If you’re coming to New Zealand for hiking, you’re in for a treat!

I’ll mention some of my favourite hikes in NZ throughout this post, but the focus of this post is about the best hiking apps to download.

Note: this will be based on my experience. I use these apps on nearly every hike I do here.

Let’s get straight into it.

THE BEST HIKING APPS FOR NEW ZEALAND

1. Maps.me (free)
2. YR.no (free)
3. NZ Topo 50 (paid)
4. Kindle (free)
5. Strava (free and paid)
6. Apps Others Use

1. MAPS.ME

This is one of the best hiking apps I’ve used both in New Zealand and around the world for years now. The offline feature is awesome, and it’s super easy to pin spots on the map for reference in the past, present, and future (where to park your car, etc).

Another great thing about Maps Me is all of the hiking tracks you can find there by just zooming in and playing around with the app. There’s a sneaky amount of them in some places, and while it’s wise to do a bit of further research upon discovering the tracks, it’s a great way to stumble across random tracks all over the country.

• iOS
• Android

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2. YR.NO

If you’ve ever travelled with me, you’ll know weather chat is not my favourite topic (Hi Dad :p ).

But there are times, especially when going into the backcountry where it’s good to have at least an idea of what’s happening, and if need be, you can look into things further.

What makes YR.no one of the best apps for hiking in New Zealand is the ability to search for huts and get weather readings for specific huts.

There’s no use looking at the weather for Mount Aspiring National Park and taking a generic reading as it’s a large place and the weather can be great on one side, and horrific on the other. You get the idea.

• iOS
• Android

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3. NZTOPOS & NZTOPON

You can read my full review of the NZTOPO App here.

I was sooooo reluctant to get this app for so long. I’ve downloaded some free topo apps in the past and while they were okay I found them glitchy and they didn’t work offline.

So on the way to Brewster Hut I decided to suck it up and pay the $5.99 for the app (it’s weird how we refrain from paying for apps). And then we went out of reception shortly after and I never had a chance to download the 1.6GB app!

That’s a massive file for an app, but that’s because you can view everything offline. And if you’ve ever looked at a topo map, you know how detailed they are with all the contour lines.

The app is great, easily worth the $5.99 ($6.99 for iOS) for each of them. You can spend hours zooming in and out, and around on the app. You’ll never be bored.

And if you’re going off track and onto routes, it’s great to be able to zoom in/out and around to make sure you’re on the right track and see what terrain you’ve got coming up. And you can import GPX files which can be invaluable.

If you’re serious about hiking, get these apps!

NZTOPOS

• iOS
• Android

NZTOPOS

• iOS
• Android

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4. KINDLE

You can’t beat the feel of a paper book, but when packing light is a premium, a real book sometimes just doesn’t make the cut.

And that’s where the Kindle App is so great. I’ve got well over 100 books on my Kindle app, and there’s nothing better than chilling out in a hut with a little reading before passing out.

• iOS
• Android

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5. STRAVA

This is the app I use more than any other, including all social media. I track all of my hikes and runs on Strava and it’s great to be able to look back at how many kms a certain hike was, how much elevation there was, and see exactly where you were!

When I did the Hollyford Track I hadn’t done too much planning in advance, so afterward it was fun to see where on the planet I was.

It’s also great to be able to share your adventures, and in the future when friends ask about certain hikes you can refer back to your stats to let them know exactly what you did. People love to know how long it takes to do a track if they’re on a similar fitness level.

• iOS
• Android

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6. MORE APPS OTHERS USE

Note: I don’t use these apps, but know other people who do.

• All Trails
• Plan My Walk

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And there you go, these are what I think are the best hiking apps for New Zealand.

What apps am I missing? Leave a comment below and I’ll give it a whirl. Or provide your two cents 😉

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