There are some great New Zealand hiking books that cover a variety of topics. As I read more and more, I’ll do my best to detail them here, and review them.
What you’ll notice is there are a variety of topics that these cover. There’s something for everyone.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1. Spirit to the Stone by Marion Boatwright
2. Routes, Glutes, and Two Pairs of Boots by Holly Kipling
3. New Boots in New Zealand by Gillian Orrell
4. Wild Pork and Watercress by Barry Crump
5. The Meaning of Trees by Robert Vennell
6. Protecting Paradise by Dave Hansford
7. Fungi of Aotearoa by Liv Sisson
5 NEW ZEALAND BOOKS FOR HIKERS
1. SPIRIT TO THE STONE
by Marion Boatwright
I came across this book detailing the construction of the Old Ghost Road at my flat. It’s a small book, but the story is great!
As one of the newer tracks in New Zealand, I really enjoyed reading exactly how the track was built. So often I’ll be hiking in New Zealand and do wonder when the track was formed, and HOW! Sometimes it’s crazy to think who decided building a track in some places. I appreciate these people though 🙂
I wish there were more books like this out in the world. If you know of any, specifically around NZ tracks, leave a comment below or email jub@churnewzealand.com.
I suggest you read this book while on the trail! I’m yet to hike the Old Ghost Road, but it’s on the list and I’ll bring Spirit to the Stone with me.
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- OldGhostRoad.org
- Various libraries across the South Island
2. ROUTES, GLUTES AND TWO PAIRS OF BOOTS
By Holly Kipling
If you enjoy reading books about people thru-hiking and or have an interest in the Te Araroa, then Routes, Glutes, and Two Pairs of Boots will be up your alley.
You’ll pick up lots of little tips and tricks in this book for your next adventure, and it’s fun to be nosey and see how the different social dynamics can/cannot work on a journey, that’s often intended to be done alone, but then can often mean spending a lot of time with groups of people.
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- Various libraries in NZ
- Amazon Kindle Store
- Barnes and Noble
3. NEW BOOTS IN NEW ZEALAND
by Gillian Orrell
Unlike Holly’s book above that focuses on the Te Araroa Trail, this book focuses on the Great Walks and Gillian’s experience on them all, day by day. I found myself smiling throughout having experienced many of the funny situations she’d been through on the trail.
But I also found myself learning some bits and pieces throughout the book which was fun.
This is a book you can easily like, whether you’ve done the Great Walks yourself or not.
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- Amazon
- Various libraries in NZ
4. WILD PORK AND WATERCRESS
By Barry Crump
If you’re looking for a good story, some classic Kiwi humour, some life lessons and enjoyment, give this book a read! Originally publish in 1986 by Kiwi icon Barry Crump, the movie Hunt for the Wilderpeople (2016) was based off the book.
The two main charatcters are Ricky, a 12 year old kid who has had a tough life so far. And then he and Uncle Hec go off on adventure in the Te Urewera area where plenty of life lessons are learned.
It’s a super fun, easy read. A great read for in between hikes I say.
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- Amazon
- Various libraries through NZ
- Penguin.co.nz
- AotearoaBooks.co.nz
5. THE MEANING OF TREES
By Robert Vennell
I feel like there’s more love for trees than ever after so many people became plant mums during lockdown and/or watching NetFlix’s DOCO. And while I love getting above the treeline, I can appreciate how beautiful nature is below the treeline.
While reading this book, I was amazed at how little I knew about the bush and what role it’s played throughout the countries history. That said, it was almost too much information. And given it’s such a large book, I read it nearly cover to cover too fast and needed to absorb the information slower.
I suggest you read about a few different species in the book, then ideally take a photo of the pages you’ve read, then head out into nature to see the species for yourself.
I might need to download one of the tree identifying apps to help me next I decide to do this. I was trying to find a Horopito once and could never quite be sure if I had the right tree or not. But at least I know a Kawakawa for sure now and can make Kawakawa tea!
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- Amazon
- Various libraries throughout NZ
- PaperPlus.co.nz
- More options at RobertVennell.co.nz
6. PROTECTING PARADISE
by Dave Hansford
1080 and the Fight to Save New Zealand’s Wildlife.
If you’re like me and have always heard about 1080, but have never really taken stock of what people are talking arguing about. Read Protecting Paradise!
I learned so much within the first couple of chapters that I thought I knew everything about 1080. But the book continues to drop knowledge all the way through.
The author Dave does well to try and get the story from both sides, though it’s hard. If you’re a hiker of trails, then you really need to read this book. I can imagine if you bring it out in a hut setting with other people, there’ll be some great conversations.
FWIW, 1080 is the best option we’ve got at the moment. It’s not perfect, but using 1080 does help keep our precious native wildlife and plants alive.
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- Amazon
- Various libraries throughout NZ
- PaperPlus.co.nz
7. FUNGI OF AOTEAROA
by Liv Sisson
The subtitle of this book ‘A curious forager’s field guide’ makes me the perfect target audience. I’m curious about mushrooms fungi, but don’t really know what I’m doing. This book helped me learn a lot without overwhelming me too much (but it’s hard to retain information). And it’s all about mushrooms in NZ!
It’ll teach you what mushrooms you can eat, those which might kill you and everything in between. And it’ll teach you how to identify them…as well as pointing you towards other resources that might be helpful to ID mushrooms which you must do before eating any.
I’ll be looking to take this book on some hikes, and I’d love to ID some mushrooms in the wild. That sounds fun to me.
p.s. this book taught me that portabello mushrooms you find in supermarkets in NZ are just grown up white button mushrooms. WOW!
WHERE TO BUY/READ:
- Amazon
- Various libraries throughout NZ
- Whitcoulls.co.nz
And there we go, if you’re looking to read some hiking books in New Zealand you should be able to get some inspiration from this list. It’s quite varied!
I’m going to be continuing to add to this list. If you have any burning suggestions, please let me know in the comments below or email jub@churnewzealand.com.
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.