Looking back it has been a pretty good year, hiking in nine different countries, from tropical Timor-Leste, Samoa and Fiji, to Himalayan Ladakh and Nepal. I’ve probably hiked at least one day in four in 2025, on day walks and multi-day adventures lasting up to three weeks.

Timor-Leste, January & February

In my last six weeks in Timor-Leste I repeated many of my favourite day hikes in Dili, and finished my goal of walking through every neighbourhood in the city, marked on the map below.

Adelaide, February

I broke up the journey from Timor-Leste back to New Zealand with ten days in South Australia. I was pleasantly surprised by the quantity and quality of hiking in Adelaide, including the peaceful Sturt Gorge River Trail and popular but scenic Waterfall Gully Hike to Mt Lofty Botanic Garden.

Kangaroo Island Wilderness Trail, March

An enjoyable four day solo hike through Flinders Chase National Park, at the western end of Kangaroo Island, Australia’s third largest island. I was lucky and didn’t see a single other person on the trail and had relatively cool weather between heatwaves.

Wellington, March to July

After a year away living in tropical Timor-Leste it was a delight to return to hiking in a temperate climate. It was also great to rediscover my favourite trails in Wellington, and even to find some new routes, particularly around Mt Kaukau.

St James Walkway, April

A beautiful five day hike through Lewis Pass National Reserve in New Zealand’s South Island. There was almost no one else around, the weather was kind, and lovely views abounded.

Kaikoura Coastal Track, April

A private trek day hike on the east coast of the South Island, through native bush, over summits, and along an epic beach. The accommodation was full of character and having our main bags taken between them made for enjoyable light day packs while hiking.

Samoa, May

I spent the best part of a month exploring this Pacific island mainly on bicycle, but also on foot at times. There was better and more varied hiking than I expected, including Mt Fiamoe, Lake Lanoto’o National Park, Lava Field Coastal Track, Ma Tree, around Manono Island, and multiple trips up Mount Vaea in Apia.

Whirinaki Conservation Reserve, June

East of Rotorua, this is home to some of the most beautiful native bush in the country. I hiked the day after torrential rain which caused a few challenges, but still enjoyed the Waterfall Loop and Arohaki Lagoon Tracks.

Queenstown, Arrowtown & Aoraki / Mt Cook, June

Unfortunately I was sick for most of this trip, but managed to walk the relatively easy and super scenic Lake Hayes Track, Jack’s Point Track, and Tobin’s Track. On the drive back to Wellington I enjoyed a perfect weather day in Aoraki / Mt Cook National Park.

Surrey, United Kingdom, July

My annual trip to see family, and enjoy the many footpaths and public rights of way that cross the land. From Oxted I walked pretty much every day for an hour or two out to Titsey Estate, Woldingham, and Limpsfield.

Norfolk, United Kingdom, July

A family holiday in North Norfolk provided daily opportunities to walk sections of the long-distance Norfolk Coast Path, and around the huge estate of Holkham Hall.

Ladakh Sky Trail, August

An epic three week hiking adventure in the Indian Himalaya, from Leh south through gorges, valleys and canyons, visiting ten monasteries, and tackling narrow paths with high exposure, passes over 5,000m, and 30-40 river crossings. The weather varied from super hot to a huge snow storm at the end of the trip that left us stuck in a remote part of Ladakh for three and a half days waiting for the roads to reopen post snow and landslides.

Fiji, September to December

In September I moved to Suva, the capital of Fiji, to volunteer. Unfortunately hiking opportunities are limited in Fiji, due to land ownership and not having a car, but I did the only two hikes near Suva – Mt Korobaba and Colo-I-Suva a couple of times, and with a group explored Moturiki Island on foot.

Manaslu Circuit with Tsum Valley, Nepal, November

A ~200km hike along one of the most popular treks in Nepal, something I didn’t really realise until I was at another full tea house and checked the visitor statistics. It’s about half as popular as the mega popular Annapurna Circuit… The scenery was pretty impressive though, including of Manaslu, the eighth highest mountain in the world, and I loved the many Buddhist sites in the sacred Tsum Valley.

Hong Kong, December

I’ll cover this in next year’s post but will be spending Christmas and New Year enjoying the many and varied hiking trails in Hong Kong.