New Zealand - The Great Walks Includes Auckland & Wellington City Guides

by Der Stewart, Alexander

• ISBN13: 9781905864119
• ISBN10: 1905864116
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-10-14
• Publisher: Trail Blazer Pubns

Summary

New Zealand is a wilderness paradise of incredibly beautiful landscapes. From its turquoise waters and sandy beaches, fern-clad hillsides give way to lush forests, deep gorges, alpine lakes and snow-capped peaks. Outstanding scenery, a rich heritage and extensive outdoor activities combine to make New Zealand one of the world's most exciting hiking destinations. New Zealand is criss-crossed by tracks, of which nine have been designated Great Walks by the Department of Conservation. These are the country's premier hiking trails and each route takes about 3-5 days to walk. Internationally renowned, they give a good feel for the range of experiences available in the New Zealand backcountry. Meticulously waymarked and maintained, the Great Walks provide outstanding tramping opportunities for people of all levels of fitness and proficiency. In New Zealand, hiking is known as tramping. This updated second edition includes: Practical information for all budgets Planning your trip and getting to New Zealand ; getting to each trailhead; health and safety; environmentally-sensitive tramping Includes 50 trail maps walking times, directions, places to stay and points of interest. These are not general-purpose maps but fully-edited maps drawn specifically for trail users. Flora and fauna Historical and cultural background. Plus Auckland, Wellington and gateway towns detailed guides and maps to Auckland, Wellington, National Park Village, Taumaranui, Nelson, Queenstown, Te Anau and Oban.

Author Biography

Alexander Stewart is the group products manager at Stanfords, the travel map and bookshop in London. A keen walker he has hiked in Africa, Asia, South America and Europe.

Table of Contents

Introduction
Planning Your Trip
With a group or on your own, Independent tramping	p. 9
Guided walks	p. 10
Getting to New Zealand	p. 10
When to go	p. 14
Budgeting and costs	p. 16
What to take	p. 18
Photographic equipment	p. 22
Money	p. 23
Maps	p. 24
Recommended reading	p. 24
Websites	p. 26
Route options (Facts and figures 27 – Pros and cons of each route 27)
Health precautions, inoculations and insurance 30
Minimum Impact Tramping(Environmental impact 33 – Cultural impact 35 – Economic impact 35),
Safe tramping (Fires 36 – Rivers 37 – In the event of an accident 38)
New Zealand: Facts About the Country(Geography 39 – Climate 42 – History 44 – New Zealand today 55 – Flora and fauna 57, New Zealand: Practical information for the visitor (Documents and visas 65 – Money 66 – Getting around 67 – Language 67 – Embassies 68 – Time 68 – Post and telecommunications 68 – Media 68 – Holidays 69 – Driving 69 shy;– Food 69 – Drink 70 – Things to buy 71 – Security and crime 72)
Gateway Cities
Auckland (Introduction 73 – History 73 – Arrival and departure 75 – Orientation 76 – Where to stay 76 – Where to eat 79 – Nightlife 81 – Services 82 – Getting around 83 – What to see and do 84 – Moving on 88),
Wellington (Introduction 88 – History 89 – Arrival and departure 90 – Orientation 91 – Where to stay 92 – Where to eat 95 – Nightlife 96 – Services 97 – Getting around 99 – What to see and do 100 – Moving on 104)
Route Guide & Maps: Using this guide 105
Lake Waikaremoana Track (Introduction 107 – History 108 – Geology 109 – Flora and fauna 110 – Planning your tramp 111 – Track description 115 – Onepoto to Panekiri Hut 115 – Panekiri Hut to Waiopaoa Hut 117 – Waiopaoa Hut to Marauiti Hut 119 – Marauiti Hut to Hopuruahine Bridge 119),
Tongariro Northern Circuit (Introduction 123 – History	p. 123
Geology	p. 126
Flora and fauna	p. 127
Planning your tramp	p. 128
Track description	p. 131
Whakapapa village to Mangatepo Hut	p. 131
Mangatepo Hut to Ketetahi Hut	p. 133
Ketetahi Hut to Waihohonu Hut	p. 136
Waihohonu Hut to Whakapapa village 140),
Whanganui River Journey (Introduction 141 – History 141 – Geology 144 – Flora and fauna 145 – Planning your tramp 145 – Journey description 151 – Cherry Grove to Poukaria Campsite 151 – Poukaria Campsite to Whakahoro Hut 153 – Whakahoro Hut to John Coull Hut 154 – John Coull Hut to Tieke Kainga Hut 157 – Tieke Kainga Hut to Pipiriki 161),
Abel Tasman Coast Track (Introduction 163 – History 163 – Geology 165 – Flora and fauna 165 Planning your tramp 166 – Track description 171 – Marahau to Anchoragenbsp; Hut 171 – Anchorage Hut to Bark Bay Hut 173 – Bark Bay Hut to Awaroa Hut 176 – Awaroa Hut to Whariwharangi Hut 177 – Whariwharangi Hut to Wainui Bay 179),
Heaphy Track (Introduction 181 – History 181 – Geology 183 – Flora and fauna 183 Planning your tramp 185 – Track description 188 – Brown Hut to Perry Saddle Hut 188 – Perry Saddle Hut to Saxon Hut 189 – Saxon
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Introduction ‘When you see someone putting on big boots, you can be sure adventure is about to happen’ AA Milne, Winnie the Pooh
 
In the Northern Hemisphere the practice of walking in the wilderness for several days carrying a loaded pack and being self-sufficient is known as trekking or hiking; Australians refer to it as bushwalking; in New Zealand you go tramping.
            People have been tramping in New Zealand since 1889, when Quintin Mackinnon first led groups up the Clinton Valley on the Milford Track. Since then the numbers of trampers reaching remote corners of the country has increased dramatically, and no wonder. The country is similar in size to the UK but has only around four million inhabitants. Consequently there are vast tracts of unspoilt, empty, natural coastline, forest and mountainous land. Furthermore, there are now more than 12,000km of track criss-crossing this wilderness.
            The Great Walks represent some of the finest walks in the country. These nine routes, each of which takes between two and five days to complete, have been selected by New Zealand’s Department of Conservation on the basis of their outstanding scenery, diversity and universal appeal. So fêted and exceptional are these tracks that they have taken their place in the pantheon of famous footpaths worldwide. Bold, square-jawed tramps over high mountain passes are featured alongside much easier boardwalked trails through native forest or tramps along the country’s varied coastline. And because of the excellent network of tracks and huts that comprise the Great Walks, people of all levels of experience can enjoy the wilderness without the trials usually associated with travelling in such remote areas. The uncompromising terrain has been tamed but its drama remains undiminished.
            The eight walking tracks and (bizarrely) one canoe trip that make up the Great Walks draw on the country’s rich history and culture. The tracks were mainly carved out by the early inhabitants of New Zealand, first Maori and then European, and are steeped in both Maori heritage and colonial history. By walking them slowly with your eyes open you should gain a much broader understanding of New Zealand’s evolution. They also encompass a huge array of landscapes: the verdant native forests of the North Island, the smouldering volcanic moonscape of the Central Plateau, the glorious beaches of the South Island, the glacier-sculpted landscape of Fiordland and the remote haven of Stewart Island. All are unique, profoundly interesting parts of the country. The indigenous flora and fauna is equally exotic.
            Tramping will give you unsurpassed access to this natural beauty. New Zealand is a country that demands to be experienced rather than merely viewed and tramping offers the most intimate way of getting to know this exceptional, untainted land.             

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Excerpted from New Zealand - the Great Walks, 2nd: Includes Auckland and Wellington city Guides by Alexander Stewart
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