Tongariro Alpine Crossing Gets Official Great Day Walk Tick

The Tongariro Alpine Crossing has been officially designated as a new Great Day walk.

It was named among some of New Zealand’s finest tracks which will form part of a new network of Great Short and Great Day walks.

The Great Day and Great Short Walks, developed by the Department of Conservation, in partnership with Tourism New Zealand, are an expansion of the highly successful Great Walks brand aimed at promoting more of the fantastic walking experiences available across the country.

"We're bringing new facilities and a new, higher profile to some of the best walking experiences New Zealand has to offer as part of a $76m investment in DOC's infrastructure," said New Zealand Tourism Minister Paula Bennett in a statement.

"This is a chance to draw more tourists off the beaten track and enable more communities to benefit from increasing visitor numbers."

The new funding is said to allow DOC to better manage the impact of visitor growth, while also protecting biodiversity and threatened species.

In addition to five newly branded Great Day walks (4-6 hours), there are also 14 Great Short walks (30 minutes to 3 hours).

The Great Day walks are: