chain of stunning trails dotted across the nation. 

In recent years these hallowed walks have become overwhelmingly popular, to the point where it feels necessary to set up a Glastonbury-esque ticket syndicate just to land a hut booking on some tracks. With the Department of Conversation recently announcing the opening dates for 2025 bookings, many will have already started organising said syndicates, preparing their leave requests and scoping out which of the 11 trails they would like to conquer over the upcoming season. 

With that in mind, now feels like an appropriate time for a definitive ranking of the Great Walks, to help you decide which one to take on after you fail to get a Milford hut booking for the fourth year in a row. Having recently finished a fundraising mission for KiwiHarvest, where I completed the 11 walks in 11 days, I feel uniquely qualified to take on this ranking challenge. 

Many will argue that completing 11 in 11 is no way to experience these walks, each of which wind their way through a variety of wonderful landscapes and deserve to be savoured over several days. I entirely agree. Nonetheless, I will preface the rankings below by saying that I did, as much as possible, try to stop and smell the roses/sulfur along the way.

The criteria

I employed three main criteria in assessing the walks:

Admin/Logistics

The least glamorous, but absolutely most necessary thing to consider. For this I put myself in the unenviable shoes of being the designated admin person organising a trip for a group of friends or whānau. This assessment included factors such as: 

• Logistics involved getting back to the start of the trail. This ranged from the relatively straightforward loops of Kepler and Tongariro to the headache-inducing Heaphy, with a whopping 449 kilometres of road separating the trailheads. 
• Availability of transport options in the area. This included the range of options to assist you in getting to the start and finish of a trail. 
• Proximity to town centre or supply point. This is for that member of the tramping group who, for several years in a row, has broken out in a cold sweat near the start, having realised they are missing an essential bit of kit. Having forgotten to bring a lighter on literally every tramp I have ever been on, I know this pang of anxiety well. Feeling this panic at the start of the Hump Ridge or Tongariro is not a major sweat with nearby towns to save your blushes. However, finding yourself without something crucial at the start of the remote Lake Waikaremoana may see you becoming more well acquainted with your mate’s sleeping bag than you had intended.

Infrastructure

This comprised a number of factors, including:

• The trail. Not necessarily whether you could push a pram through it, as is the case with some of the walks, but more the level of maintenance, “flowability” and standard of how it has been cut. 
• Huts/Campgrounds. Chief among this consideration was locale/orientation, quality of the facilities, and general space available to you for cooking/sleeping/card-playing (if you’ve ever parked up in an overcrowded Great Walk bunkroom in the peak of summer, you’ll know how critical this last factor can be). 
• Signage. This involved both directional (which can be morale boosting or sapping in equal measure, depending on how far you thought you were from the next hut) and informational (the kind of signage conveying the history of the area that your dad will fizz up at, ensuring to stop and carefully read each one, making the other kind of signage feel a lot slower than it actually should). 

Scenery/Experience/X-factor

This, in my eyes, was the most important consideration. I’ve distilled this category down to your visual/aural experience on the trail. The specifics are a bit harder to nail down, but I considered the following:

• Native flora and fauna. Seeing a takahe… in the wild! Or spotting a fabled Kākā or Kererū. Or hearing the song of the Korimako! Or, perhaps, the most authentic Great Walk experience of them all, having your last bag of trail mix stolen and torn apart by a hungry Weka. 
• Variety of landscape. Walking in the lush, native forest NZ is famous for? Love it. Cruising along a coastal track with waves crashing nearby? Awesome. Traversing a ridgeline with panoramic views? Sign me up. However, 30 continuous kilometres of the same scenery, no matter how beautiful, can become a bit monotonous, and points were awarded for trails which kept your senses on edge.
• Landmarks and side quests. Here I considered the availability of landmarks and side missions to keep the trail interesting, ranging from the stunning Sutherland falls, to the transfixing Kepler caves to, erm, these old metal things on the Rakiura (word of warning: lovers of the Rakiura track (if they exist) may want to stop reading now). 

1. Paparoa Trail

This absolute gem on the West Coast really has it all. Peaceful trekking through beech and podocarp forest bookending your journey. Breath-taking travel on a smooth trail which snakes its way across an expansive ridgeline, giving panoramic views over the coastline and to the mountain ranges inland. And three of the most aesthetically pleasing huts you could ask for – each above the treeline and with a spacious deck and vistas that will make you want to park up and request a late checkout.

 The logistics on the Paparoa are also reasonably straightforward – once you’ve made it to Punakaiki, a short shuttle back to Blackball is all you need to arrange to start your trip.

However, the real X-factor of the walk might just be the lush swimming options for your post-hike cleanse. Freshwater fan? The end of the river by the trailhead provides a gorgeous spot for a dip. Salt water your thing? The stunning Punakaiki beach is a five-minute walk away.

Top Tip: Make sure you start at the Blackball end and do the trail back to Punakaiki. This gets the climbing out of the way on the first day and makes for a smooth, flowing descent over your next two days. 

2. Tongariro Northern Circuit

At the risk of sounding like an AI-written Lonely Planet article, I won’t waste any time re-explaining to you how beautiful the Tongariro Crossing is. What I will get on my soapbox for, however, is to stress how much the rest of this National Park has to offer, with the Northern Circuit being its crown jewel. In addition to the Crossing, the Circuit offers a further 34 kilometres of other-worldly terrain that is a feast for the eyes, with Ngauruhoe and Ruapehu orienting your journey. 

The huts and campsites along this trail are also pretty outrageous. Waihohonu could legitimately be the lair of a Bond villain, and Oturere has been recently upgraded, but managed to retain all the rustic charm that the previous edition offered. 

Finally, the logistics are also a major win. All you need to do is get yourself to Whakapapa village, and you’ll finish right back where you started, just in time to enjoy a drink and a chinwag with the ghosts at the Chateau Tongariro. 

Top tip: On the day you’re attacking the Crossing, whether coming from Oturere or Mangatepopo, get on the tools early and you’ll mostly enjoy it to yourself before the shuttles for the day walk come in. 

3. Routeburn Track

In some attempt to instil these rankings with a semblance of legitimacy, I tried to employ a form of analytics to help with the scoring. One useful metric I entirely made up was “average value per kilometre” of the walk (AVpKm – patent pending). By this metric, the Routeburn Track is the Donald Bradman of the Great Walks. Despite being just 33km, nearly the shortest of the lot, the Routeburn is certainly not compensating for anything. The trail is packed with an array of scenes, including beautiful alpine lakes, vast mountain ranges and expansive valleys. 

The flora and fauna on the Routeburn is also unmissable, with vibrant birdlife and an assortment of alpine plants throughout. Perhaps most notable is the striking Kōtukutuku lining the final stretch down to the Divide.

Top Tip: If time and keenness allows, pop down to the “Valley of the Trolls” off the Harris Shelter. It’s the Routeburn’s best kept secret, and boasts arguably the most scenic lunch spot on any of the walks.

4. Abel Tasman Coastal Track

The Abel Tasman has to be the most group-friendly of the Walks, being the only track where you can stop to enjoy a pizza and cold beverage midway (that alone saw it come dangerously close to #1). However, the true beauty of the AT is the postcard-worthy beaches dotted along the route which mean that a swim is never far away, often being very welcome after a few of the cheekily punchy climbs around the coast.

All of the huts and campsites on the trail are pretty special, but Mutton Cove campsite and Whariwharangi hut, at the northern end, are particularly so. The trail also offers a number of worthwhile side trips, as well as some very active birdlife, ensuring there is plenty to keep you absorbed over the multi-day journey.

Top Tip: There are a number of ways to tackle the AT, but I think it is best walked from Marahau right through to Whariwharangi (the final beaches – Anatakapau and Anapai – are absolute highlights), before returning to a water taxi at Totaranui via Gibbs Hill (which gives a fantastic viewpoint and new perspective to the Park).

5. Kepler Track

The first 30 kilometres of the Kepler are truly epic, with the climb up underneath limestone bluffs and the ridgeline following Luxmore Hut being arguably the most breath-taking stretch of travel offered on any of the walks. However, the second 30 kilometres, meandering through beech forest, feel relatively mundane in comparison, and have you wishing you could turn around and walk right back up over the ridgeline.   

This is arguably the easiest Great Walk from an admin perspective, with the town of Te Anau being a mere five-minute drive away, meaning you can start your adventure with a coffee from Sandfly Café and end it with a beverage at the Moose Bar – bold souls may even choose to walk the final few kilometres back into town from the trail end if they haven’t yet hit their step count for the day. 

Top Tip: This may be controversial, but in light of the above, consider walking the Kepler in reverse. It does mean a steeper climb up to the ridgeline, but you’ll save all the exciting travel for the back half.

6. Hump Ridge Track

The newcomer slots in nicely at the midway point of this list, proving it is worthy of Great Walk status. The tors and tarns on the Hump Circuit and the panoramic south coast views from Luncheon Rock are memorable highlights. These are mixed in with some relatively ordinary stretches, but those who enjoy a stroll on the beach will be fans. 

The Hump Ridge is a loop track, which we love from an admin perspective, but a major drawback of this new track is the fact that it is the only Great Walk with a section which repeats (i.e. you finish by walking out the on same 10 kilometres you started on).

Top Tip: At Port Craig Lodge, make sure to make the trip down to the bay below the Hut for a swim or at least a gander – Hector’s dolphins often frolic all along the coast here.

7. Milford Track

This feels borderline treasonous to say given its international renown, but… is the Milford Track possibly… maybe, just a touch… overrated? The sheer scale of the rock walls and glacial valleys as you climb toward Mackinnon Pass are awe-inspiring, but the days flanking either side of this section feel a little underwhelming by comparison. 

The Milford also arguably offers less from a wildlife perspective and, although the huts are relatively comfortable, they don’t quite provide the stunning perspective of their Fiordland counterparts, namely of a Routeburn Falls or Luxmore Hut. 

Top Tip: The board/card game collection at Dumpling Hut is the best of any hut in Aotearoa. If it’s raining outside (unlikely, in Fiordland) and you find yourself with a few hours to kill, you can settle in for a range of games and enjoy losing seven rounds of Monopoly Deal in a row to that loud nine-year-old kid in the hut.

8. Whanganui Journey

Depending on how much you like walking, this canoe/kayak trip down the Whanganui river should really either be first or last on this list. Calling it a journey is apt, as the voyage feels almost heart-of-darkness-esque, with the landscape becomes increasingly rugged and breath-taking as the travel becomes more remote.

If paddling isn’t really your thing, there are a number of worthwhile side-trips to get you back on your feet, chief among them the Bridge to Nowhere walk. The Whanganui is a fantastic option for a group but, ultimately, as it is not a walk, I really just couldn’t bring myself to rank it any higher.  

Top Tip: Skip the first two days and do the abridged 3-day version beginning at Whakahoro. Unless you are a big fan of Manawatū farmland, then you’ll be in heaven throughout the opening stretches. 

9. Lake Waikaremoana 

Much like the Kepler, this track is another tale of two halves. The views from Panekire Bluff are spectacular, and the smooth descent down to the lake leads you to a few awesome swimming spots, most notably at Waiopaoa Hut. However, from here, there is less to write home about. The trail stays relatively pleasant, but continues to weave next to the lake without much variety for another 20 kilometres or so. 

It is, however, the only track to boast a basketball hoop in the middle, which I award points for (if I’m going to go 0-8 from the field as usual, at least it can be in the middle of the remote forest rather than at my local rec league). 

The admin for this one is also tricky – the road in is gnarly, and the trailheads are some distance apart, so be prepared for a bit of a shift if it’s your year to prepare the itinerary for the group. 

Top Tip: Don’t miss the Korokoro falls! Possibly the best side trip of any of the walks – well worth the detour.

10. Heaphy Track

You know how we discussed AVpKM as a metric earlier? If the Routeburn is Donald Bradman then the Heaphy is Chris Martin.* There is a beautiful coastal section of Rātā and Nīkau forest to be admired on the final day, but it ultimately feels like a greedy, unnecessary flex for the Heaphy to be at least 18km longer than any other walk on this list. Not only that, but for it to span this distance with a highpoint of only 913m, passing through a saddle which is otherwise relatively nondescript just feels a little… underwhelming.

The admin involved with the Heaphy also really tanked it down this list, specifically having to arrange transport between the two trailheads. Trying to organise this section of my journey pushed my (admittedly limited) organisational capacities to the edge, and I was just doing it for myself. Trying to coordinate this trip for a group could be the kind of endeavour which destroys friendships or creates lifelong family rifts. 

Top Tip: Don’t be fooled by these signs along the way. They may engender excitement among your group but will most likely lead to disappointment and, in all honesty, should probably be replaced with Weka signs. 

11. Rakiura Track

Poor Stewart Island. On my trip over there both the pilot and the sole shuttle driver on the island told me how tourism has been really struggling there over the last six months, and then I go and put this track dead last. However, please hear me out. Stewart Island is still 110% worth travelling to, just not for this walk. It’s almost like DOC tried hard to select the most nondescript part of the island and then routed the trail straight through it. There is such epic scenery on the island (see: Top Tip) but the Rakiura Track somehow manages to take in absolutely none of it. 

Top Tip: Don’t do it. Instead, go scouting for Kiwi at Mason Bay, visit the rugged beaches on the incredible North-West circuit, or take the boat over to Ulva Island. Heck, even just park up at the famed South Sea Hotel and have a pint looking over the harbour. Literally just do anything other than this walk. 

So there you have it. I’ll finish by saying that you’ll never regret getting out for a haere in our backyard, either on a Great Walk track or otherwise. Whether getting out solo or in a group, our backcountry really is a tonic for the mind, body and soul.

Also, please check out KiwiHarvest and the fundraising page for 11 in 11, if you’re interested!

*The author intends no offence to Chris Martin. He is an icon of New Zealand mid-2000s test cricket and his Aero pads will forever be the stuff of legend.