hiking – Page 4 – These Vagabond Shoes.

11 Great Day Hikes in New Zealand

A selection of some of the best one day tramping tracks in New Zealand, plus a couple of options for overnight hikes.

Few places in the world can top New Zealand for stunning, dramatic scenery. A little bit of everything, from rolling hills and lush forests, to majestic rivers, raw volcanic landscapes, sweeping coastlines and soaring mountains tempt hikers from around the world to pull on their boots and explore the great Kiwi outdoors.

Known as tramping by New Zealanders, hiking is the best way to explore the country in a way no other experience can really match, and available whatever your travel budget. Routes are generally well waymarked, the quality of mapping is excellent, and people are welcoming and glad to provide advice. And the best part is that wild land is easily accessible in New Zealand, and it’s possible to feel a sense of remoteness just a couple hours from cities and towns.

Whichever routes you chose, you’ll be treated to fresh air life outdoors, spectacular views, and that feeling of freedom that comes with hiking in wild places. My experience of hiking in New Zealand is you never quite know exactly what to expect, or where the trail might eventually lead you.

It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don’t keep your feet, there’s no knowing where you might be swept off to.
The Fellowship of the Ring, J.R.R. Tolkien

But which tramping trails are right for you? I’ve compiled a list of what I think are some of the best short hiking trails in New Zealand, for whichever part of the country you’re visiting. Or add them to your plans for an epic New Zealand road trip. Some I’ve walked for myself, and others I’ve added to the list for when I return next. My suggestions for multi-day tramping routes can be found here.

Tramping the Tongariro Alpine Crossing: A guide to the best day hike in New Zealand

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing lays claim to the title of the best single day hike in New Zealand, and perhaps even the most awe-inspiring anywhere in the world. Winding through New Zealand’s oldest National Park, a dual World Heritage Site for natural and cultural significance, this atmospheric hike is a classic Kiwi experience.

The route traverses glaciated valleys, cinder-filled deserts, and meadows of unique alpine vegetation to enter an otherworldly landscape of steaming geothermal vents, ancient lava flows, jewel-coloured crater lakes in the fiery heart of a volcanic caldera.

Possibly the greatest single day hike anywhere in the world? The views are spectacular.

Known just as the Tongariro Crossing until 2007, the name was changed to more accurately reflect the mountain conditions hikers encounter, but it remains a firm fixture on many New Zealand bucket lists. The huge popularity of the route means it can get busy on the trail, but also that there’s a great support infrastructure for hikers keen to take on the challenge.

After completing the hike for myself, I’ve compiled a guide to hiking the Tongariro Alpine Crossing with all you need to know to plan your hike.

Tongariro Legends

Known to Māori as Te Kahui Tupua, the sacred peaks, this wild volcanic plateau in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island has a deep significance. According to legend, the volcanoes of North Island were once a band of great warriors who gathered on the shores of Lake Taupo. The male volcanoes were all deeply in love with the beautiful Pihanga, stunning in her cloak of forest green.

One night they all fought for her love in a mighty battle, belching forth their smoking anger and turning the sky dark. The earth shook for days, and fire and ash and ballistics rained from the sky. When the skies finally cleared, Tongariro was revealed as the victor, with the lovely Pihanga standing close by his side. Ngāuruhoe and Ruapehu acknowledged Pihanga’s choice of Tongariro, and retreated back a respectable distance.

Taranaki took defeat particularly badly, and wild with grief and jealous rage ripped up his roots to follow the setting sun to the west, gouging the deep scar of the Whanganui River on his way. He sits to this day on the coast, brooding in splendid isolation. Though who knows if one day in the future he may return to claim the heart of Pihanga?

Admiring the beauty of Pihanga, lying across Lake Rotoaria from Tongariro.

Photo Journal | Qaqortoq Tundra Hike, Greenland

I’ve long had a fascination with the far north. This short hike near Qaqortoq, in southern Greenland, is a classic introduction to a tundra environment yet not too remote and challenging given the location, and ideal for a solo hike. A circular route of around 12km, there are plenty of diversions to take in the tops of surrounding hills for outstanding views to the iceberg-littered outer fjord and inland, through rocky spires to the distant ice sheet.

How to care for your hiking boots

My guide for keeping your hiking boots at their very best.

As a ranger, I practically live in outdoor gear, and everything I own gets pretty heavily used and abused through my usual working day. Like my hiking boots, which I wear most days (if it’s not hiking boots, I must be in either wellies or sandals. Roll on summertime!). But I do like to get the best out of my stuff, so that means I also take a bit of time to care for and maintain my gear to make sure it lasts well and keeps performing at the standard I expect it to.

Muddy conditions underfoot on a regularly patrolled route on the Isle of Wight.

These are my top tips for caring for you hiking boots, ensuring that they don’t end up stinky and awful, and keeping you with happy feet when you head out hiking:

What I’ve loved this season | Winter 2017-18

Well hey, fellow vagabonds. I hope that you’ve managed to make it through our recent cold snap with a smile on your face.

The unexpected sub-zero temperatures, ice and snow over the past week (even here on the Isle of Wight, where THE SEA ACTUALLY FROZE), have been very much in-keeping with what I’ve been up to over the rest of the winter.

Maker:S,Date:2017-9-29,Ver:6,Lens:Kan03,Act:Lar02,E-ve