Can you personally recommend your favourite New Zealand hike?

There are a lot of walks in New Zealand which I absolutely love, both multi-day treks and shorter one-day hikes. However if I had to pick a favourite it would be the Tongariro Northern Circuit – the volcanic scenery is just out of this world. It was the first big trek I did in New Zealand (or anywhere) with whopping great mountains as opposed to hills, many many years ago. It’s one of the places I really fell under the spell of the great outdoors.