Track recommendations
Hi,
I know that this may seem like a very general question, but I would really appreciate some ideas for hikes that would really show off NZ and its mountains. I've been browsing through the track database and there seem to be so many great routes to choose from and we will only have 1 month in NZ and wish to see as much of it as possible. Some key info:
1. Me and my wife are both experienced in hiking in various terrain, including highly exposed, difficult areas.
2. We are both fit and have no problems with altitude, long ascents, descents etc.
3. We have crampons and all sorts of gear that would be necessary for NZ conditions (snow, etc.)
4. Will be in NZ from 19 Feb to mid-March
Like I stated at the beginning, I am aware of the fact that answers to such a question are highly subjective, but would really appreciate it if you could just write some of your "must-see/walk" tracks.
Thanks in advance,
Martin
routeburn
rees dart, cascade saddle
kepler
dusky (rough and remote)
mt cook area, alpine
Seeing as much as possible in a month can depend on what type of transport you have available. Alot of time and money can go into getting around the country even though it seems like a small set of islands.
It might be prudent to confine yourself mostly to an area such as Mt.Aspiring NP.
I've visited close to 30 times now and some trips have lasted 6 weeks. My goals are exclusively in the outdoors so i look to spend as little time in populated areas as possible. Consider options such as relocation vehicles from hire coys to go between major locations such as ChCh and QT. It may save accommodation costs and allow flexibility in the use of time. It is not the answer all the time but it may help.
Hi Martin, welcome to the forum. In case you haven't been to NZ before, I just wanted to say make sure you give all your hiking/camping/outdoor gear a good clean before you arrive.
On the plane you will fill in a biosecurity form that will ask whether you have any outdoor gear - tick YES.
At the airport they will ask you about, and probably inspect, your gear, so make sure it is easy to get to in your luggage. Ensure there is no soil/dirt, for example in the treads of your boots, crampons, tent pegs etc. Also remove any grass seeds or plant material from velcro, and check the inside of your tent has no leaves/plant material/dirt etc.
If it is not clean enough you may have to wait while they clean it, +/- fumigate it, and they may charge you for this.
Thank you for helping protect our country and have a great trip!
spot the MAF employee 8o)
When I came back from Europe last year the biosecurity guy couldnt have cared less about my boots and gaiters which I had used in the Swiss Alps. He just wanted to know if I had a tent or not. So yes, make sure you clean your tent if you bring one!
Any track in Fiordland or Mt Aspiring will be rewarding. You cant go wrong with the Gillespie Pass and a trip up the upper Wilkin.
haha, when I got back from Mongolia they asked to see my boots. I took them out and showed him, they were pretty well cleaned, the MAF guy looked at them then looked at me and said "you're not in the army are you?" (I am).
When we returned from a NZDF medical trip to the Pacific Islands we spent at least 6 hours removing all the grass seeds from the velcro in the Field Surgical Team tentage for the MAF people to inspect.
However when we returned from 2 months camping in Africa they didn't bother looking at anything.
NZ biosecurity does a much more consistent and thorough job of it than Australian biosecurity in my experience, which by comparison makes a massive deal of it in the literature but in practice they often don't care about checking things. If they do, it often relates to how busy they are at the time. In Tassie it may be different... They're paranoid about rock snot there... In NZ, however, I've always been asked to show anything like that which I declare, but if I'm proactive about wanting to show them I've always had a good and helpful reception. (The aussie guy, on the other hand, just got annoyed at me when I tried to ask if he could check some stuff on my boots, and shooed me out the exit! Their country at stake, I guess.)
True, it might've made a difference then and I didn't mean to suggest Australia's slack about other things.
I guess the point is that although sometimes places make noise about stuff they don't see as serious as other things, NZ makes a really big deal about any loose dirt or plants or anything of that nature, and it really does need to be clean before entry.
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| Forum | Tracks, routes, and huts |
|---|---|
| Started by | walkingeverywhere |
| On | 10 November 2012 |
| Replies | 28 |
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