Day Walks in New Zealand

Walking in New Zealand National Parks

New Zealand has 14 national parks with four located on the North Island, nine on the South Island, and one on Stewart Island.

The four national parks on the North Island are: Te Urewera, Egmont, Whanganui, and Tongariro.

The nine national parks on the South Island are: Abel Tasman, Kahurangi, Nelson Lakes, Paparoa, Arthur’s Pass, Westland/Tai Poutini, Aoraki/Mt Cook, Mt Aspiring, and Fiordland.

The one national park on Stewart Island is: Rakiura.

You can walk in all these national parks. Some are more challenging than others and some require you to walk multiple days to get to breathtaking scenery.

Entry to national parks is unrestricted and generally free of charge, but if you are doing multi-day hikes and are planning on staying in huts on trails, there is a fee you must pay for staying in huts. Please consult the Department of Conservation website for more information on multi-day hikes and hut fees.

One-Day Hikes in New Zealand

Here on New Zealand Travel Insider, we only focus on hikes that can be done in one day, so one-day hikes or day walks.

Below you will find a selection of some of the finest day walks in New Zealand.