My personal history on the Great Walks of New Zealand

 30 years of Great Walk tramping...

I thought I would give you a bit of background in regards to my personal history with the Great Walks. I have been working my way through the tracks over the last 30 odd years and finally in 2021 I finally managed to finish walking the last of the existing 10 Great Walks of New Zealand.

Me at the Rainbow Reach bridge at the finish of the Kepler Track

My first Great Walk was the Tongariro Northern Circuit although it wasn't called that back then. In 1989 myself and a group of other Army personal from the School of Signals at Waiouru went for a weekend jaunt around the central plateau volcanoes. We were supposedly doing it as a fitness/training exercise but actually one of the Sergeants just wanted to go for a tramp.  Other Great Walks I completed at that time were the Whanganui River Journey and the Waikaremoana Track as civilian tramps with Army buddies. 

On the Tongariro Northern Circuit in 1989

The view from Panikere Bluff, Lake Waikaremoana

On the Whanganui River, Whanganui NP

The next time I found myself on a Great Walk was in 1990 and it was my first South Island track...the Heaphy. We were doing an Army exercise on the West Coast and a group of us got the opportunity to get helicoptered to Perry Saddle Hut and we walked through to Kohaihai. Later in the 1990's my girlfriend of the time and I walked into Perry Saddle Hut from the Brown Hut road end so that was that track done and dusted.

Lewis Hut , Heaphy Track, Kahurangi NP

On the coastal section of the Heaphy Track, Kahurangi NP

Bridge over the Kohaihai river, Heaphy Track

My next interaction with a Great Walk was in 1993 when I visited Whariwharangi Beach with the same girlfriend. We walked in from Wainui Beach...stayed the night in the campground and then walked out again. I loved the trip and decided there and then that I would like to finish the Great Walks someday. Little did I know how long it would take me to achieve that aim...

Entrance to the Abel Tasman Coastal Track at Wainui

You climb over Gibbs Hill to get to Whariwharangi Bay

Looking down on Whariwharangi Bay from near Separation Point

I had a huge hiatus from the Great Walks from the early 1990's up to 2017. I was married with kids, a career,  mortgages etc. and while I did the occasional tramp I didn't really get to visit many places. I decided that if I didn't get started then I was never going to be able to visit al the tracks. I planned a trip into the Abel Tasman National Park and walked the iconic Coastal Track. It was awesome and kick started my subsequent program to finish all of the existing Great Walks.

Waiting to cross Awaroa Inlet, Abel Tasman Coastal Track

Onetahuaiti Beach, Abel Tasman NP

View down to torrent Bay and Anchorage, Abel Tasman NP

From 2018 to 2021 I have completed the Milford, Rakuira, Routeburn, Paparoa and Kepler Tracks. Covid 19 actually helped with this as there were no international tourists here filling the tracks so I actually managed to secure spots in the huts. I managed to knock off four tracks in two years. I recently finished the tenth and last of the existing GW tracks when I tramped the Kepler Track in late March of 2021.  

Marlees Creek on the Milford Track

The Darren Mountains from near Key Summit, Routeburn Track

Descending stairs on day two of the Rakuira Track

On the Croseus Track, Paparoa Track

The Kepler Mountains from the Kepler Track

As to the future...I am waiting to walk the Humpridge Track when it becomes a GW track in 2022 and I have plans to revisit a number of tracks including the Heaphy and the Tongariro Alpine Crossing as part of a Northern Circuit tramp. I also want to revisit parts of the Paparoa Track as the Pike 29 side track was not finished at the time I walked it in early 2021. 

At the Tors on day two of the Humpridge Track, Southland

The Pike 29 track will start near Pt. 1030 on the Paparoa Track

Obviously I will plan to walk any new GW tracks developed after 2022 but for the moment I am substantially completed my Great Walk saga. Do come back as there is still plenty for me to do along these tracks...