Written from the track
An independent field journal of South Island tramping — honest beta from people who have walked the ground.
NZ Hikes started as a shared notebook — scribbled route notes, hut times, and the small warnings you only learn by getting them wrong. It grew into this: a plain-spoken guide to walking the South Island, from the tourist-flat Hooker Valley to the exposed grass of the Routeburn Track.
We use New Zealand tramping words because they matter on the ground — track, not trail; true left and true right of a river; saddle, tarn, hut, nor'wester. We use Māori place names and spell them with their macrons: Aoraki, Whakatipu, Tāhuna.
Above all, we are honest about risk. A good story is never worth softening a real hazard. The mountains do not grade on effort, and neither do we.
Supporting the Active Hearts Foundation
Every hike is also a chance to give back. I fundraise for the Active Hearts Foundation — a New Zealand-founded charity started by trekking guides from NZ and Nepal, supporting health, education and community projects in remote Himalayan villages. Their focus is simple: get help directly to the children and communities who need it most.
Get in touch
Corrections, conditions, or a track we should walk next — flick us a note.