NZ Great Walks with kids... advice sought

[Kainas]

Hi all... Me again, which must mean that I am itching for another good walk. We (Me, Hubby, 7yo, 5yo, and 1yo) want to descend upon NZ for a week or two of tramping early next year, I would love some advice.

We want to head over to NZ, maybe fly in to Wellington, then fly to Nelson, then do the Abel Tasman Track (over 10 days), or Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk or Tongariro Northern Circuit. Non-great walks have the advantage of allowing us cheaper non-tent accomodation in which we won't be petrified of having a 1yo keep anybody awake.

I would love some suggestions about walks, transport, and best times to travel, anything at all, I am listening.

Note:
- 6-8km is the daily distance that we aim for (because our youngest walker will be 5yo)
- Safety is important (for the same reasons), so we won't ford rivers or tackle three-wire bridges.
- Well-formed tracks are important (because we are planning on using a Monowalker to carry our gear.
- Trackhead needs to be in reasonable transport range (because hours on a bus with a 1yo doesn't sound fun).
- (ETA) Track exits are important. The kids enjoy this stuff, but if it becomes too much for any reason it is nice to be able to shorten/end the trip.

Even more notes, that you probably don't need to read:
We did the Yuraygir track last year (60km with a 5yo and a 3yo)... and they loved it and of course my now 4yo is begging for another bushwalk, or camping, or something. Happy to oblige we are planning our next big adventure.

On the Yuraygir track we did do one overnighter (the rest was with vehicle support), and it was hard work. I found that the kids moved much easier without any packs on them.

So our plan....
1) Buy a Monowalker. The video looks promising, it is a super expensive piece of kit.... but it will make these kind of walks possible.
2) Hubby tows the monowalker, full of gear.
3) I carry the 1yo (Very capable, He will weigh about 10kg) + snack bag (essential for keeping kids going) and camera (essential to keep me going).
4)The girls carry a camel back each.

My 3yo managed an 11km day (coastal walk) during our big trip last year, no ideal, but good to know. She will be 5yo at the time of our next trip, but I still prefer to keep the walking distance around 6-8km.

[wayno]

the waikaremoana is a rough track in places with decent climbs and descents, tree roots. mud. and the tongariro circuit it totally exposed and gets bad weather frequently and its no joke when it does.

[RonK]

The Abel Tasman Walk would probably be good choice. There are various accommodation options along the way and an easy bailout by ferry should it be necessary. Plus there is the opportunity to swim and kayak.

The Queen Charlotte Walk would be good but for one day which will be too long for the kids. An option may be to take the ferry for that day. Also you can have your baggage transported so maybe a walk/carry the 5yo.

Another thought - have you considered cycling instead of walking? Bikes give you extra range, and NZ has a plethora of cycling trails. The West Coast Wilderness Trail, perhaps just part of it comes to mind. Or the Otago Central Rail Trail - it also has baggage transport options.

[Kainas]

the waikaremoana is a rough track in places with decent climbs and descents, tree roots. mud. and the tongariro circuit it totally exposed and gets bad weather frequently and its no joke when it does.

Advice taken, thank you. I will cross it from my list.

[Kainas]

Another thought - have you considered cycling instead of walking? Bikes give you extra range, and NZ has a plethora of cycling trails. The West Coast Wilderness Trail, perhaps just part of it comes to mind. Or the Otago Central Rail Trail - it also has baggage transport options.

Cycling is definitely a possibility, but it is a different type of trail (I think). We have grand plans to Cycle the Euro Velo 6 (in Europe) when the kids get just a little bit older. However best we could figure now is that we would be in the same situation, just with bikes as well (which makes public transport difficult). I haven't heard of the NZ bike trails though, so I will be checking them out....

[Kainas]

The Queen Charlotte Walk looks promising as well - exit strategies are really important to us. It is fun, but nice to know that there is a water taxi so we can pull the plug if need-be.

[RonK]

Another thought - have you considered cycling instead of walking? Bikes give you extra range, and NZ has a plethora of cycling trails. The West Coast Wilderness Trail, perhaps just part of it comes to mind. Or the Otago Central Rail Trail - it also has baggage transport options.

Cycling is definitely a possibility, but it is a different type of trail (I think). We have grand plans to Cycle the Euro Velo 6 (in Europe) when the kids get just a little bit older. However best we could figure now is that we would be in the same situation, just with bikes as well (which makes public transport difficult). I haven't heard of the NZ bike trails though, so I will be checking them out....

The Kennett brothers are the NZ authority on bike trails. Check out their guide books here. And of course most of these trails are shared with trampers.

I've been using their guide Classic New Zealand Cycle Trails.

[Kainas]

Thank you.... I found Kenneth Brothers on my own, and plan to get that exact book - all thanks to your comments. The cycle tours look great, I was really really surprised at what is available. When I replied earlier I was being polite, but really didn't think cycling would be what we wanted.... but once I took a closer look I realised how perfect it was... Particularly the Otago Central Rail Trail that you mentioned (and a few others that are in that area). I have spent the past few nights mapping out some possible itineraries and emailing them to my husband to check out.

Hopefully I will have a trip report some time next year!!