The best family hikes

We Are Family

You don't have to be a grown-up to put your best foot forward. These are kid-friendly; most have access for buggies for that (sorry, you should have seen this coming) walk on the wheeled side.

We've profiled historically significant Ruapekapeka Pā, north of Whangārei, site of the last battle in the Northern Wars, in earlier features. What we haven't mentioned is that the peak is suitable for buggies and has plenty of open space for older children who want to explore.

The City of Volcanoes has plenty of opportunities for an afternoon ramble; Maungakiekie One Tree Hill, Ōwairaka Mt Albert and Puketāpapa Mt Roskill have the flattest and best paved summit loops.

Heading to the coast, the flat Karangahake Gorge river track has swing bridges and a long tunnel that takes you through the mountain, not over it. Older kids will enjoy the Windows Walkway loop (stairs, no buggies).

In Waikato, the Mangakara Nature Walk on Mt Pirongia is an easy 60-minute loop meandering through ancient forest and over the Mangakara stream before looping back around. Across the Kaimais, we'll return to Mauao, but take the 3.4km, 45-minute sea-level track. It's mostly gravel, wide enough for runners, pushchairs and family groups but can get crowded. Be kind.

Taupo specialises in views of the Central North Island mountains without the huffing and puffing – you don't have to climb to enjoy them. The Great Lake Pathway (or Lion's Walk) is a leisurely, flat and well paved stroll around the lakeshore. It's 10km from the town boat harbour but you can choose where to start and end. Tip: bring your plastic for coffees (parents) and icecreams (others).

Inside Tongariro National Park, you can get close to Ruapehu's alpine terrain – even kids in buggies, or wheelchair users – by taking the Sky Waka gondola for out-of-this-world views and then taking short walks from its terminus. Consider the popular Meads Wall walk to see where several scenes from those Hobbit movies were filmed. The easy, 15-minute Whakapapa Nature Walk is sealed and wheelchair/buggy accessible.

High above Havelock North, Te Mata Peak gives 360-degree views of Hawke's Bay – often as far as Ruapehu. Run, walk or mountain bike through 99ha of parkland on well-graded tracks and take a breather in the spectacular redwoods forest. The longer walking circuits take about two hours but there are shorter trails, suitable for families.

Back to Dawson Falls Visitor Centre on Taranaki Maunga, this time taking the 1.9km, pushchair, wheelchair and child-friend loop track to Wilkies Pools. The safe, sturdy path and boardwalk gradually rises to the Goblin Forest with views of the mountain and Kāpuni Stream before reaching the crystal-clear, natural plunge pools; take togs and towel. Option B: the 15-20 minute, wheelchair and pushchair friendly Potaema Track for magnificent views over wetlands to the mountain.

Just north of Wellington, the Remutaka Cycle Trail's multiple entry points and varied terrain are great for picking and choosing sections that will suit the whole family. The trail can be walked or biked. The second section, the rail trail, follows an old route through tunnels and over bridges to the summit of the ranges. For an easier outing, the Hutt River Trail winds through riverside parks from Petone wharf to Maymorn.

In the capital, Ōtari-Wilton's Bush is the country's only botanic garden dedicated to native plants, with many tracks passing waterfalls, streams, forest and views. It's steep in places but confident buggy walkers will cope.

Let's start our South Island leg in Nelson Tasman, where Lake Rotoiti and St Arnaud are the gateway to Nelson Lakes National Park, and the Lake Rotoiti Circuit is a series of short walks that can be done on their own or combined with others. They range from the very easy, 300m, 10-minute Bellbird Walk to the 4.2km, 90-minute Loop Track (not for buggies).

Chances are you've already seen the views from the West Coast's Lake Matheson Te Ara Kairaumati Walk. The gentle stroll leads to those Instagram images of Aoraki Mt Cook reflected on the still lake waters; on those (ahem) rare days when it's wet on the coast, it's easy walking along the boardwalk, past atmospheric rainforest views, to a water's edge cafe and steaming hot chocolate. A wonderful family option is Peter's Pool Walk, a short and fully accessible track through the rainforest to a small lake, views of Franz Josef Glacier, valley and mountains.

Rolling down State Highway 1 from Picton ferry terminal, you'll soon arrive at a barren, often windswept spot regarded the birthplace of our nation. The gravel bar where the Wairau River flows into Cloudy Bar was the site of the first human settlement about 1280, a trove of artefacts, plants and wildlife, and where most moa skeletons have been found.

Naturally, that's out of bounds, but a short stroll or the full easy, flat three-hour Wairau Lagoons Walk is the best way to explore this unique habitat. Kids will make for the rusting hulk of the ship Waverley, used as Defence Force target practice.

Kick on to the Kaikoura Peninsula Walkway, a number of trails easily accessed from the town centre to see seals and seabirds, historic sites and enjoy clifftop views. Trust DoC: "Keep children with you at all times, especially along the clifftop and at the water's edge. The peninsula is very exposed to coastal winds."

You may feel more at ease in Hanmer Springs, where a gentle 30-minute stroll up a well-formed track to the top of Conical Hill rewards parents with views over the alpine village and the chance for kids to burn off excess energy.

The Port Hills between Christchurch and Lyttelton are known for spectacular vistas. The 3.5km, 45-minute Rapaki Track is a good spot for off-road prams, climbing to offer views into the valley below, then becoming steeper with a panorama of the harbour and Banks Peninsula's volcanic peaks and ridges. It has a bonus denied families on many other walks mentioned here: you're allowed to take dogs on a lead.

In good weather an all-terrain buggy can be pushed along Kea Point Walk (2.8km, 60-minutes return) from the Hooker Valley campground in Aoraki Mt Cook National Park to Mueller Glacier with stunning views of the mountain and Main Divide.

Another wander down Memory Lane: few know Burkes Pass today but the village, between Fairlie and Lake Tekapo in South Canterbury, dates from 1855. Following a route used by Māori in pre-European times, settlers arrived at the vast inland plains that would become known as the Mackenzie Country, to graze their sheep.

The town's 30-minute, 1.7km Heritage Walk along a mown grass track and boardwalks is a journey into pioneering settlement. Kids play Where's Sally?, a game using clues to find images of a sheepdog; parents may wish to deepen their local knowledge at the original hotel or Three Creeks, a general store-and-more surrounded by classic cars, a 1950s service station and memorabilia.

You'll find your family well catered for in and around Queenstown. Arrowtown's River Trail is best-known but seek out the Glenorchy Lagoon Walkway, an easy stroll, ideal for families, with views towards Mt Earnslaw Pikirakatahi and its hanging glacier; or a section of the Frankton Arm Track around the shoreline from Queenstown Gardens to Kelvin Heights. With older kids, try starting at Frankton Marina and walking to Kawarau Falls Bridge and back (2 hours).

Near Alexandra, Flat Top Hill conservation area has fascinating plants, growing in the driest conditions, and history involving European and Chinese settlement. Butchers Dam Loop Track, an easy to moderate, 2.5km, 30-minute walk, has views to the wonderfully named Old Man, Knobby and (Scots influence here) Cairnmuir and Dunstan mountain ranges.

Friendly Fiordlanders are always willing to offer helpful advice, and we'll gladly pass on their suggestion that hikers in their neck of the woods use a backpack instead of a buggie "for child and parents' comfort".

That said, the Rainbows Reach to Motorau Hut walk on the outskirts of Te Anau can be accomplished with either. Three hours of bounding across wobbly swing bridges, checking for fish or eels below, walking beneath giant beeches, looking and listening for pīwakawaka, tūī and korimako, ending with a picnic on the Manapouri lakeshore and - if you're brave enough - a swim. Heaven for kids of all ages.

Our family roadie ends in Southland, where the hour-long Foveaux Walkway follows the spectacular coastal views from Stirling Point to Lookout Point/Foveaux Memorial. Its easy grade and well-compacted surface make it suitable for children and buggies.