Welcome to the sunny side. This corner of New Zealand is typically claimed as having more hours of sunshine than any other area in the country, which means long, sun-baked days for tramping.

Coverage includes: Abel Tasman National Park, Abel Tasman Coast Track, Kahurangi National Park, Heaphy Track, Tableland Circuit, Nelson Lakes National Park, Lake Angelus Track, St Arnaud Range Track, Travers-Sabine Circuit, Towns & Facilities: Nelson, Motueka, Takaka, Karamea.

For trampers, Canterbury is all about the mountains, be it the tightly packed peaks of Arthur’s Pass National Park or the valleys and view points that unveil 3724m Aoraki/Mt Cook.

Coverage includes: Banks Track, St James Walkway, Arthur’s Pass National Park, Avalanche Peak, Goat Pass Track, Harper Pass, Bealey Spur, Aoraki/Mt Cook National Park, Mueller Hut Route, Towns & Facilities: Christchurch, Akaroa, Hanmer Springs, Arthur’s Pass, Mt Cook Village.

Fiordland & Stewart Island/Rakiura

This is the Fiordland & Stewart Island/Rakiura chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

Fiordland National Park is almost a byword for New Zealand tramping. Here you’ll find the track once billed as the ‘finest walk in the world’ and the greatest representation of Great Walks in the country.

Coverage includes: Fiordland National Park, Milford Track, Hollyford Track, Kepler Track, Hump Ridge Track, Stewart Island/Rakiura, Rakiura Track, Towns & Facilities: Te Anau, Invercargill.

This is the Mt Aspiring National Park & Around Queenstown chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

Few places ignite a sense of adventure quite like Queenstown, Wanaka and Mt Aspiring National Park. Here some of New Zealand’s finest mountain country awaits, including the Routeburn Track, the tramp many believe to be the greatest Great Walk of all.

Coverage includes: Mt Aspiring National Park, Routeburn Track, Greenstone Caples Track, Rees-Dart Track, Cascade Saddle, Rob Roy Track, Gillespie Pass Circuit, Ben Lomond, Roys Peak, Dimond Lake & Rocky Mountain, Towns & Facilities: Queenstown, Glenorchy, Wanaka.

Northland, Auckland & Coromandel

This is the Northland, Auckland & Coromandel chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

Spiked with capes, peninsulas and bays, New Zealand’s long northern arm sits far from any of the country’s Great Walks, yet there’s ample here to entice trampers.

• round New Zealand’s beach-lined northern tip on the Te Paki Coastal Track
• maps
• scale a volcanic island on the Rangitoto Island Loop
• transport
• hike to sharp-tipped pinnacles and kauri logging relics on the Kauaeranga Kauri Trail
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Te Paki Coastal Track, Cape Brett Track, Rangitoto Island Loop, Aotea Track, Coromandel Walkway, Kauaeranga Kauri Trail, Karangahake Gorge, Towns & Facilities: Auckland, Kaitaia, Russell, Whangarei, Thames.

This chapter contains the Welcome to New Zealand, New Zealand’s Nine Great Walks, Need to Know, If You Like, Itineraries, Outdoor Pursuits, New Zealand’s Birds, Safety in the Outdoors, Clothing, Equipment & Food and Regions at a Glance chapters from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

Your New Zealand tramping adventure starts here. You’ll find the tools to plan your journey: where to go and when, how much to budget, plus in-depth info on tramping equipment and safety.

• tailor-made itineraries, arranged by region, themes and events
• list of highlights and best experiences
• everything you need to know about navigation equipment
• user-friendly overview ensures you won't miss a thing

Coverage includes: Welcome to New Zealand, New Zealand’s Great Walks, Need to Know, If You Like: Volcanoes, Wildlife, Camping, Glaciers, Mountain Climbs, Rivers, Mountain Passes, Beaches, Waterfalls, History, Loop Hikes, Mountain Biking, Itineraries, Choose Your Tramp, Bird Spotter’s Guide, Outdoor Pursuits: Bird-Watching, Fishing, Horse Trekking, Sea Kayaking, Mountain Biking, Mountaineering, Rock Climbing, Caving, Scuba Diving & Snorkelling, Skiing & Skateboarding, Surfing, White-Water Rafting, Canoeing Kayaking, Jetboating, Safety in the Outdoors: Trip Planning, Navigation, Navigation Equipment, River Crossings, Emergencies & Rescue, Communication, If You Get Lost, First Aid, Drinking Water, Clothing, Equipment & Food: Clothing, Equipment, Food, and Regions at a Glance.

This is the Queen Charlotte & Marlborough chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

The Marlborough Sounds might be most typically a Bacchanalian playground of water fun and wineries – NZ’s largest wine region is here – but it’s also home to one of the country’s most famous tramps: the Queen Charlotte Track.

• find stunning coastal scenery and unusually varied accommodation on the Queen
• Charlotte Track
• maps
• explore inviting river pools and mountain options on the Pelorus Track
• transport
• enjoy farm hospitality in a beach setting on the Kaikoura Coast Track
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Queen Charlotte Track, Pelorus Track, Kaikoura Coast Track, Towns & Facilities: Picton, Kaikoura.

This is the Taranaki & Southern North Island chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

Like the central North Island, tramping here is dominated by a spectacular volcano – Mt Taranaki. The mountain is laced with tramping routes, from a contender for the title of NZ’s best day hike, to a lap around the volcano and a summit climb.

• stroll to alpine heights on the Sunrise Track
• maps
• find lofty huts and high alpine ridges on the Mt Holdsworth–Jumbo Circuit
• transport
• hike through a unique wetland for wicked volcano views on the Pouakai Circuit
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes:Egmont National Park, Around the Mountain Circuit, Pouakai Circuit, Pouakai Crossing, Mt Taranaki Summit, Ruahine Forest Park, Sunrise Track, Tararua Forest Park, Mt Holdsworth–Jumbo Circuit, Cape Palliser, Putangirua Pinnacles Towns & Facilities: New Plymouth, Napier, Palmerston North, Masterton, Wellington.

Tongariro, Te Urewera & Central North Island

This is the Tongariro, Te Urewera & Central North Island chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

Few regions offer such an overwhelming sense of raw wilderness as the North Island’s central strip of volcanoes and dense forest. For trampers, Tongariro calls like a siren, drawing tens of thousands of people each year across the track that’s almost universally acclaimed as the best day walk in the country.

• loop New Zealand’s most spectacular volcano on the Tongariro Northern Circuit
• maps
• follow a remote circuit of the bluff-lined Lake Waikaremoana
• transport
• tramp through a volcanic wonderland on Tongariro Alpine Crossing
• restaurants & accommodation

Coverage includes: Tongariro National Park, Tongariro Northern Circuit, Tongariro Alpine Crossing, Te Urewera, Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk.

Understand New Zealand & Survival Guide

This chapter contains the New Zealand Today, History, Environment, Directory A–Z, Transport and Glossary chapters from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

All the info you need on everything from history, earthquakes and wildlife to flights, public transport, climate, money, the internet...you name it. Get tips for women travellers and travelling with kids, as well as a handy language guide and glossary.

Coverage includes: New Zealand Today, History: Maori Settlement, Enter Europe, Growing Pains, From Gold Rush to Welfare State, National Building, The Modern Age, Environment: The Land, Flora & Fauna, A–Z, Transport and Glossary.

This is the West Coast chapter from Lonely Planet's Hiking & Tramping in New Zealand guidebook.

The West Coast is one of the most dynamic tramping regions in New Zealand, with an emerging network of tracks that seems destined to elevate it to a position alongside the likes of Fiordland and Abel Tasman National Parks in the minds of trampers.

Coverage includes: The Old Ghost Road Track, Paparoa National Park, Inland Pack Track, Westland Tai Poutini National Park, Welcome Flat, Towns & Facilities: Westport, Punakaiki, Greymouth, Franz Josef Glacier, Fox Glacier.