10 of the best must-do day hikes in southern New Zealand

To share 10 of the best must do day hikes in southern New Zealand I’ve teamed up with Alice from Alice Adventuring. As a local and avid explorer of the area she knows the ins and outs on the best places to hike!

Alice is a chocolate-devouring lass who grew up in Southland, New Zealand. She writes a blog all about tramping / hiking at aliceadventuring.com, as well as working full-time as a medical Speech Language Therapist. She’s happy to answer any questions you may have about New Zealand or tramping / hiking, head on over to her blog or her Instagram to get in contact.

Kia ora! I’m Alice, a Kiwi who loves hiking/tramping and eating lots (and lots) of chocolate. I’ve teamed up with the super lovely Lauren to introduce you to some of the best day hikes around my home base, southern New Zealand. And I’ve got 10 of them!

But first things first, if you’re new to tramping then I would recommend doing a bit of research about how to keep yourself safe and happy while out adventuring. I’m happy to answer any and all questions you have, but I would recommend starting with the Outdoor Safety Code from the Mountain Safety Council, as well as the blog I wrote on How to stay safe tramping first, and go from there.

Right, let’s get started! Here are 10 must-do day hikes in southern New Zealand.

Lake Marian- fiordland

Location: Fiordland National Park
Length: 3-4 hours return
Difficulty: Medium

Lake Marian is an absolutely draw-dropping alpine lake in Fiordland National Park, just off the road to Milford Sound. It’s a must-see for photographers, but also doable for families, if the kiddies are used to day hikes across some rough terrain. I keep going back most times I’m in Fiordland, as it’s just so pretty and I can’t get enough!

The first part of the walk is an easy stroll across a swing bridge to a series of short, but powerful waterfalls. After the viewing platforms, the track becomes a tramping track; much more narrow and rough underfoot with lots of stones and tree roots to potentially trip you up. The track climbs steadily, but not too steeply, into the hanging valley that Lake Marian sits in.

Towards the end, the track levels off, and then it’s a small descent during which you’ll take your first glimpse of the gorgeous lake setting. Depending on the season and how full the lake is, there’s normally plenty of space to set up a little picnic by the lakeshore.

Make sure you give yourself enough time to sit and take in the view – I always end up racing back to the carpark because I can’t tear myself away from the beautiful vista.

Tip: I’ve braved the lake as a kid, but haven’t dared take a dip as an adult. The water is snowmelt; freezing! The track also crosses several avalanche paths so can be dangerous during winter and spring (May – November). Check with the local DOC office in Te Anau before you set out.

Key Summit- Fiordland

Location: Fiordland National Park
Length: 2-3 hours return
Difficulty: Easy

Key Summit sits just across the valley from Lake Marian – you can even see the lake from the summit.

Key Summit was so named because a drop of water on its summit may end up in three oceans; the Pacific Ocean on the east, the Southern Ocean to the south, or the Tasman Sea to the west – it’s the key of the Divide.

This track has an uphill climb of about 1 – 1.5 hours at a good gradient and is on a relatively wide track – great for adventurous families. After about 45 minutes – 1 hour climbing, you’ll come across the first intersection at the bush line. Take the right track up to continue to Key Summit. The other track goes down to Lake Howden – the first hut on the Routeburn Great Walk (since damaged by the 2020 flooding).

At the summit, I’d recommend strolling around the short circuit that takes in all of the views and has informative panels about the fauna and flora.

Tip: Key Summit is a popular walk, and in summer the carpark can fill up quickly. I’d recommend starting early or a bit later in the day to avoid the crowds.

Mt Burns Tarns- Fiordland

Location: Fiordland National Park
Length: 1 hour return
Difficulty: Easy

This is a lesser-known track, but it’s a banger! It starts from the top of Borland Saddle (on the road to Doubtful Sound) and is an easy 30-minute walk. From the carpark you’ll head up through beautiful native beech forest and, from the bush-line, through golden tussocks. After climbing up the last rise, you’ll start spotting the gorgeous tarns (little mountain ponds/lakes). There are plenty of tarns situated on this little plateau, so take your time exploring, and be careful not to get too close to the fragile ground around the edges of the tarns. If you’re feeling a bit more adventurous and have the right gear, then a side trip up to Mt Burns (6+ hours return) will give you amazing views over the mountains and surrounding lakes.

Lake Alta- queenstown

Location: Remarkables ski field
Length: 2-3 hours return
Difficulty: Easy

Lake Alta is one of the lesser-known day hikes in southern New Zealand. Located in beautiful Queenstown, this hike involves driving up a gravel ski field access road with steep drop offs, so not for the beginner driver or for those with little experience on gravel roads (although if you’ve been in New Zealand for a while you’re probably getting used to them).

But if you make it to the carpark, it’s a relatively easy (but steep, are you sensing a theme with New Zealand’s tramps?) amble up to the top of the first chairlift, following a 4WD track.

From there, keep following the signs up to your right – the track narrows to a tramping track before flattening off as you approach the lake. The directions can be a little confusing as there are ski field roads all over the place – so I’d recommend taking a gander at my blog post here.

I’ve always wanted to kayak or SUP on the lake, but once again the water is absolutely freezing so I haven’t risked it yet – let me know if you want to go on an adventure!

Tip: Lake Alta is completely frozen over and covered in snow in the winter. It’s also part of an active ski field, so this is a non-winter trip. Recently NZ Ski have put a barrier arm at the bottom of the access road and are charging cars $10 for the use of the road. There are lots of side trips that you can do from Lake Alta, including the lookout over Queenstown and Lake Wakatipu (featured in the snowy photo during ski season), feel free to have a read of my blog post for more info.

Ben Lomond- queenstown

Location: Queenstown
Length: 6-8 hours return
Difficulty: Hard

Ben Lomond is a special mountain for me and my family, and one of the first mountains I climbed as a little kid. It’s very easily accessible from Queenstown (you don’t even have to get in your car, bonus!), and even more accessible if you cheat like we often do and take the gondola up, skipping the steepest hour of the hike.

The track has recently had some upgrades so is a pretty easy but steep trail to follow up to the saddle, where you’ll get your first views over into Moonlight. Here you’ll also likely experience colder and windier weather with the higher elevation, so make sure you have warm layers to put on even in summer.

From the saddle, the track turns to the left and becomes less well-graded (although just as well-worn) as it climbs steeply to the summit.

From the summit of Ben Lomond, there are breath-taking 360° views over Queenstown, Lake Wakatipu, Moke Lake, the Remarkables mountain range and Skippers.

For more detailed information on how to summit Ben Lomond, check out Lauren’s blog post here.

Tip: Moutain Safety Council has put out an awesome informative video on the Ben Lomond Track – check it out here.

Roy’s Peak- wanaka

Location: Wanaka
Length: 5-7 hours return
Difficulty: Medium

It’s highly likely you’ve already heard of Roy’s Peak – it’s one of the most popular day trips in New Zealand and easily named one of the best day hikes in southern New Zealand. The reason for its popularity lies in its easy access (only a 10-minute drive from Wanaka and a very easy (if steep) track to follow) and its amazing views over Lake Wanaka and towards Mt Aspiring National Park.

Despite this, it’s not a track that should be underestimated. I often see a lot of people turn around halfway up because they’ve bitten off more than they can chew. The elevation gain to the summit is 1,200+m (4,000ft) – nothing to be sniffed at. And the weather can be drastically different up at the summit compared to the balmy lakefront at Wanaka.

I won’t go into too much detail here, as Lauren has already written about her adventure up Roy’s Peak that you can check out here.

Tip: The start of the Roy’s Peak track crosses private farmland and is closed for lambing over spring (October – early November). The famous viewpoint is lower down than the summit and takes only 3-4 hours return. There is a long-drop toilet at the viewpoint. Crowds can be an issue on this walk. Start early or late to avoid the majority of people.

Isthmus Peak- wanaka/lake hawea

Location: Hawea
Length: 5-6 hours return
Difficulty: Medium

If lining up for a view isn’t really what you want out of your hike, then Isthmus Peak is a great alternative to Roy’s Peak. (Although it’s getting more and more popular as well).

Once again, this is an easy track to follow. You head up a 4WD track for most of the way just like Roy’s Peak, although it is also rather steep. However to reward you there are double the views! The continuously amazing views over Lake Hawea will distract you as you huff and puff your way up, and at the top you’ll also have views down Lake Wanaka.

On a good day, the mirror-still lakes will provide amazing reflections of the mountains. But just like Roy’s Peak, this isn’t a trip to attempt when the forecast isn’t good. There can be alpine conditions on the top depending on the season and conditions.

Tip: Like Roy’s Peak, the track up to Isthmus Peak faces east so in the summer it can get baking hot – tackle this one early in the day. Check out my blog post here for more details.

Rocky Mountain- wanaka

Location: Wanaka
Length: 2-3 hours
Difficulty: Medium

Rocky Mountain is a lesser-known walk in the Wanaka area, but its views are just as good as its heavyweight neighbours mentioned above.

The track is further away from Wanaka (around 20-minute drive along the Wanaka – Mt Aspiring Road, just past Glendhu Bay). And it has a much lower elevation than Roy’s and Isthmus Peaks, although it can be icy in winter.

The track starts winding its way up to Diamond Lake. It then narrows and becomes steeper, climbing to a viewpoint high above the lake. The track can be very slippery after rain or in winter with snow and ice, and isn’t always suitable for families.

From the viewpoint, the circuit route winds its way up to the summit of Rocky Mountain. There are steep parts at times, and if you’re afraid of heights I would stick with the left-most track and go back down the way you came instead of completing the loop on your way down.

Tip: The views from the top are gorgeous, and I’d recommend getting up there for sunrise or starting out later in the day for softer, golden light (just make sure you’re prepared with head torches!).

Rob Roy Glacier- mt aspiring national park

Location: Mt Aspiring National Park
Length: 3-4 hours return
Difficulty: Easy

Further along the Wanaka-Mt Aspiring Road (and across several fords, made for drowning low cars and caravans) sits the Raspberry Creek carpark – a starting point for many tracks in this section of Mt Aspiring National Park.

One of these is the walk to the Rob Roy glacier lookouts. This is an uphill climb to view the gorgeous hanging Rob Roy glacier and the many waterfalls cascading down the cliffs to the valley below.

For more info, check out Lauren’s post about the Rob Roy Glacier here.

Tip: Like Lake Marian, this track crosses avalanche paths and going further than the lower lookout is not recommended between May – November. If you’re lucky you might even see some kea! My favourite bird – the world’s only alpine parrot.

Sealy Tarns / Mueller Hut

Location: Aoraki National Park
Length: 3-4 hours return / 6-8 hours return
Difficulty: Hard

Aoraki National Park has an abundance of amazing walks, but the absolute best Mt Cook adventure is … a day hike to Sealy Tarns or an overnighter at Mueller Hut. This trip isn’t for the faint-hearted; there are 2000+ stairs just to reach the picturesque Sealy Tarns (which is only the halfway point to get to Mueller Hut). The tarns have an amazing view over Hooker Valley and across to the front face of Aoraki / Mt Cook. If you’re lucky you might even have a special visitor – the cheeky kea.

From the tarns, the well-maintained gravel track turns into a marked rocky route. And believe it or not it gets even steeper and rougher. Make it up the steep scree slope, and you’ll be rewarded with even more amazing views – this time across to the hanging glaciers on Mt Sefton.

Once around the corner of the ridge, the route flattens off (New Zealand speak for: slightly less steep, but still quite steep). Soon you’ll see the welcome sight of the bright red alpine hut – you’ve reached Mueller Hut!

There are awesome optional side trips from the hut (if you have the energy). These include a jaunt up Mt Olivier – the first mountain that Sir Edmund Hillary summited! After a big day exploring and an absolutely amazing sunset on Mt Cook, you’ll be rewarded by falling asleep to the sound of avalanches rumbling in the valley below.

Tip: If 1000+ steps doesn’t sound like your thing but you still want views of Aoraki (hey, I won’t blame you!) then check out the much easier Hooker Valley walk. Lauren has a blog post all about it here.