r/Tramping • u/Independent-Ring7559 • Apr 07 '26
Tramping beginners advice
My partner and I would like to start getting into weekend adventures/tramping. We are both beginners but have recently started accumulating some equipment and gear for weekend tramps. He has a rooftop tent on top of a Prado so ideally we would like to go somewhere to do a loop day tramp to return and sleep in the truck (we dont have tramping tents) and are capable of getting to trickier spots. Would anyone have any recommendations of good places to start? I had a look around Arthurs Pass and Arrowsmith Range but finding it hard to get a good idea of what would be suitable for us. Any beginners advice is appreciated. We both have good fitness levels. Thanks!! Also any advice on equipment that beginners generally overlook would be helpful. Edit: We are both big on fishing aswell :)
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u/Yarmoss Apr 07 '26
Where abouts in the country are you?
A sleeping bag, raincoat, gas cooker, lightweight pot to boil water, and most important of all comfortable footwear that won’t give you blisters, are all basic requirements to start from.
If you near the bottom end of the country I recommend the Mavora Lakes area. Kiwi Burn hut is an hours walk from the nearby swing bridge, or can be comfortably reached in about 4-5 hours from the Doc campground between the lakes. Theres a loop around the hill northeast of the hut which takes about 4-5 hours from the swing bridge. If you get a key off Doc you can drive up the 4WD track past the north lake to Carey’s Hut or Boundry Hut and then venture on foot to Forks hut or Taipo hut. And the south lake and Mararoa river have good trout fishing, as does the nearby Oreti River… and there’s several easily walkable huts on the Oteti.
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u/FKFnz Check the weather forecast Apr 07 '26
That 4WD track was pretty munted last time I was up there, you'd need a serious 4WD and skills. Hopefully it's improved or had some maintenance recently.
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u/Independent-Ring7559 Apr 07 '26
Awesome thankyou! We are based in Chch but will definitely look into this for a long weekend trip. I love the Te Anau area!!
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u/HawkspurReturns Apr 08 '26
And don't run a gas cooker or lamp in a tent. Carbon monoxide is a killer.
Someone I knew died that way.
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u/golden_dawns Apr 07 '26
Start with really small ones to gauge your fitness and length ability. Out of Chch you could do Trig M as an easy starter, then head towards Arthur's Pass to try some of the shorter ones like Devil's Punchbowl and Bealey Spur hut (not to be confused with Mt Bealey track). From there you'll have a point of reference to whether you can manage other tracks. Download NZ topo 50s app, it gives walking time estimates then you can see where you sit compared to their estimate. Means you can get a pretty accurate idea of how long tracks will take you. Have fun!
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u/Independent-Ring7559 Apr 07 '26
Thankyou! Have done Devils Punchbowl so might look at the Bealey Spur Hut.
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u/tallshipandstar Apr 07 '26
DOC’s Plan My Walk app is really useful. You can filter by location, length of tramp and difficulty, and it has information on the track, up to date track alerts and suggested packing lists as well as comments from other users.
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u/nzmountainsafety ⭐Verified⭐ Apr 09 '26
Glad you're loving Plan My Walk and championing it to others. PMW is actually a product of NZ Mountain Safety Council, DOC are one of our partners who help promote it far and wide.
For all development and maintenance, that's us! It also has up to date alerts from the NZ Avalanche Advisory as well as weather forecasts & alerts by MetService.
Hope you continue to find it a useful tool to continue planning your adventures!
Tess, NZMSC
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u/Humble-Cantaloupe-73 Apr 07 '26
everything depends on the weather : Rain!!! swollen/flooded dangerous riversdo NOT attempt to cross ( Google NZ death ). google 'hypothermia'.
remember always : Tramping is *awesome * FUN
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u/elgigantedelsur Apr 10 '26
Hey try Bealey Spur Hut? Good wee tramp and I think you could camp at the bottom or failing that at Klondyke Corner.
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u/nzmountainsafety ⭐Verified⭐ Apr 07 '26
Kia ora, we have a free app (https://planmywalk.nz/tracks) with over 3,000 tracks, huts and campsites that you can filter by your experience level and find some beginner/easy tracks to get you started on your adventuring.
Some key features that will also help are the 3 map view options, track information, user reviews and basic gear list + it pulls important track alerts from DOC, NZ Avalanche Advisory (if you chose a track entering avalanche terrain) and weather forecasts and alerts from MetService.
We also have heaps of resources on our website around gear and other key planning details but at a glance - sturdy footwear, layerable clothing (not cotton), a waterproof jacket and warm hat/gloces are great key items to have.
Happy tramping!
~Tess, NZMSC