Themed multi-stop routes across New Zealand — places to stay, one stop at a time.
Short-term rentals aren’t just places to stay — they’re stops along the way. Pick a trail below and get a ready-made multi-stop itinerary, with real places to stay at every stop.
Great Walks
GREAT WALK · Year-round · Walking track · 3 to 5 days
Marahau → Anchorage → Awaroa → Totaranui
60 km of golden bays from Marahau to Wainui — NZ’s busiest Great Walk.
Great Rides
GREAT RIDE · October to April · Grade 2 · easy · 4 to 6 days
Aoraki / Mt Cook → Lake Tekapo → Twizel → Omarama → Oamaru
Aotearoa’s longest Great Ride: 315 km from Aoraki / Mount Cook down to Oamaru on the Pacific.
Tracks
TRACK · November to April · Tramping track · 5 days
Hanmer Springs → Lewis Pass → Ada Hut → Boyle
65 km Lewis Pass to Boyle: Ada, Christopher, the high-country walk that predates the cycle trail.
Touring routes
TOURING ROUTE · Year-round; ice in winter · Alpine pass · 1 day
Wānaka → Haast → Fox Glacier → Franz Josef
SH6 over Haast Pass: Wānaka to the West Coast rain, Fox and Franz Josef just north.
Tracks
TRACK · Year-round to Welcome Flat · Tramping track · 2 days
Fox Glacier → Karangarua → Welcome Flat Hut → Franz Josef
18 km to Welcome Flat Hut and the hot pools, up the Copland valley from SH6.
Great Rides
GREAT RIDE · Year-round · Grade 2 · easy · 2 days
Roxburgh → Millers Flat → Beaumont → Lawrence
73 km of Clutha river terrace from Roxburgh Dam to Lawrence, linking the Roxburgh Gorge Trail.
Touring routes
TOURING ROUTE · Year-round; chains in winter · Alpine pass · 1 day
Christchurch → Springfield → Arthur’s Pass → Greymouth
SH73 Christchurch to Greymouth via Arthur’s Pass village — the classic alpine crossing.
Day walks
DAY WALK · Year-round; slips after rain · Tramping track · 5 hours return
Franz Josef → Waiho River car park → Hendes Hut relic → Roberts Point
11 km return above Franz Josef glacier valley: swingbridges, the Hendes hut relic, glacier views.
Touring routes
TOURING ROUTE · Year-round; Homer Tunnel convoys after weather · Alpine highway · 1 day
Te Anau → The Divide → Homer Tunnel → Milford Sound
120 km Te Anau to Milford Sound: Eglinton, Homer Tunnel, the most famous dead-end road in the country.
Great Walks
GREAT WALK · Year-round walking; check bike windows · Tramping track / Grade 4 bike · 2 to 3 days
Punakaiki → Pororari Hut → Ces Clark Hut → Blackball
55 km Punakaiki to Blackball — the Great Walk built as a shared walk/bike alpine traverse.
Great Walks
GREAT WALK · October to April · Tramping track · 3 to 4 days
Onepoto → Panekire Hut → Waiopaoa Hut → Hopuruahine
46 km around the lake shore and over Panekire Bluff — Te Urewera’s Great Walk.
Great Walks
GREAT WALK · Year-round · Tramping track · 3 days
Oban → Port William Hut → North Arm Hut → Bluff
32 km loop from Oban: Port William, North Arm, and the mud Stewart Island is famous for.
Tracks
TRACK · October to April · Tramping track · 3 to 4 days
Glenorchy → Greenstone Hut → McKellar Hut → Mid Caples Hut
61 km loop from the Greenstone car park: McKellar, Caples, back over McKellar Saddle.
Tracks
TRACK · November to April · Tramping track · 2 days
Masterton → Holdsworth → Powell Hut → Jumbo Hut
24 km Tararua circuit from Holdsworth: Powell, Jumbo, the classic Wellington weekend.
Great Rides
GREAT RIDE · Year-round · Grade 2 · easy · 2 to 3 days
Opua → Kawakawa → Kaikohe → Horeke
87 km from the Bay of Islands to the Hokianga: Opua to Horeke on an old railway.
Great Walks
GREAT WALK · Late October to April · Tramping track · 4 days
Te Anau → Clinton Hut → Mintaro Hut → Dumpling Hut
53.5 km Glade Wharf to Sandfly Point — Mackinnon Pass and the most famous Great Walk.
Tracks
TRACK · Year-round; summer fire bans · Tramping track · 3 to 4 days
Arataki → Karekare → Piha → Muriwai
77 km of Waitākere coast: Arataki, Karekare, Piha, Anawhata, Muriwai.
Day walks
DAY WALK · November to April (lambing closure) · Climbing track · 5 to 6 hours return
Wānaka → Roy’s Peak car park → Mid-lookout → Roy’s Peak
16 km return above Wānaka — the Instagram ridge, and a real 1,578 m climb.
Great Rides
GREAT RIDE · November to April · Grade 3–4 · intermediate · 1 to 2 days
Hanmer Springs → Maling Pass → Tophouse → St James Homestead
64 km of high-country station track through St James Conservation Area, out of Hanmer Springs.
Touring routes
TOURING ROUTE · Year-round · Scenic highway · 2 to 3 days
Thames → Coromandel Town → Whitianga → Tairua
SH25 around the peninsula: Thames, Coromandel town, Whitianga, Tairua, back via SH25A.
