Honest New Zealand hiking guides, trail notes and practical advice from Wyld Peak. Real NZ walks, useful planning, DOC basics, safety notes and the small details that actually matter once you leave the car park.

New Zealand Hiking Guides: Walks, Tracks & National Parks

Strange Walks in New Zealand: Hidden Tunnels, Curses & Shipwrecks

Strange Walks in New Zealand: Hidden Tunnels, C...

Someone built a dance floor inside a cave. A newspaper reported a supposed curse involving horses. And people are still arguing about secret tunnels beneath North Head. We've walked the...

Strange Walks in New Zealand: Hidden Tunnels, C...

Someone built a dance floor inside a cave. A newspaper reported a supposed curse involving horses. And people are still arguing about secret tunnels beneath North Head. We've walked the...

DOC Track Conditions: How to Check Alerts Before You Hike

DOC Track Conditions: How to Check Alerts Befor...

DOC track conditions can save a wasted drive, but they won't tell you everything. Here's where we check alerts, closures and access before hiking, plus the surprises we've learned to...

DOC Track Conditions: How to Check Alerts Befor...

DOC track conditions can save a wasted drive, but they won't tell you everything. Here's where we check alerts, closures and access before hiking, plus the surprises we've learned to...

Panmure Basin Walk: The Loop We've Walked for Decades

Panmure Basin Walk: The Loop We've Walked for D...

We've been doing the Panmure Basin walk for decades, back when the old bridge had a bit more wobble than we'd have liked. Here's what the 3.9 km loop is...

Panmure Basin Walk: The Loop We've Walked for D...

We've been doing the Panmure Basin walk for decades, back when the old bridge had a bit more wobble than we'd have liked. Here's what the 3.9 km loop is...

Tahuna Torea Walk Auckland: Easy Coastal Loop, Birds & What It’s Really Like

Tahuna Torea Walk Auckland: Easy Coastal Loop, ...

Our Tahuna Torea walk took about 45 minutes, even with plenty of stops for photos and video. It’s mostly flat, full of birdlife and much quieter than we expected. Here’s...

Tahuna Torea Walk Auckland: Easy Coastal Loop, ...

Our Tahuna Torea walk took about 45 minutes, even with plenty of stops for photos and video. It’s mostly flat, full of birdlife and much quieter than we expected. Here’s...

Can You Drink Stream Water in New Zealand? We’d Treat It First

Can You Drink Stream Water in New Zealand? We’d...

New Zealand streams can look ridiculously clean, but clear water doesn’t tell you what’s happening upstream. Here’s why we’d usually treat it first, plus what Giardia, 1080, hut water and...

Can You Drink Stream Water in New Zealand? We’d...

New Zealand streams can look ridiculously clean, but clear water doesn’t tell you what’s happening upstream. Here’s why we’d usually treat it first, plus what Giardia, 1080, hut water and...

Helensville River Walkway: Easy, Quiet and Better as Part of the Day

Helensville River Walkway: Easy, Quiet and Bett...

Short, flat and better for birdlife than we expected, Helensville River Walkway is an easy local wander. Here’s our take on parking, dogs and whether it’s worth making the trip.

Helensville River Walkway: Easy, Quiet and Bett...

Short, flat and better for birdlife than we expected, Helensville River Walkway is an easy local wander. Here’s our take on parking, dogs and whether it’s worth making the trip.