Planning a New Zealand Great Walk but unsure which trail deserves a place on your bucket list? The Milford, Routeburn, and Kepler Tracks are three of the country's most iconic multi day hikes, each offering a unique mix of scenery, challenge, and adventure. 

From Milford's towering waterfalls and remote Fiordland wilderness to Routeburn's spectacular alpine vistas and Kepler's sweeping ridgeline views, choosing between them isn't always easy. 

In this detailed comparison, I'll share my firsthand experiences on all three tracks and compare the scenery, difficulty, logistics, costs, booking challenges, and overall experience to help you decide which Great Walk is the best fit for your next adventure.

As I cautiously edged my way down the Dragon's Tail, the heat intensified, volcanic steam and poisonous gases escaping wherever they could from the surrounding rubble.  Reaching the valley floor, sunlight beat down mercilessly and not satisfied, it then bounced back up from the glaringly white sand.

Assuming it was compressed, I tugged harder on my hydration tube which remained stubbornly dry. Running out of water in the midst of a desert on a hot summer’s day was clearly not my intention but it was my reality.

As the boat started to plane I settled comfortably onto the seat to take in my surroundings while the dog, with his superior balance and having completed the journey dozens of times perched casually on the boat’s stern alongside the powerful 200HP Yamaha engine.

Cloudy skies with but the tiniest glimpses of blue dulled the summer’s day and added mystery to the deep indigo waters below. A huge bluff towered menacingly above us, foreshadowing the effort that lay ahead. 

Having just crested the Tongariro Alpine Crossing alongside the impressive Red Crater I gazed down the precipitous volcanic scree slope which sidled past the breathtaking Emerald Lakes. We’d planned to stop alongside the lakes and the only thing between me and my sandwich was this hair raising descent. 

I weighed up the options and was attracted most by the plan to skid down on my butt so that I’d not tumble head over heels off the narrow spur. At this height, this felt a very real possibility! 

I could hear the waterfall’s roar long before I could see it, hardly surprising given the weather conditions. The heavy rain had soaked me to the skin and waterfalls, too many to count, leapt impatiently off the mountain face. I’d made my way safely past many but ahead was the highest and largest, the formidable Earland Falls.

I braced myself for the next gust, feet wide, knees bent, crouching over my hiking poles. I could see the track snaking along the ridge line with steep drop-offs on either side. We were well and truly above the tree line, if I went over, it was going to be a long way before I stopped falling.

There’d already been two hikers knocked off their feet by the wind, fortunately they’d not gone over the edge. Someone else’s pack cover took flight, a bright red sail disappearing into the grey fog.

Milford Track has been thrilling hikers for over 150 years with its indescribably beautiful scenery, verdant rainforests, countless waterfalls, pristine rivers, the McKinnon Alpine Pass and sheer valleys carved out by ancient glaciers.

It is the most famous of New Zealand’s ten Great Walks and understandably on many hikers bucket lists.

He took not the slightest notice of me as he continued on briskly down the path, completely intent on his own exploration of our surrounds. I noticed his big feet and short legs, seemingly out of proportion to his body, his whiskers and his small dark eyes peering shortsightedly into the ferns on either side of the trail. He was obviously looking for something and kept tap tap tapping from side to side.