Guided Hikes in New Zealand That Will Blow Your Mind (And Not Your Feet)

If you’re actively considering a guided walk or guided hiking tour in New Zealand then congratulations, you have reached an elite level of world travel! Guided hiking tours are the latest, on-trend holiday choice for active travelers. What other type of New Zealand holiday package gives you the perfect balance of fresh air and moderate exercise amongst world-famous scenic locations with delicious meals and a comfortable bed waiting for you at the end of each day?

Which New Zealand Guided Walk Should I Do First?

We’ve been guiding North Island hiking tours in New Zealand for more than 20 years – we love it, it’s our back yard. Our New Zealand guided walk itineraries are specially curated to show you the best walks and hikes that visit photogenic locations and geographic features but are also achievable and enjoyable for a moderate fitness level.

If you’re wondering where to start, look no further than our range of 7 guided hiking tours in the North Island of New Zealand. The North Island is warmer, less expensive and friendlier than the tourist-saturated South Island. Hiking in the North Island is more accessible for hikers of all experience and skill levels – you won’t need any specialist alpine gear.

Great Barrier Island Escape – 4 day New Zealand Guided Walk, lodge-based, ensuites

For an excellent guided walking tour near Auckland, check out the 4-day Great Barrier Island Escape. This is an authentic, Kiwi guided hiking tour experience on a remote off-shore island. Aotea/Great Barrier Island has a unique, bohemian feel and a culture of sustainability woven into the daily lives of the 1,000 island residents. You’ll get a taste for the best Great Barrier hikes and off-grid island living in a pristine, sustainable paradise in the Hauraki Gulf marine reserve.

Why Great Barrier Island Has The Best Hikes Near Auckland

We’ll hike the highlights section of the Aotea Track, the only multi-day walk hiking track near Auckland. Great Barrier Island is home to rare native birdlife that you just don’t see on mainland New Zealand. There is no reticulated power supply, no traffic lights and no streetlights which make the island a peaceful, serene idyll untouched by the pace of modern life. This lack of light pollution earned the island its’ Dark Sky Sanctuary status.

This guided hiking tour is pack-free, you carry only a daypack with that days essentials. You’ll be led by a professional Walking Legends hiking guide who’ll take care of all the planning and logistics. At the end of each day a comfortable room awaits you with your own private ensuite bathroom. Later, we’ll enjoy fresh, nutritious meals prepared by our lodge hosts while we sit on the deck and luxuriate in harbour views with a cold drink in our hands.

Getting to the island is easy, just a 30-minute scenic flight from Auckland with Barrier Air. Bring your boots and let Walking Legends do the rest!

For full tour information on the Great Barrier Island Escape, a New Zealand guided walking tour of Aotea/Great Barrier Island:

Please visit our website, for more details and specialised FAQs.

• 4-day, lodge-based Great Barrier Island Escape guided New Zealand hike
• For a full list of scheduled departures, check our guided walk departure dates calendar

Coromandel Explorer – 4 days, lodge-based, ensuites

The Coromandel Forest Park is a world-renowned hiking destination. The Coromandel is deceptively large with an enormous network of walking and hiking trails criss-crossing the dense ranges that form the interior spine of the peninsula. There are two big-ticket Coromandel hiking trails that are not-to-be-missed; The Coromandel Coastal Walkway at the very tip of the peninsula, and the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail or ‘The Pinnacles’ in the south, inland from Thames.  In order to experience this amazing New Zealand hiking destination in an easy, comfortable way, check out the 4-day Coromandel Explorer guided walk. No other New Zealand guided walk gives you the tailored flexibility to enjoy Coromandel hikes at your own pace, fully supported by a small group and a professional, on-trail Kiwi hiking guide.

We’ve carefully refined our 4-day Coromandel Explorer guided hiking tour over the past 12 years to finesse each day into an unforgettable experience for every Walking Legends guest. This guided hike itinerary strikes an excellent balance between warm, sandy coastal hikes to high-ranges walks with spectacular views over the Pacific Ocean to the east and the Firth of Thames to the west.

Coromandel Guided Hiking Tour: Inclusions & Benefits

We spend 3 nights in the same boutique accommodation in Coromandel township. You’ll have a comfortable ensuite room in an artisan timber cabin set amongst gorgeous native plantings, connected by timber boardwalks. Heading out from there each day, we’ll take you to the best Coromandel walking and hiking tracks to interact with high-quality forest and birdlife. Our fun, friendly hiking guides will take good care of you throughout and you’ll enjoy the company of a group of like-minded outdoor folks in a small group. Again, this is a luxurious, pack-free, great walk experience. You’ll carry only a daypack with the days’ essentials.

All of your meals, snacks and drinks are catered for by Walking Legends. Our menus are full of nutritious, fresh produce and good-quality proteins to keep you fuelled up. Packed lunches are made fresh daily and all dietary requirements are welcome.

For full tour information on the Coromandel Explorer

• 4-day, lodge-based Coromandel Explorer guided New Zealand hike
• For a full list of scheduled departures, check our guided walk departure dates calendar

Tongariro Hiking Tour – 4 days, lodge-based, ensuites

On this multi-day guided walk you’ll have the chance to dig deeper into the Tongariro National Park, a dual-World Heritage area, and go beyond just the 1-day Tongariro Alpine Crossing. Join a small, fun group and enjoy the safety and peace of mind that comes from having other walkers and a professional guide taking care of you. The wide range of walking environments within the National Park means you’re on fresh and interesting trails every day.

We cover the big-ticket walks in the Tongariro National Park in one hassle-free, 4-day New Zealand guided walk itinerary. Tackle the Old Coach Road trail, Lake Rotopounamu Loop, Waitonga Falls track, Taranaki Falls Loop and a handful of excellent short walks in between. We will even cover some of the Tongariro Northern Circuit Great Walk track, one of only 3 New Zealand Great Walks in the North Island.

This is a fully guided, escorted New Zealand guided walk so you can save all your energy for walking. We organise everything to ensure a smooth, polished guided hike in New Zealand. Our experienced, on-trail hiking guides lead the trip, do all the driving, organise the group and run each day like a well-oiled machine. They carry all the safety gear and provide thorough briefings on what to expect each day.

We’ll stay in a comfortable hikers and skiers lodge in National Park Village for 3 nights. You’ll have a large room with fresh linens and a compact ensuite bathroom. Our meals are shared together in the on-site restaurant. After exciting days out on the trails we come back and relax with a cold glass of suds while someone else makes dinner, bliss!

The tour begins either in Rotorua or Taupo, we can pick you up from your accommodation, or the airport.

For full tour information on the Tongariro Hiking Tour, a New Zealand guided walk:

Please visit our website, for more details and specialised FAQs.

• 4-day, lodge-based Tongariro Hiking Tour guided New Zealand hike
• For a full list of scheduled departures, check our guided walk departure dates calendar

Taranaki Discovery Tour – 4 days, lodge-based, ensuites

We do many things well here at Walking Legends, but one thing we are particularly proud of is linking walkers and hikers to the far-flung hiking regions of the North Island of New Zealand. Most tour companies will stick to State Highway 1 in a straight line from Auckland to Wellington, because that’s easiest for them. Not us! We make special effort to get you our to the far corners of the North Island to where the really good New Zealand hiking tracks and trails are. One of those regions is Taranaki.

Hike the Best Taranaki Tracks

To see the best walks and hikes in Taranaki, come with Walking Legends on a guided hiking tour of the Taranaki region. The Taranaki Discovery Tour guided hiking and walking holiday is a top-to-toe sample of the best Taranaki tracks, with comfortable ensuite accommodation and phenomenal food. It’s the easiest way to hike in Taranaki. Our groups are small, intentionally, so that we can all enjoy the great New Zealand outdoors without the hassle and encumbrances of moving with a larger group. You’ll join a small, fun group of like-minded walkers led by a compassionate, friendly Kiwi hiking guide. Many lifelong friendships have been made during the course of a Walking Legends New Zealand guided walk.

Hike the Pouakai Crossing with a Kiwi Guide

We’ll hike the best new day-walk in New Zealand, the Pouakai Crossing. This is a 19km day-walk through spectacular native forest along the shoulders of Mt. Taranaki. It is every bit as good as the Tongariro Alpine Crossing, but without the queues and crowds. It’s New Zealand hiking like it used to be 20 years ago.

How Do You Join The Taranaki Discovery Tour?

What do you need to do to join us? Easy, select a departure date, book your New Zealand guided walk online via our website. Then just meet us in Rotorua on Day 1 with your hiking gear, and a sense of adventure, and we’ll do the rest.

For full tour information on the Taranaki Discovery Tour

• 4-day, lodge-based Taranaki Discovery Tour guided New Zealand hike
• For a full list of scheduled departures, check our guided walk departure dates calendar

How Fit Do You Need To Be To Join Us?

If a hiking tour holiday sounds great, but you’re unsure if you have the physical conditioning and fitness level to join us, you are not alone. This is the biggest query we get from all of our guests. Our New Zealand guided walks and hiking tours differ in grading from area to area. The Great Barrier Island Escape would be the lighter of all of our itineraries and the Tongariro Hiking Tour would be our most challenging.

We regularly welcome walkers in their 50’s, 60’s and 70’s and they manage beautifully. Our team has put together a special blog on fitness that covers our 20 years of North Island guided hiking experience – we hope you find it helpful.

“How Fit Do I Need To Be” To Join A New Zealand Guided Walking and Hiking Tour?

How To Make Sure You Are Fully Prepared For Your New Zealand Guided Walk Experience

• Our 4-day itineraries are designed to provide warm-up and warm-down walks during our travel days, that’s Day 1 and Day 4. We’ll do longer, more challenging walks on Days 2 and 3.
• Our model is “challenge by choice”. There is no pressure for you to complete every walk and we don’t want you to push yourself and go home injured. These are holidays! We want you to have fun.
• The fitter you are, the more you’ll enjoy it. Pre-tour training is always a good idea, particularly stair training – it’s always time well spent.
• You won’t hold anyone up. We set our fast walkers out in front with designated times and meeting points. Then those who like to walk slower can plod away at the back and enjoy a more relaxed pace.

Get In Touch To Discuss Which Walking Legends Guided Walk Is Best For You

Contact our friendly team and we can help match you with the best walking tour in New Zealand for an unforgettable New Zealand hiking tour holiday.

NZ Freephone   0800 925 569 (WALKNZ)

AUS Freephone   1800 646 584

International    0064 7 533 3157

Or email [email protected]