best way to do tracks

Thanks DeepRiver and everyone else with their help. I'm so looking forward to my trip. Will be in Auckland on March 2nd and I hope the weather is better than it is here. I haven't been able to stow the back pack cover and still need the crampons for the snow. The bloody rain is enough to make one insane. It will be nice to be in a warmer climate!

Another one to check out: Welcome Flat hot pools on the Copland Track near Fox Glacier. A day each way.

Welcome Flats looks great Matt. Those hot pools look really inviting after a long slog.

They are great, and the Sierra Range is spectacular. You could easily spend an extra day walking up the valley and stay 2 nights at Welcome Flat. The hut is massive and very busy. You can camp up the valley a bit if you want solitude. Lauren, I think all the recommendations you've been given are good ones. Don't limit yourself to the "Great Walks" in a misguided idea that they're the "best" as that's simply not true. However, they are probably the safest (i.e. risks managed for you) so they're a good place to start. If I were you I'd look for tastes of different iconic environments. If you've got those covered, you've done well. * North Island volcanoes * black sand beaches * Golden beaches * West Coast rainforest * Fiordland glacial landscapes * Central Otago gold country

Thanks Matt for your advice. I will be checking out the un "Great Walks". There are some beautiful alternatives everyone has mentioned as well the "track finder" on this site is great. I will be taking the roads less travelled, I never was one to follow the crowd.