Hump Ridge Track: The Long Ascent

In April 2025, Lani and I hiked the Hump Ridge Track in the far south of New Zealand. This was the last open weekend of the hiking season, and the first year that the Hump Ridge Track has been fully operational as a New Zealand Great Walk, an effort which took the locals 23 years to accomplish. Day 1 was a 22.2 km (13.8 mile) hike along a very well-groomed track. We started at sea level and made our way up a long, steep climb to Ōkaka Lodge, situated 1,000 metres (3,280ft) above sea level. A brilliant adventure with a surprising amount of human history woven into this wild and remote corner of the world. Thanks for watching. Music credit: Rafael Treza - from his documentary on the hallucinogenic honey hunters.#hiking #hiking #newzealand #fiordland #remotelocations #southislandnz