Best sectional walks and most challenging sections

If you're planning on heading to New Zealand and doing some smaller walks but can't fit in the whole TA you might be wondering... What areas are good as sectional walks and what sections should I look out for?

Let's break it down across both islands.

North Island

Great multi day walks on the North Island:

• Tongariro Crossing - possibly the most impressive and popular walking track on the North Island. This trail can be done as a day walk or between multiple huts and campgrounds in the area. It crosses volcanoes and passes some stunning blue volcanic lakes. Watch the weather to avoid alpine conditions and low visibility here!

• Whanganui River Great Walk - technically a paddle, this an epic 3-5 day river journey along the TA that I would highly recommend to any adventure lovers visiting the North Island in Summer. I did 5 days on the river and it was a highlight of my trail!

• The Timber Trail - again not a walk but instead a stunning 2 day bike ride and fantastic way to explore the forests of the North Island in a short time.

Short North Island sections for experienced hikers:

For experienced hikers looking for a shorter but still challenging and beautiful section of the TA on the North Island I would recommend the Tararua Range. This is a wild section of mountain and forest walking with great back country huts and countless side trips and alternate routes to explore.

North Island sections to avoid:

For a short visit or hiking holiday on the North Island of New Zealand I would avoid the muddy forest sections of trail like the Ratea Forest and long road and town walking stretches of TA like that between Auckland and Hamilton.

Sections considered the most challenging on the North Island for TA thru hikers:

• Tararua Ranges from Palmerston North

• Tongariro Alpine crossing in bad weather

• Ninety Mile Beach - not particularly physically or logistically challenging overall but starting out can be a tough few days for many with your body adjusting to the trail and carrying a pack. It's also the only place I got a blister!

South Island

Great multi day walks on the South Island:

The South Island is home to most of New Zealand Great Walks (both on and off the TA trail). These are well maintained trails with fantastic infrastructure and give access to some of the islands most spectacular scenery. Here I would recommend:

• Queen Charlotte Track (QCT) - a popular multi day coastal trail with waterfront camping along the Marlborough Sounds at the top of the South Island

• Kepler Track - multi day Great Walk through mountain and riverside scenery with huts and camping

• Milford Track - world renowned but typically booked out well in advance

Short South Island sections for experienced hikers:

For experienced hikers looking for a shorter but still challenging and beautiful section of the TA on the South Island I would recommend the Richmond Range or Waiau Pass sections. Both are stunning stints of trail with high elevation and incredible mountain views but are more remote and rougher style trails then the classic Great Walks.

South Island sections to avoid:

For a short visit or hiking holiday on the North Island of New Zealand I would avoid the muddy Longwood Forest and sections around the Rakaia and Rangitata River Bypasses (purely because they are quite remote, require hiking experience and are logistically challenging).

Sections considered the most challenging on the South Island for TA thru hikers:

• Pelorus River track in conjunction with Richmond Alpine Track

• Water crossings between the river bypasses and on the Two Thumbs Track

• Waiau Pass in bad weather conditions

North and South Island Itineraries:

To help with planning in the itineraries section of this guide I have include my own final itineraries for the following sections. These include the distances I walked each day and where I stayed.

• Cape Reinga - Kaitaia (Ninety Mile Beach)

• Ngunguru River - Puhoi

• The Timber Trail

• Whanganui River

• Tararua Range

• Pelorus River Track and Richmond Alpine Track

• Merriview Hut (Longwood Forest) - Bluff