Hiking in New Zealand

Tramping, known elsewhere as backpacking, rambling, hill walking or bushwalking, is a popular activity in New Zealand.

[1] Alpine climbing has been a recreational activity from the early days of European settlement, and possibly earlier.

There is a network of more than 950 backcountry huts throughout New Zealand operated by the Department of Conservation (DOC) on public land.

The majority of the huts were built by the now defunct New Zealand Forest Service for deer culling operations.

This environmental care code promoted by the Department of Conservation contains a 10-point checklist of things that can be done in the outdoors to help minimise impact:[4]