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…
Tag: Walk
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…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stages 3 & 4 Refuge Robert Blanc to Rifugio Monte Bianco
My third day on TMB and very much a day of two (unequal) halves, with a challenging start in acceptable weather, and an easy downhill mainly on roads in the…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stage 2 Refuge de Tré la Tête to Refuge Robert Blanc
Day two walking the Tour Du Mont Blanc was one of the hardest but most rewarding days I’ve had hiking, involving over 2,600m of ascent (in two sections), 1,400m of…
Tour du Mont Blanc – Stage 1 Les Houches to Refuge de Tré la Tête
Renowned as one of the greatest multi-day walks in the world, the Tour du Mont Blanc is a ~160km circuit of Mont Blanc, Europe’s highest mountain, passing through France, Italy…
Mt Crichton Loop Track
If you’re after a straightforward but scenic and historic walk near Queenstown you can’t go far wrong with the Mt Crichton Loop Track. Starting 12km down the road from Queenstown on…
Lake Marian
Lake Marian is a scenic alpine lake in a hanging valley formed by glaciers, reached by a 4.8km three hour return walk from the start of the Hollyford Road, just off…
Dart Glacier and Cascade Saddle
This quite stunning day walk is a must for anyone venturing though Dart Hut on the Rees-Dart Track, if time and weather allows. For many people it is one of…
Rees-Dart Track
A classic New Zealand tramping track, the Rees-Dart circuit was closed for a number of years due to a huge slip in 2014. As soon as it reopened in late…
New Zealand tramps (multi-day walks) ranked
In the past four and a half years since starting with the Routeburn Track, I’ve done 22 multi-day walks (known as tramps in New Zealand), including all of the Great…
Palm Beach to Narrabeen, Sydney
The plan looked good on paper. Catch the longest bus route in Sydney (the 190) to Palm Beach, walk 35km down to Manly, and catch the ferry back into town.…
Greenstone Caples Track
What do you do when you’ve felt exhausted for weeks, struggling to get through each day. Going for a 61km walk by yourself in winter though the backcountry seemed the…
Ben Lomond Track and summit
Probably the most famous track in Queenstown, the Ben Lomond Track provides access to the 1,748m Ben Lomond mountain, following a ridge line from the gondola, or as I did…
Moonlight Track and outflanking cows
I had never heard of the Moonlight Track until I’d found it on a walking map of Queenstown, trying to find tracks that could be reached by public transport. In…