Paparoa Track

The Paparoa Track is New Zealand's newest Great Walk, opened in 2019 on the West Coast of the South Island. Running roughly 55 kilometres between Blackball and the Punakaiki coast, it was built partly as a memorial to the 29 men lost in the 2010 Pike River mine disaster, and it doubles as the country's only Great Walk open to mountain bikers.

The route climbs from lowland rainforest onto the Paparoa Range, following a high escarpment with sweeping views over folded limestone country toward the Tasman Sea. Walkers typically take three days and two nights, sleeping in the modern Ces Clark, Moonlight Tops and Pororari huts, which must be booked through the Department of Conservation. The trail gains and loses several hundred metres as it traverses the tops before dropping through the dramatic Pororari River gorge.

Difficulty is moderate. The graded path is well benched and suits fit trampers and experienced bikers, but the exposed ridgeline is fully at the mercy of West Coast weather, which can deliver heavy rain, wind and low cloud any day of the year. There are no facilities between huts, so food, layers and wet-weather gear are essential.

The prime season runs from October to April, when the huts are fully serviced and the alpine section is generally snow-free. Even in summer, cloud can erase the ridgetop views, so a flexible itinerary helps. The combination of subalpine tops, ancient forest and a river gorge finish, all packed into three days, makes it a compact showcase of West Coast wilderness.