NZ > January 2016

[El Gordo]

Back in 2013, I put together an itinerary for a January 2014 trip to New Zealand that included three Great Walks: Tongariro Northern Circuit, and the Routeburn and Kepler tracks. I spoke on the phone with a park ranger who told me that Great Walk campsites had been cleared of trees, so I planned to use a tent.

I had to cancel that trip, and, in the interim, I've become even more dedicated to hammock hanging. I want to reschedule the NZ trip now for next January, and I am looking for advice. If the Great Walks are in fact not suitable for hammock backpacking, can someone please suggest some similar backpacking that is hang friendly?

Thanks!

[hutzelbein]

I travelled in NZ in 2010/11. I didn't have my hammock with me for South Island (long story), and I missed it sorely. NZ has a lot of awesome hiking - and the great thing is: no bears or other big predators! You only have to pay attention to the greedy birds :)

With the exception of the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, I didn't do any of the Great Walks - there are so many other great tracks, and all are less crowded and a lot cheaper. Plus you will be able to hang. How much time do you have for your trip?

While the Tongariro hike was one of the highlights of my trip, I would suggest staying on South Island if you don't have too much time. North Island is a lot less wild then South Island. If I get another chance to visit NZ, I would spend all of my time in or near the Fjordlands. This area is heavily wooded (temperate rain forest) with 1,000s of miles of hiking. I loved the Caples/Greenstone track (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/tracks-and-walks/otago/queenstown-wakatipu/greenstone-and-caples-tracks/). It was a nice mix of open land and rain forest. I also did a couple day hikes around Lake Manapouri - it would have been possible to do multi-day hikes there and hang every night.

Do you already know the DOC website (http://www.doc.govt.nz/parks-and-recreation/)? It's a great resource for planning hikes. There are DOC centers everywhere, and they sell maps, books etc. and the people are very helpful and able to give you lots of advice. They didn't know much about hammocks, though, when I was there. If they say there are probably no possibilities to hang, don't necessarily believe them. They just don't know much about what you need to hang a proper camping hammock. Rather check out Google Earth. With the exception of the Tongariro hike, I could have hung everywhere.

[hutzelbein]

They didn't know much about hammocks, though, when I was there. If they say there are probably no possibilities to hang, don't necessarily believe them. They just don't know much about what you need to hang a proper camping hammock. Rather check out Google Earth. With the exception of the Tongariro hike, I could have hung everywhere.

I should say that this probably does not apply to the most popular Great Walks like e.g. Milford Sound track. Since so many people want to hike those tracks, they're heavily restricted. In many cases you need to book the huts in advance and have to stick with your itinerary, unless there are very good reasons not to (injury, really bad weather etc.). You will probably not be able to hang there. But with some of the less popular Great Walks you have a good chance to hang - especially if there are other tracks crossing. If I remember correctly, the Roteburn track has lots of other tracks crossing or nearby. You might be able to plan around it. BTW, all NZ hiking I did was luxury hiking, compared to everywhere else I hiked. Some places even have WCs (with water!) with toilet paper (some even provide reading material :laugh:), although they're miles away from civilization! All huts I visited had very comfortable thick mats (think school gym). Depending on the track and huts, you might not have to take extra gear for going to ground.

[El Gordo]

I travelled in NZ in 2010/11. I didn't have my hammock with me for South Island (long story), and I missed it sorely. NZ has a lot of awesome hiking - and the great thing is: no bears or other big predators! You only have to pay attention to the greedy birds :)


Thanks much, hutzelbein! Your replies are always helpful and well thought out. I discovered the DOC website when I planned my trip the first time. Information on the Great Walks is abundant, but I will look deeper to see what I can find out about other walks. I am especially encouraged by your idea of looking for other tracks that cross the Great Walks. I will have a little over three weeks for my trip, so I think I will try for Tongariro as well as a the South Island.

Because you mention bears, I am including two pictures of what we have in New Jersey - not just on hiking trails, but in my backyard! Here is a mother bear with three cubs that came to visit one day. You are also most welcome to visit anytime! ;) 103457103458

[GreatBigDave]

Nice backyard ElGordo.

[El Gordo]

Nice backyard ElGordo.

Thanks! It's the Garden State, after all. ;)

[hutzelbein]

Because you mention bears, I am including two pictures of what we have in New Jersey - not just on hiking trails, but in my backyard! Here is a mother bear with three cubs that came to visit one day.

:) I can't imagine what it must be like to live with bears in your backyard... The most dangerous thing in my garden is a fat hedgehog - or maybe a feral tomcat! This is what you're most likely to encounter in NZ:

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/kea.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25818)
Beware of the big bad kea... They're known for their mischief. As with bears: better don't feed.

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/robins.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25819)
I loved these fellows: robins are everywhere in the woods, and they're very curious.

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/weka.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25820)
Wekas were a lot of fun, too. They're sneaky and always tried to get to my food.


I will have a little over three weeks for my trip, so I think I will try for Tongariro as well as a the South Island.

Three weeks are not exactly plenty, but if you're flying into Auckland anyway, you can just as well stop over on your way to South Island. I guess you are more used to covering enormous distances - compared to the US, New Zealand must seem tiny. I usually try to avoid spending too much time driving, but the Tongariro Alpine Crossing is certainly impressive enough to justify travelling a bit more:

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/tongariro.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25821)

Do you just want to do the crossing, or are you going to do the Tongariro Northern Circuit?

In any case, be prepared for huge crowds in high season. I was lucky enough to visit at the end of March. The weather was perfect: sunny, dry but not too hot. And I was told that what seemed like a lot of people was actually only a fraction of the crowds in summer. If you do the crossing, try to plan 2 days and stay at the hut if you can. It's not difficult to walk the distance in a day, but you have more time to enjoy the spectacular views if you don't have to meet the bus in the afternoon. I assume that you need to book a place in the hut, due to the popularity of the track.

And speaking of huts - here are some impressions:

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/hut1.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25826)
Greenstone hut and toilet house.

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/hut2.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25827)
Bunk beds with mats - you only need to bring a sleeping bag.

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/hut3.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25828)
Kitchen facilities and eating area.

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/hut4.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25829)
Most huts have a fire place.

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/hut5.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25830)
If there are wardens, they always have valuable information.

Don't forget to get hut tickets in advance. Or a season pass. You also have to have tickets or a pass for camping near the huts. It helps to pay for the wardens and the upkeep of the tracks. The huts and campsites are also great places for meeting other hikers.


Information on the Great Walks is abundant, but I will look deeper to see what I can find out about other walks. I am especially encouraged by your idea of looking for other tracks that cross the Great Walks.

Yes, I did struggle a bit as well. I think I used this book (http://www.amazon.com/Tramping-New-Zealand-Zealands-Guides/dp/1877333514/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8) to get an overview. But you could just pick an interesting area and buy topographic maps and plan your own hike. There are really many, many tracks - and most are very well cared for by the wardens.

Here are a couple of pictures from the Greenstone Caples Track, which touches the Routeburn. I met a couple of hikers who hiked up the Greenstone valley to continue on the Routeburn. The Greenstone valley is well worth visiting:

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/greenstonecaples1.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25822)

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/greenstonecaples2.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25823)

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/greenstonecaples3.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25824)

https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/files/6/8/5/6/greenstonecaples4.jpg (https://www.hammockforums.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=25825)

If I ever make it back to NZ, I'll try to spend some time on the Greenstone track - this time *with* my hammock!


You are also most welcome to visit anytime! ;)

Haha, thanks - I guess BYOB (bring your own bear can) ;)

[El Gordo]

Outstanding post, hutzelbein!! Wonderful photos!

You're right that three weeks is not a lot; but I'm thinking I can stretch the trip to four weeks if I can get away before Christmas; unfortunately, I can never get more than a week of vacation in March. I was adding in Tongariro specifically because our current plan is to arrive in Auckland, and we have to get south somehow. I was thinking of doing the circuit. Not a place for hanging from what I can see; I'm thinking we might also take pads and sleep under the tarp in Tongariro to avoid crowds, but on some Walks it seems that camping is only permitted at the official sites, anyway. On the other hand, there is a possibility we will fly to Christchurch not Auckland. But it doesn't quite seem right to go all the way to NZ and not see at least some of both islands.

After your first reply, I did more research and have found the Hollyford and Rodger Inlet Tracks, which do not seem as popular, but, from google maps, seem to offer lots of hanging. I still need to research Greenstone. Not sure about the topo map idea for me; I think you have a lot more experience than I do. Plus, up is down, down there!