Q: Do I carry my own bags?

Queen Charlotte bags travel by boat each walking day. The boat pass covers one bag per person. Bags can get wet between boat and jetty, so pack yours in a waterproof liner. Abel Tasman water taxis serve every stage , and each fare carries one bag of up to 20 kg. Hump Ridge walkers carry their own pack , usually 10–14 kg, so bring one of 40–50 litres. On the first walking day, a helicopter can lift a bag of up to 10 kg to the first lodge, as an optional extra. It flies on Mondays and Thursdays, subject to availability. Drop the bag at the Trust's office in Tuatapere by 8 am.

Q: How early should I book?

February fills first. The Queen Charlotte lodges at Endeavour Inlet can be full for mid-February four months ahead. For December and January, write as soon as you know when you're coming. The sooner your dates reach us , the more choice you have. The Department of Conservation (DOC) sells the Great Walk huts and campsites, and on the Abel Tasman they must be booked all year round. Our walks sleep in lodges instead, so you need no DOC booking .

Q: Do I need a visa, and what do I declare on arrival?

Australian citizens need no visa or NZeTA : a passport is enough. Australian permanent residents and US and UK travellers need an NZeTA , New Zealand's electronic travel authority. Request it before you fly and allow 72 hours. It lasts two years. US and UK visitors pay the International Visitor Levy with it. On an NZeTA, your passport must be valid for 3 months after you leave New Zealand. On arrival, declare used hiking boots and outdoor gear on the free NZ Traveller Declaration , and clean your boots before you fly. Undeclared outdoor gear can earn an instant NZD 400 fine , even for an honest mistake.

Question 1

Is there a guide on the walk?

Accepted Answer

Not on these walks. You go as your own party, with our guidebook to hand, on tracks marked from end to end. On the Queen Charlotte, the one turn to watch is at Torea Saddle.

Most days have a fixed point or two: a boat to catch, or a low tide to wait for. The swims and long lunches fit around them.

New to it? Self-guided walking, explained.

Question 2

What fitness do these walks need?

Accepted Answer

None of them needs scrambling, and age matters less than walking fitness. In order of effort:

The Abel Tasman is the gentle one, with short stages and small climbs
The Queen Charlotte's longest day is about 8 hours, and mountain bikers share the track
The Hump Ridge climbs 890 m on its first day, from the beach to the first lodge. The Hump Ridge Track Trust, which runs it, asks for moderate to high fitness and advises training first

Each walk is rated from 1 to 5 for fitness and for technical difficulty. Our Hiking Difficulty Guide says what each number means.

Question 3

Where do I sleep?

Accepted Answer

Always under a roof, never in a tent or a public hut. The rooms change with the track:

Queen Charlotte: your own room and bathroom, in lodges with a restaurant and a bar
Abel Tasman: a room with its own bathroom at a lodge inside the park, after a B&B at the park entrance
Hump Ridge: shared bunk rooms for four or eight in the Trust's two lodges. Bathrooms are shared, and hot showers cost extra. A pillow and blanket are supplied; bring or hire a sleeping bag

Twin or double on the Queen Charlotte or the Abel Tasman? Let us know.

Question 4

What about meals?

Accepted Answer

Breakfast comes with your Abel Tasman rooms, and dinner there is paid on the spot. Queen Charlotte lodges sell breakfast, dinner and packed lunches. On the Hump Ridge, every walker gets free porridge in the morning.

Hump Ridge walkers cook their own meals in the lodges' shared kitchens, on gas. Bring food from Tuatapere, or buy meal kits in the lodge shops. Because they hold a liquor licence, the Hump Ridge lodges allow no outside alcohol.

Question 5

Do I carry my own bags?

Accepted Answer

Queen Charlotte bags travel by boat each walking day. The boat pass covers one bag per person. Bags can get wet between boat and jetty, so pack yours in a waterproof liner.

Abel Tasman water taxis serve every stage, and each fare carries one bag of up to 20 kg.

Hump Ridge walkers carry their own pack, usually 10–14 kg, so bring one of 40–50 litres. On the first walking day, a helicopter can lift a bag of up to 10 kg to the first lodge, as an optional extra. It flies on Mondays and Thursdays, subject to availability. Drop the bag at the Trust's office in Tuatapere by 8 am.

Question 6

Where do the walks start, and how do I get there?

Accepted Answer

Getting to the trailhead town is up to you, and we plan the walk around your arrival:

Nelson, for the Abel Tasman: direct flights from Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, then about an hour by road to Mārahau
Picton, for the Queen Charlotte: the Interislander ferry from Wellington takes 3.5 hours. Or fly to Blenheim, 30 minutes' drive away
Queenstown, Te Anau or Invercargill, for the Hump Ridge: the Trust's shuttle runs to Tuatapere if you book ahead. Queenstown has direct flights from Australia

On the combined walk, Nelson to Picton is about 2 hours by road.

Question 7

How early should I book?

Accepted Answer

February fills first. The Queen Charlotte lodges at Endeavour Inlet can be full for mid-February four months ahead. For December and January, write as soon as you know when you're coming. The sooner your dates reach us, the more choice you have.

The Department of Conservation (DOC) sells the Great Walk huts and campsites, and on the Abel Tasman they must be booked all year round. Our walks sleep in lodges instead, so you need no DOC booking.

Question 8

Do I need a visa, and what do I declare on arrival?

Accepted Answer

Australian citizens need no visa or NZeTA: a passport is enough.

Australian permanent residents and US and UK travellers need an NZeTA, New Zealand's electronic travel authority. Request it before you fly and allow 72 hours. It lasts two years. US and UK visitors pay the International Visitor Levy with it. On an NZeTA, your passport must be valid for 3 months after you leave New Zealand.

On arrival, declare used hiking boots and outdoor gear on the free NZ Traveller Declaration, and clean your boots before you fly. Undeclared outdoor gear can earn an instant NZD 400 fine, even for an honest mistake.

Question 9

Should I take out travel insurance?

Accepted Answer

We strongly recommend it: comprehensive travel insurance with health cover, bought before you fly. The Hump Ridge Track Trust recommends the same to everyone on its track.

We offer insurance as an optional extra on every tour you book with us. It comes from our partner, Redpoint Travel Protection, and you can add it when you book.

New Zealand's accident scheme covers visitors too. ACC helps pay for treatment when anyone is hurt in an accident here. It does not cover:

illness
disrupted travel plans, or emergency travel home
treatment once you are back home

New Zealand law also makes it unlikely you could sue anyone after an injury. Check that your policy covers walking, and cancellation too.

Question 10

Can we start any day, and stay longer?

Accepted Answer

Yes, any day while the lodges are open. Picton, Nelson and Queenstown make easy bases for a night or two either side of the walk. Ask for the dates you have in mind.

Question 11

Where can we leave a car?

Accepted Answer

Picton has long-stay car parks, run by the Marlborough District Council. They fill quickly in summer. The boat company behind the track pass has no parking of its own. On the Abel Tasman, the water-taxi operators keep car parks for their clients.

For the Hump Ridge, the Rarakau car park at the track start sits on private farmland, watched by the farm manager. Its last 6 km of road are gravel, so the Trust suggests its track shuttle for rental cars and campervans.

Question 12

Can I walk solo?

Accepted Answer

Of course. A room to yourself carries a single supplement. On the Hump Ridge, solo walkers share a bunk room with others.

Question 13

Will my phone work, and how do I pay?

Accepted Answer

Signal is patchy. The Queen Charlotte has no reliable phone signal from Ship Cove to Camp Bay, then good coverage on the ridge. On the Abel Tasman, coverage is limited, with reception on some headlands.

Save your travel documents to your phone before you set off. On the Hump Ridge, USB charging is at Port Craig only, and Ōkaka has none, so bring a power bank.

Cards and contactless work almost everywhere, the Hump Ridge lodge shops included.

Question 14

Can you cater for vegetarian, vegan or gluten-free diets?

Accepted Answer

Where the lodges cook for you, tell us your needs. They travel with your booking to each kitchen on the route.

On the Hump Ridge, pack food that suits you. The lodge porridge is not gluten-free. The shops sell dehydrated meals with vegetarian options, and gluten-free sausages are best ordered ahead.

Question 15

What about tides, bad weather and closures?

Accepted Answer

Awaroa Inlet is waded near low tide: from 1.5 hours before to 2 hours after, in daylight only. Allow 25 minutes to cross. It is the Abel Tasman's one compulsory tidal crossing, so that day runs on DOC's tide tables. On the Hump Ridge's last day, Blowholes Beach is passable only at low tide.

In bad weather, a water taxi can cut most Queen Charlotte and Abel Tasman stages short. The Hump Ridge offers no boat or road out, so watch the Hump Ridge forecast in the days before you start.

Since February 2026, the Edwin Burn and Percy Burn viaducts have been closed. The track goes round them on a bypass with a 58 m swing bridge, as DOC's notice explains.

Question 16

How bad are the sandflies?

Accepted Answer

They bite, and the bites can itch for days, but New Zealand's sandflies carry no disease. Only the females bite. They breed in running water, so expect them near beaches and rivers, mostly at dawn and dusk.

When you stop, cover your ankles and feet, and use a repellent with DEET. Antihistamine cream eases the itch, and visitors new to sandflies may react more strongly than locals. Wasps live on the Abel Tasman too: if stings affect you, carry your medication.

Question 17

Who do I call if something goes wrong?

Accepted Answer

Our support number is in the guidebook we give you. Call it for a missed boat, a lodge question or a change of plan.

For anything urgent, use New Zealand's own numbers:

111 for police, fire and ambulance, free from any phone, even a mobile with no credit
0800 611 116 for Healthline: free health advice from nurses and paramedics, day or night
105 for police matters that are not urgent

Where there is no signal, a registered distress beacon calls rescuers in a life-threatening emergency. The Trust hires them out from its Tuatapere office, and some DOC visitor centres do too.

Question 18

Can we bring the children?

Accepted Answer

If they already manage long days on foot, yes. The Abel Tasman's short stages suit them best.

The Hump Ridge is not recommended for children under 10, says the Trust. Every child who walks it joins the compulsory safety briefing in Tuatapere. Send their ages with your dates, and a planner will match a walk to them.

Hiking Tours New Zealand

Self-guided walking and hiking tours across New Zealand