SUBSCRIBE | NEWSLETTERS | MAPS | VIDEOS | BLOGS | MARKETPLACE | CONTESTS
Full Name:
City:
Address 1:
State:
Zip Code:
Address 2:
Email: (required)

If I like it and decide to continue, I'll pay just $12.00, and receive a full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 73% savings off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.


Offer valid in US only.
Canadian Subscriptions | International Subscriptions

CLOSE WINDOW

Also on Backpacker.com


Enter Zip Code
Editors Choice

EDITORS' CHOICE AWARDS 2011: THE BEST NEW GEAR




Flash Map

OVER 3,000 GPS-ENABLED TRIPS!



Daily Dirt

DAILY DIRT BLOG: THE LATEST OUTDOOR NEWS



Ask Kristin

GEAR PRO: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED



Ask Buck

MEDICINE MAN: ESSENTIAL SKILLS REVEALED



Backpacking 101

BACKPACKING 101: GET STARTED NOW!



Videos

VIDEOS: FEND OFF A BEAR, PACK RIGHT, AND MORE.



Photos

PHOTOS: FEAST YOUR EYES WITH THESE SHOTS



Share your tales of travel & adventure with our step-by-step guide. Upload trail descriptions, photos, video, and more. Get Started

Backpacker Magazine – March 2009

Tongariro Northern Circuit and Heaphy Track, New Zealand

Discover the best of Kiwi wilderness–north and south–with these two hikes.

by: Michael Lanza


Plan It
Guidebook Tramping in New Zealand, by Jim Dufresne (Lonely Planet, $22)
Map Tongariro Park and Kahurangi Park (omnimap.com, $18 each)
Season December to March for Tongariro; Heaphy can be walked year-round (March is best).
Essential gear SPF 50+ sunblock
Need to know Get a Tongariro hut pass upon arrival (in any Department of Conservation office). Make hut reservations for the Heaphy Track four months in advance: Stay at Perry Saddle, Saxon, James Mackay, and Heaphy Huts.
Cost DIY: $
Guided: $$$
Info doc.govt.nz

Pyrenees Traverse, France | Cape Wrath Trail, Scotland | Zillertal Alps, Austria | Tongariro Northern Circuit and Heaphy Track, New Zealand | Cordillera Apolobamba, Bolivia | Overland Track, Australia | Sarek National Park, Sweden | Rolwaling and Khumbu Valleys, Nepal | Polar Route, Greenland | Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia

New Zealand's reputation as a trekker's paradise is well-deserved: The hut system is unmatched, the scenery stunning, and the terrain wildly diverse. The only problem is choosing where to hike. Our solution: Trek the North Island's Tongariro Northern Circuit and the South Island's Heaphy Track for a one-two punch that delivers the full range of Kiwi highlights in nine perfect days–and without the conga line crowds you'll find on the more famous paths.

Start with the 31-mile, four-day Tongariro loop; it circles the symmetrical cone of 7,516-foot Mt. Ngauruhoe while traversing a dynamic volcanic wilderness of bubbling mud pots, fumaroles, and steaming craters. Emerald crater lakes dot the moonscape, and white foxgloves and yellow buttercups bloom improbably from hardened, sculpture-like lava flows.

Life-list moment: Pause and contemplate what lies deep underfoot as you cross the steamy rim of Red Crater, in the shadow of 9,177-foot Ruapehu– which last erupted in September 2007. While the loop traditionally begins in Whakapapa Village, start instead at Mangatepopo Road–with a clear forecast–to ensure views on the spectacular first day from Mangatepopo Hut to Ketetahi Hut.

Next up: the South Island's Heaphy Track, which makes a 51-mile, five-day crossing of Kahurangi National Park amid scenery with more personalities than Sybil. The trail dives into dense forests of beech, pygmy pine, and 200-foot-high evergreen kahikatea. In summer, it tunnels through brilliant red flowers of gnarled rata trees. Rainforest gives way to limestone caves and arches, open tussock hills, and swinging-bridge river crossings. The Kiwi highlights tour concludes with secluded beaches shaded by nikau palms and a swim in the Heaphy River lagoon.

Life-list moment #2: a nap.



Subscribe to Backpacker magazine
Sign up for our free weekly e-newsletter
Reader Rating: -

READERS COMMENTS

Here's the topo maps of these 2 great tracks for anyone interested...

Heaphy Track - http://goo.gl/WoGqQ

Tongariro Northern Circuit - http://goo.gl/pxp1P
Posted: Apr 13, 2011 Gavin

Kahurangi National Park is a beautiful place on the earth. The Abel Tasman National Park, which opened in 1942, is perhaps the most famous national parks of New Zealand and for good reason. It has a mild climate, making it a popular place to visit throughout the year, and lots of sunny days in summer the beaches are very popular.
http://www.travelaustralia360.com/kahurangi-national-park.html

Posted: Nov 13, 2010 Kahurangi National Park

Thanks for publicising our neck of the woods. Some more info: For "great walks" free camping is prohibited within 500m (1500 feet)of the track.
I did both of these treks quite some time ago. I believe they will be quite busy. Sometimes we read in the media of people doing the Tongariro Crossing underdressed and coming to grief as it can snow anytime of the year up there. That song "4 seasons in one day" is about NZ weather...
The SPF50+ is a good idea though I've yet to see such a product available here. The sun is vicious. We have even more skin cancer than Australia!
The Heaphy track has built-up granite chips on the trail so make sure you have well padded footwear as it can be quite tiring on the feet. There is a service available where a retired guy will run the track in a day to relocate your vehicle at the other trailhead. http://heaphytrackhelp.co.nz/

He must be one helluva fit guy.
Posted: Mar 20, 2009 Honora Renwick

ADD A COMMENT

Your Name:

Comment:

My Profile Join Now

Most recent threads

Gear
backpacking partner
Posted On: Feb 09, 2012
Submitted By: City Man
Trailhead Register
Contador Appeal Denied
Posted On: Feb 09, 2012
Submitted By: wildlifenate
Go
View all Gear
Find a retailer

Special sections - Expert handbooks for key trails, techniques and gear

International Travel
From Nepal to New Zealand, we have stories and tips to help you plan the perfect 'life list' trek abroad.

Navigation Center
Learn how to orient a map, navigate any terrain, and the ins-and-outs of GPS devices.

BACKPACKER's Free Smartphone GPS App
Record and share you adventures with our new, free navigation app. Plus, discover thousands of GPS-enabled hikes in national parks and major cities.

Green Guide
A backpacker's guide to environmental issues and "green" gear.

Follow BackpackerMag on Twitter Follow Backpacker on Facebook
Name:
Address 1:
Address 2:
City:
State:
Zip:
(required) Email:

If I like BACKPACKER, I'll pay just $12.00 and receive a
full one-year subscription (9 issues in all), a 73% savings
off the newsstand price! If for any reason I decide not to continue, I'll write "cancel" on the invoice and owe nothing.

SUBMIT MY ORDER Offer valid in US only.
Canadian subscriptions | International subscriptions

Pay Now