When it comes to following hiking etiquette the simple, catch-all advice is…don’t be a dick.
That includes not leaving your poo paper next to the trail.
But seriously, when you tell your friends and family about the awesome hike you went on, there’s a chance they’ll want the same experience. Hopefully, if we all follow decent hiking etiquette, they’ll be able to.
Proper hiking etiquette is pretty straight forward. You’d think.
In theory, the Leave No Trace principle (the fancy way of saying don’t be a dick) works. But it’s not so easy. Hiking etiquette can vary from country to country.
As a reasonably frequent hiker, I’d like to think I’ve got a fairly good understanding of trail etiquette. But I still learn new things all the time. We all do.
I used to think it was totally fine to run off the trail, take shortcuts, and try and find better routes.
Turns out that’s not a great idea.
This post will have lots of quick tips to keep in mind when hiking. Remember, it’s mostly commonsense. But things are often only commonsense if you’ve thought about something before. Hopefully, there’ll be an aha moment or two for you.
SIMPLE HIKING ETIQUETTE WHEN YOU’RE IN NEW ZEALAND
Prepare – We’ll start easy. There are lots of gnarly hikes in NZ, and lots of long hikes that take a few days at least. People assume they’ll be able to do them no worries (there are more deaths on the Tongariro Crossing than there should be).
But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be prepared. Look up the trail online, make sure you’ve got a rough idea of what to expect, plenty of gear (phone, food and water etc), and have told people of your plans. What’s the weather going to be like?
This Intentions Form is a great one to fill out and send to friends and family.
Follow best pooing practices – Seeing used TP next to a trail is not ideal. Just cause you took a shit in the bush (congrats), no one wants to see your manky toilet paper for others to admire. That includes your mum.
You can read about the official way to take a shit in the bush here, kiwi style. But in short:
- Get at least 70 steps away from water, tracks, and campsites
- Dig a hole that fits the length of your hand
- Take your dump
- Use minimal toilet paper, ideally bark or bushmans toilet paper, to wipe (no wet wipes)
- Bury the poo, toilet paper, poo leaves completely
Congrats, you poo’ed in the bush.
I 100% get there are times when the urge to take a dump comes out of nowhere (trust me). But, if you see a loo and think you might need to go, go.
I can’t believe I just wrote about this.
Dogs – Dogs aren’t allowed in any National Parks in New Zealand. The same goes with some other hikes. If you have a dog, take two seconds to go online to look up the hikes you’re planning on walking, are dogs allowed? The Department of Conservation (DOC) isn’t attacking you individually by banning dogs, it’s to protect vulnerable plants and wildlife.
I know you’re dog is perfect (*cough* *cough*), but she/he isn’t an exception to the rules.
The sign knows best (this one is on the Isthmus Peak track
Read the signs – This is pretty simple, but pretty much all hikes you see in New Zealand will have signs at the trailhead. Check them out in case there are short term track changes, or warnings etc.
Stay on the tracks – New Zealand has a strong hiking/tramping culture and a side effect of this is very well-marked trails. The most popular colour marker you’ll find is orange (triangles). Sticking to the marked trails give nature a chance to do its thing off-trail.
Don’t feed the birds/wildlife – There are lots of curious birds in New Zealand, and on Kapiti Island they’re just waiting for you to get distracted for a moment so they can swoop in and steal your snacks for hiking. Don’t feed them though. When they’re introduced to new foods and become expectant of hikers to feed them, shit hits the fan long term (or short term).
Don’t approach the wildlife – There’s not a whole host of animals besides birds that’ll get up close to you when you’re hiking in NZ. But if you see something, let them do their thing. There’s a simple guideline you can follow. Keep a 20-25 metre distance between you and any wildlife, and upwards of 100 for large wildlife.
Stay to the left and uphill has right of way – You drive on the left in NZ, so that’s the way it goes with hiking. In terms of who has a right of way on a hill? This can be argued either way, but this is the usual form in NZ.
Give way to faster hikers – following on, let the speedy hikers pass as soon as you can.
Step out of trail when taking a break – Taking a break is fine, there’s some crazy steep hikes around NZ (I’m looking at you Kapakapanui Track). Don’t sit down in the middle of the trail though, it’s so damn annoying for those coming through.
Kauri dieback – In the upper North Island, the Kauri Dieback disease is a real problem. If you see a cleansing station, take the time to follow the cleaning procedures properly. Never heard of the disease? here ya go.
Be friendly to others – Locals are super friendly out on the trails in NZ. Make sure to say a quick hey/how are ya when passing people (even if you think it’s pointless). If people look lost, offer to help them out. You know the drill, be a nice human.
Large groups hiking – if you’re hiking in a large group, that’s awesome. But it’s even more important everyone follows hiking etiquette. If you’re all half-decent humans though? No one will have any problem with you.
p.s. do your best to keep the noise to a minimum. Speaking of…
Music – I’ll never understand how people can think that blasting their music out of speakers on a popular route is totally fine? No one wants to hear your alternative tunes, it’s just weird. You’re not enhancing the hiking experience for anyone.
Your initials are meaningless – If you’ve hiked the same trail a bunch of times, you’d never consider writing your name on a rock, or carving your initials into a tree right?
If it’s a summit you’ll only ever reach once? Awesome congrats, but that’s no excuse to leave your mark. And just because others have done it, that doesn’t make them role models you should follow.
No collecting souvenirs – It’s only a rock, no one will notice. That’s a common thing you’ll hear people say who say they need a souvenir. But that rock (or sand/dirt/earthy souvenir) should be left for others to experience. What if 1000 people took a rock from a trail in one day? Things would be changing pretty quickly on that trail!
Go buy a tacky NZ souvenir instead (support local).
Camping sites – In all likelihood, people have camped in the area you’re hiking before you. Where possible, reuse campsites.
Geotagging – This is for the influencers reading this post. There’s a bit of culture around influencers (you know what I mean when I use this term) not geotagging some exact locations on Instagram as they want to keep the place a secret. That’s understandable, but they’re usually doing this for selfish reasons. They want to keep the spot to themselves. That’s cool, but consider negative overtourism effects if you do share it. I feel like that’s a totally good reason to make your geotags wide e.g. New Zealand.
There’s some irony about me often posting hiking trip reports with this point I feel…
Drones – New Zealand has clear guidelines on flying drones with a little bit of reading. Just because you made it to the Tama Lakes summit, doesn’t mean you’re instantly allowed to fly your drone. The Department of Conservation has clear guidelines you can read.
I’m not trying to be one of those people who aren’t keen on fun. If we all take a little bit of responsibility, we’ll be able to have fun for years to come. As will future generations.
p.s. This post has a good little diagram on keeping people accountable when they’re hiking.
RECOMMENDED READING
200+ Things to do in New Zealand
There’s a bunch of hikes in this list that are wicked cool. And a bunch of non-hiking activities too.
New Zealand Travel Tips
If you liked this post, you’ll appreciate this post with small reminders, and quick tips to make your experience awesome.
new Zealand Slang
If you’re not from NZ, you might come across Kiwis out on the trails and they’ll throw in some slang when you pass them. This post will give you some ideas on what they might be saying.
Hey, it’s Jub here. I’m the guy behind Chur New Zealand, helping you have the best time hiking, trekking, walking…whatever you want to call it…in NZ. I’m based in Queenstown and am always out and about exploring trails, old & new. If you have any questions, reach out.