15 epic hikes in Australia and New Zealand

Mesmerizing waterfalls, active volcanoes, stunning coasts: Australia and New Zealand are an adventurer’s playground. 

Lonely Planet’s new book, Epic Hikes of Australia and New Zealand, celebrates the region as one of the world’s best hiking destinations. The new guidebook features the vast variety of terrain, climate and landscape that can be found in both countries. Here are some highlights that will inspire you to go the distance down under.

Feel the heat on these best volcano hikes

Mt Taranaki: North Island, New Zealand

Start/Finish: Taranaki/Egmont National Park Visitor Centre
Distance: 12.6km (8 miles)
Duration: 8-10hr

The westernmost of the volcanoes that run like a studded belt across the North Island, Mt Taranaki is ribbed with trails, but it’s the summit (or very near to it – the summit area is sacred to Māori and hikers are asked not to stand right on its top) that is the 2518m (8261ft) mountain’s true siren, with Taranaki said to be New Zealand’s most climbed peak. This simple fact masks the challenge of this long day in the boots. From the park visitor center, it’s a climb of almost 1600m (5249ft) to the top of the volcano, which hasn’t erupted since 1854. The going is steep – there’s a section called ‘The Puffer’ for a reason – and there’ll be snow (and possibly ice) in the crater, but the view out across the Tasman Sea and inland to the Tongariro volcanoes is exceptional.

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Maunga Kakaramea/Rainbow Mountain: North Island, New Zealand

Start/Finish: Rainbow Mountain Scenic Reserve car park
Distance: 7km (4 miles)
Duration: 3hr

Rotorua is no stranger to geothermal activity and, as the name attests, Maunga Kakaramea/Rainbow Mountain is one of the most colorful displays of its volcanic underbelly. The 743m-high (2437ft) mountain sits beside State Hwy 5, 26km (16 miles) south of Rotorua, and the straightforward trail ascends past the Crater Lakes, a pair of bright-blue lakes pooled at the foot of colorful cliffs. The walk climbs on past the cliffs to the summit, which looks over some of Rotorua’s other great moments in geothermal history: Mt Tarawera, which erupted violently in 1886; the deep incision of Waimangu Volcanic Valley; and the furiously steaming Wai-o-tapu Thermal Wonderland. Need to soak away some muscle soreness at walk’s end? The Waikite Valley Thermal Pools are just 9km (5.5 miles) down…