Best of 2019 – Hiking overseas
For the first time I did more hiking overseas than in New Zealand this year, walking in the Himalayas, Asia, Australia, Papua New Guinea and Europe. Looking back on the…
Tag: tramping
Best of 2019 – Tramping in New Zealand
I did most of my hiking overseas this year, in Australia, Switzerland and Bhutan, but walked some great tracks in New Zealand as warm ups for those longer trips. The…
Auckland day walks ranked
There are almost no multi-day walks near Auckland, but thankfully there are many decent day walks, often along spectacular coastlines. Sadly the Waitakere Ranges are almost entirely closed now, to…
New Zealand day walks ranked
There’s a lot to be said for shorter walks. They may lack the sense of escape that a multi-day walk brings, but they can often match the scenery and carrying…
Hakarimata Walkway & Huntly
One of the best walks I’ve done relatively close to Auckland, the Hakarimata Walkway is an absolute gem close to Huntly. Huntly is somewhere that most people drive through on…
Mt McIntosh & Mt Judah Tracks
An enjoyably challenging (~1,400m ascent and descent) full day loop walk along the Mt McIntosh & Mt Judah Tracks, in the hills behind Glenorchy (an hour north of Queenstown), offering…
New Zealand tramps (multi-day walks) ranked
In the past five and a half years since starting with the Routeburn Track, I’ve done 24 multi-day walks (known as tramps in New Zealand), including all of the Great…
Tableland Circuit
A great weekend walk, the Tableland Circuit offers some of the best views in Kahurangi National Park (also home to the better known Heaphy Track) and some eclectic accommodation options.…
Mt William Walkway
Just south of Bombay, the Mount William Walkway offers stunning views from some of the highest vantage points in the Auckland region. Only 40 minutes drive from the CBD, it’s…
Te Ara Hura
A relatively unknown Auckland gem, Te Ara Hura is 100km of connected tracks and trails around the Waiheke Island, only 40 mins by ferry from downtown Auckland. Particularly now the…
Mt Holdsworth-Jumbo Circuit
One of the best known tracks in the Tararuas, a popular forest park a couple of hours north of Wellington, the Mt Holdsworth-Jumbo Circuit is a 24km loop running through…
Best of 2018 – Hiking overseas
This year I ventured overseas for the longest and hardest hikes I’ve done to date, enjoying some of the most spectacular scenery I’ve seen. Hiking in Australia and Europe was…
Best of 2018 – Tramping in New Zealand
I explored some of the most spectacular parts of New Zealand by foot this year. Though much shorter than my walks overseas, many of these being day walks, the scenery…
Highlights of the Tour du Mont Blanc
My 24th multi-day walk, the Tour du Mont Blanc was the most consistently spectacular walk I’ve done to date. I’ve walked extensively in New Zealand, and in Patagonia, Australia, Georgia…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stages 10 & 11 Charamillon to Le Brevent via Refuge Flegere
The final two stages of the quite incredible Tour du Mont Blanc were the two shortest days I walked. I could have fitted them into one day but had deliberately…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stages 8 & 9 Relais d’Arpette to Charamillon
Another day of spectacular scenery and steep walking up and down hills in the Alps, finishing the day crossing the border from Switzerland back into France. From here I could…
Things learnt on the Tour du Mont Blanc
Walking the Tour du Mont Blanc was quite a different experience to the multi-day walks I’ve done in New Zealand and Australia. Rather than staying in a basic hut or…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stages 6 & 7 La Peule to Relais d’Arpette
A very different day on the Tour du Mont Blanc, with almost no glaciers, epic mountain views, or ridiculous ascents (though there was still a decent hill at the end…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stages 5 & 6 Rifugio Monte Bianco to La Peule
Day four of the TMB was probably the furthest I’ve walked in a day. I booked my accommodation two months ago, but this was leaving it too late, even at…
Tour du Mont Blanc refuges
One of my favourites things about the Tour du Mont Blanc, other than the quite spectacular scenery, were the seven refuges I stayed at. A concept that doesn’t really exist…