3 Epic Walks Anyone Can Do
New Zealand has an array of spectacular multi-day walks. Many of the famous tracks like Routeburn, the Rees-Dart track, the Abel-Tasman coastal track or the Milford Track need to be booked in advance, which is what makes other day walks very appealing. And New Zealand has a lot of those.
Julie Small describes her personal experience on three of these great walks on the Nomad/nester blog.
- Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park – Hooker Valley Track
Home to New Zealand’s highest peak – Mt Cook, the Mount Cook National Park is a must-visit part of New Zealand according to Small. The rugged area is a haven for mountaineers and serious climbers.
One of the available day walks is the Hooker Valley Track, which is around 5 kilometres long one-way and “follows the Hooker River through the valley under towering snow-covered peaks and active glaciers to Hooker Lake – a milk-coffee coloured glacial lake that sits under Mt Cook.” Small’s highlights of the track are the icebergs in the lake, head on views of Aoraki (Mt Cook) and the creaky suspension bridges over roaring rivers.
- Mount Aspiring National Park – West Matukituki Track
“With its crystal turquoise rivers, towering snow-covered peaks and wild-flower adorned fields you could be forgiven for thinking you had been transported to Switzerland,” writes Small, who hiked the West Matukituki Track to the Mount Aspiring Hut. Apart from jaw-dropping views of Mount Aspiring, highlights of the track are the winding, turquoise-coloured glacial river and its sandy beaches.
- The Rob Roy Glacier
This track can be accessed from the same road as the West Matukutuki Valley. The steady climb to the glacier takes you through some of the lush green forest New Zealand is known for. The glacier framed by mountains and plunging waterfalls is spectacular according to Small.
Article Source: Nomad/nester, Julie Small, February 6, 2016
Image Source: Wikipedia
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