tgreegs

Hi-
I will be spending a month alone in New Zealand and would like to spend a majority of that time on some of the S. Island tramps. They all sound great, but I can't decide between the some of the Great Walks like the Routeburn, Milford, Kepler, or Hollyford. Any Suggestions?

ElendilPickle

Check http://www.doc.govt.nz to see which tramps are open when you'll be in New Zealand and if they have space available. You'll need advance reservations for the Milford Track, for example.

Lee Ann

ALF

I think that a lot depends on how social you want to be. If you crave solitude, then aim for the Kepler or Hollyford Tracks. If you want to meet fellow trampers and socialize, certainly the Milford would be best. The Routeburn would be somewhere in between.

Also, the time to make reservations may determine which Tracks are available to you. Booking DOC huts on the Milford must be done at least 6 months, preferably 10 months in advance.

JSCChan

Didn't know you could book the Milford Track more than about 3 months in advance (certainly can't book on their website for Dec now, as I am trying to do). Is htere another way to do this?

tgreegs

Thanks for your responses. I'm not sure if it is different for larger groups, but I managed to book on the Milford a month in advance. There seemed to be some openings, but just for solo trampers. You might be able to try calling to book for December.

ALF

Yes, it looks like the DOC booking system has changed since we booked our walk in 2000. We booked 8 months in advance by postal mail - and we were the sole Yanks on the Track because other prospective U.S. trampers found all places taken by the time they tried to book.