Ultimate Hut-Based North Island Hiking Tour

We meet at 7am at the Sky Tower in downtown Auckland before heading south to Rotorua, with a café stop on route to fortify those who missed breakfast. Rotorua is renowned for its steaming thermal vents, bubbling mud-pools and stunning lakes. The area is also rich in Māori and early European history, including the violent 1886 Mt Tarawera eruption that buried a Māori village. We continue to Lake Tarawera, where we catch the noon water taxi to access the trail’s midsection. Here, we start a hike alongside the clear waters of Lake Tarawera, enjoying the shade that towering tree ferns and ignimbrite cliffs offer. Along the way, you can take a dip in the lake at one of the small pumice beaches. The trail offers glimpses of the expansive wilderness of forests, lakes, and volcanoes in the distance.

We spend the night at our accommodation—an authentic, open-plan log cabin full of charm and character—where we come together to prepare a meal. It’s a great opportunity to get to know your fellow travelers and chat. Either tonight or in the morning, we’ll also organize our gear and pack our backpacks for the upcoming hike into the rainforest, getting ready for the next leg of our journey.

Hiking: up to 10 km/ 6 miles, 3 hours
Elevation: +480 m (1,500 ft), -380 m (1,200 ft)
Meals: Lunch and dinner
Accommodation: Rotorua Thermal Holiday Park (camp or cabins)

A leisurely start after packing all our kit and driving east, into the rugged forest ranges of Te Urewera. This is the traditional home of the Tūhoe (Māori tribe) and one of the last places to have been reached by European settlers. After about 2 hours of driving (picnic lunch on the way) minimum, we reach the Whirinaki Forest trail.

This is a preserved remnant of the vast forests believed to have covered the supercontinent of Gondwanaland more than 150 million years ago. Our first hike is an easy one, on a descending track through native beech forest, to a simple forest hut beside the stunning Whirinaki River. We cook up our meal together and either stay in the hut or camp nearby with an evening campfire and time to relax and enjoy the surroundings.

Hiking: up to 8.5 km/ 5.3 miles, 5 hours
Elevation: +450 m (1,400 ft), -750 m (2,450 ft)
Lunch: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Whirinaki Hut (camp or hut)

This morning, our journey continues down the valley track. This wilderness is a hidden gem, far from the tourist crowds, so encounters with others are rare. Instead, we often have the privilege of spotting elusive blue ducks, robins, and hearing the distinctive call of the kaka, a large bush parrot. As we descend further into the valley, our path leads us beneath towering tree ferns and through some of New Zealand’s most magnificent podocarp rainforest trees.

For those who seek a little extra adventure, there’s an opportunity to explore a side track leading to an area of ancient rata forest. A 20-minute drive takes us to a cabin on a nearby rural property. Here you can enjoy a warm shower and unwind by the fire pit, sipping on a beer or wine.

Hiking: 14 km/ 8.7 miles, 7 hours
Elevation: +430 m (1,400 ft), -650 m (2,100 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Whirinaki Adventures cabins

We start the day with a drive to the Volcanic Plateau and its myriad natural wonders. Explore an extraordinary thermal park, bathe in a natural hot river and view the impressive Huka Falls. Feel the spray here as the mighty Waikato River, New Zealand’s longest, plunges 11 metres into a stadium-like pool. Later we arrive at Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand. Incredibly, this 600 square kilometre crater lake was formed in 186 AD by the most powerful volcanic explosion in recorded history.

At Taupō, we grab our takeaway food and head to a lovely lake-side spot. Here we can relax on the unusual pumice beach and in summer enjoy an evening swim before continuing to our lodge accommodation near Whakapapa Village, Tongariro National Park.

Hiking: up to 3 km/ 2 miles, 1.5 hours
Elevation: +/-55 m (180 ft)
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Skotel Alpine Resort or The Park Hotel

Tongariro National Park is the oldest National Park in New Zealand and the fourth oldest in the world. In 1993, the park became a UNESCO mixed cultural and natural World Heritage Site. Although many hikers walk the busy one-day Tongariro Alpine Crossing, few explore the more remote and drier east side of this volcanic range. Enjoy our secret side trips and short cuts but rest assured we will hike the famous Tongariro Alpine Crossing, considered one of the world’s finest day walks, but at a less busy time of the day whenever possible.

We sort out gear and pack our backpacks ready for our two nights away. In the late morning, hike out of Whakapapa through tussock-grasslands and over the low saddle that cuts between the volcanoes Ruapehu and Ngāuruhoe. Late afternoon we arrive at the simple but modern Waihohonu Hut among patches of mountain beech forest beside a quiet stream. There are great mountain-views from the spacious common room.

Hiking: 15 km / 9.3 miles, 6 hours
Elevation: +/-300 m (1,000 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Waihohonu Hut

The trail to the next hut takes just 3 hours, so we have the morning to explore. Either amble (about an hour) to the splendid Ohineopango Springs and visit a historic hut and then return to the hut for lunch, or we can negotiate an adventurous off-trail route over ash-moraine ridges and skirt lava cliffs to reach a viewpoint high above a remote lake. After lunch continue on, traversing stony desert to an alpine hut at 1,400m situated on the edge of an old lava flow.

We stop to enjoy fantastic views of the park’s three main peaks: Ruapehu, Tongariro and Ngāuruhoe. The latter starred as Mount Doom in Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings films. It’s an extraordinary landscape of active volcanoes and lava valleys. Evening provides an opportunity to share the hut with hikers from all over the world. Oturere ‘sardine tin’ Hut is small, quite busy, but still our favourite spot. We usually sleep in the hut, but sometimes we camp.

Hiking: 8 km/ 5 miles, 3 hours
Elevation: +650 m (2,100 ft), -350 m (1,150 ft)
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Accommodation: Oturere Hut

We hike through a moon-like valley of lava flows and ash fields before climbing steeply to the remarkable Emerald Lakes, which have graced the covers of many guidebooks. From here we join the spectacular Tongariro Alpine Crossing. The next few hours of hiking takes us through an unforgettable wonderland of lava valleys, steaming craters and brooding volcanoes before our descent through bonsai-like alpine foliage and alongside mineral-infused streams. In good conditions, we have the option of climbing high on the volcanic peaks.

An evening drive takes us back to our lodge in the heart of the National Park—the perfect place to relax with a beer and enjoy million-dollar volcanic views before dining in the alpine village.

Hiking: 12 km/ 7.5 miles, 6 hours
Elevation: +500 m (1,600 ft), -800 m (2,600 ft)
Meals: Breakfast and lunch
Accommodation: Skotel Alpine Resort or The Park Hotel

Driving south, we leave the volcanoes to descend through the beautiful river valleys of the Rangitikei and along the coast to Wellington, where we arrive mid-afternoon after a café break. Wellington is so much more than just New Zealand’s capital. It is also the nation’s stylish hub for arts, culture, cafés and politics. Enclosed by hills and a harbour, this compact city has many attractions within easy walking distance.

Options include enjoying the National Museum of New Zealand (Te Papa) or watching the political shenanigans of the ‘Beehive’ (Parliament House). Many visitors immerse themselves in the vibrant café scene and the accessible downtown area.

Hiking: 1 km / 0.6 miles, 1-2 hours
Meals: Breakfast