# TrailTreks app: Every New Zealand trail, in your pocket. > Free NZ hiking app for iPhone and Android: offline LINZ topo maps, DOC huts and alerts, mountain weather, Te Araroa progress and Location Beaconing. LINZ topo, vector and aerial maps. DOC huts, tracks and alerts. Mountain weather and whole-island offline packs — the map that keeps working where the signal doesn't. Official data from LINZ (Toitū Te Whenua Land Information New Zealand), DOC (Department of Conservation), met.no (Norwegian Meteorological Institute). - [Download on the App Store (iPhone)](https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/trailtreks-nz-topo-maps/id6753130686) - [Get it on Google Play (Android)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.trailtreks.app) ## [Everything for the backcountry: Built for New Zealand, tuned for no signal.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#features) One app for planning at home and navigating on the ridge — with the data sources trampers actually trust. ### [Download once, hike offline](https://trailtreks.nz/app#offline-maps) Grab North or South Island raster packs or the full NZ vector pack, then navigate with zero coverage — fonts and labels included. ### [Topo, vector or aerial](https://trailtreks.nz/app#map-layers) Switch LINZ basemaps instantly and overlay DOC huts, tracks, hillshade and conservation land — your map, your way. ### [Mountain weather](https://trailtreks.nz/app#mountain-weather) Hour-by-hour temperature, wind and rain for ~60 ranges, parks and peaks — straight from the met.no service. ### [DOC huts & alerts](https://trailtreks.nz/app#doc-huts-alerts) Live hut, campsite and track data from the official DOC API — facilities, bunk counts and closure alerts before you go. ### [Plan with real trail data](https://trailtreks.nz/app#trail-data) Distance, elevation gain and difficulty up front, plus elevation profiles and plain-language AI track summaries. ### [Satellite safety check-ins](https://trailtreks.nz/app#location-beaconing) Post check-ins to a private, time-limited link that contacts open in any browser — even over One NZ or Spark satellite data. You choose when to check in: it is not live tracking. [How Location Beaconing works](https://trailtreks.nz/app/beaconing) ## [See it on the trail: A closer look at the app.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screens) - [Topo, vector or aerial](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-map-layers): Base maps, DOC layers and overlays. Shows: Manage Layers sheet with NZ Topo, Vector and Aerial base maps, switches for DOC huts, campsites, lodges and cabins and tracks, and weather and hillshade overlays. - [Offline map packs](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-offline-maps): Whole-island downloads. Shows: Offline maps screen with auto-download and Wi-Fi-only switches, cached tile storage with Clear cache and Delete maps, and North Island, South Island and New Zealand region packages. - [Mountain weather](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-weather): Daily min, max and rain. Shows: Aoraki / Mt Cook forecast with the minimum and maximum temperature and the rain for each day. - [DOC hut details](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-doc-hut): Photos, bookings and facilities. Shows: Hooker Hut in Aoraki/Mount Cook National Park with its photo, booking required, serviced category, 8 bunks and facilities. - [Real trail data](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-trail-data): Distance, elevation, difficulty. Shows: Ball Hut Track details: distance, total elevation gain, minimum and maximum elevation, duration, difficulty and an elevation profile. - [Search everything](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-search): Tracks, Great Walks and places. Shows: Search results for "kepler" listing DOC tracks and Great Walk sections, and LINZ place names. - [Everything in one menu](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-menu): Maps, your data, plan and safety. Shows: The app menu with Map, Search, Layers and Offline maps, your tracks and markers, and Plan & safety: alerts, location beaconing, trip plans and Te Araroa. - [Set it up your way](https://trailtreks.nz/app#screen-settings): Tools, units and map look. Shows: App Settings screen with switches for the lock, search and record buttons, distance scale, metric units, pre-rendered hillshade, gridless topo map and offline banner. ## [Te Araroa: Walk Te Araroa, one section at a time.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#te-araroa) Follow New Zealand's long trail from Cape Reinga to Bluff, or the other way. Te Araroa is free for everyone and is not part of PLUS. It is not a safety tool: carry a PLB and check the official trail notes and alerts. ### [Every official section](https://trailtreks.nz/app#te-araroa-sections) All of the Te Araroa Trust's official sections, by region, on one screen and on the map. ### [Tick off your progress](https://trailtreks.nz/app#te-araroa-progress) Tick off sections as you walk them and see how far you have come in km and as a percentage, north to south or south to north. ### [Offline topo maps per section](https://trailtreks.nz/app#te-araroa-offline-maps) Download the topo maps for a section before you go, so the map works with no signal. ### [GPX export per section](https://trailtreks.nz/app#te-araroa-gpx) Export any section as a GPX file to use in another app or device. ### [Walk this section](https://trailtreks.nz/app#te-araroa-walk-this-section) A map mode that shows the km left to the end of the section, or how far you are off the route. You mark a section completed yourself, never automatically. Te Araroa trail data © Te Araroa Trust, CC BY 4.0, [teararoa.org.nz](https://www.teararoa.org.nz) [How Te Araroa works in the app](https://trailtreks.nz/app/te-araroa) ## [TrailTreks PLUS: The core app is free, and always will be.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus) Offline maps, DOC data, weather, tracks, markers, search and beaconing are free for everyone without any ads. PLUS is an optional monthly or yearly subscription, managed in the App Store or Google Play, that adds a few extras on top. ### [Unlimited alerts](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus-unlimited-alerts) The free plan includes 3 DOC alert watches and 3 weather alert regions. PLUS removes both limits. ### [Offline hillshade](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus-offline-hillshade) Terrain shading on your map with no signal. Download hillshade for offline map packs. ### [Offline map layers](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus-offline-map-layers) Download overlay layers for offline map packs: public conservation land, recreational hunting areas, paper roads, bike tracks and walking access. The layers stay free to view online. ### [Dark vector map](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus-dark-map) A dark recolour of the vector base map, easier on the eyes at night. ### [High contrast vector map](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus-high-contrast-map) A high-contrast recolour of the vector base map, easier to read in bright sunlight. ### [Snap to track](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus-snap-to-track) Draw a route that follows DOC tracks between the points you place. Routed lines are approximate, so check them against the map. ## [Full feature list: Everything TrailTreks: NZ Topo Maps can do.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#full-feature-list) ### [Maps & Basemaps](https://trailtreks.nz/app#basemaps) - Four switchable basemaps: LINZ topo (raster), LINZ vector topographic, LINZ aerial imagery, and offline mbtiles - "Raster Look" toggle applies the classic printed NZ topo colour palette on top of any vector-rendered map - Gridless topo option: the LINZ topo map without its grid lines (offline tiles are downloaded again to switch) - Overlay layers, each switched on or off from the map: public conservation land, recreational hunting areas, hillshade, paper roads, bike tracks and walking access - Live compass and "follow me" location puck with heading/course tracking ### [Offline Maps](https://trailtreks.nz/app#offline-map-packs) - Auto-cache mode — tiles download automatically as you pan/zoom, with a Wi-Fi-only option and live download progress - See how much storage cached tiles use against your limit, and clear the cache or delete auto-cached maps - Pre-packaged downloadable regions: North Island (~3.2 GB), South Island (~4.9 GB) raster packs, or a full NZ vector pack (~2.8 GB) - Import your own custom .mbtiles file - Fully offline rendering, including fonts and labels, once downloaded — no signal needed on the trail - Offline packs for hillshade and overlay layers are part of [PLUS](https://trailtreks.nz/app#plus) ### [DOC Data (Huts, Campsites, Tracks, Alerts)](https://trailtreks.nz/app#doc-data) - Live Department of Conservation hut, campsite and track data straight from the official DOC API - DOC lodges and cabins as their own map layer, alongside huts, campsites and tracks - Facility icons, activity info and detail sheets for every hut/campsite - DOC alerts (closures, hazards) shown distinctly from "couldn't check" states - Curated tracks supplementing DOC's own listings ### [Search](https://trailtreks.nz/app#search) - One search bar that looks across everything at once: DOC huts, campsites and tracks, LINZ place names and features, and Topo50 map sheet names - Search your own saved tracks and markers by name/description - Paste in a latitude/longitude or NZTM coordinate and the map jumps straight there - Recent searches saved for quick re-use ### [Track Recording](https://trailtreks.nz/app#track-recording) - Background GPS recording that survives app kill, backgrounding and device reboot - Three accuracy modes (Super Accurate / Optimised / Low Accuracy) trading battery for precision - Pause/resume recording with a live on-map trace - Persistent recording notification and automatic crash recovery of in-progress sessions ### [Manual Track Creation](https://trailtreks.nz/app#track-drawing) - Draw a route by hand on the map using a crosshair/reticle (pan-and-tap), up to 200 points - Drag and reposition individual points after placing them - Live distance readout while drawing ### [GPX Import/Export & File Handling](https://trailtreks.nz/app#gpx) - Open any .gpx file from email, Files, Drive etc. directly into the app - Automatic duplicate-track detection on import - GPX waypoints auto-convert into colour-coded map markers (huts, campsites, summits, parking, water sources) ### [Elevation & AI Track Summaries](https://trailtreks.nz/app#elevation-ai-summaries) - Elevation profile for every track, with an NZ-specific 8m-resolution LINZ DEM fallback for full national coverage - AI-generated plain-language track descriptions covering difficulty, terrain and NZ context - On-demand elevation refresh for hand-drawn tracks ### [Weather](https://trailtreks.nz/app#weather) - On-demand forecasts for around 60 NZ ranges, parks and peaks via the official Norwegian met.no service - Per-hut/campsite/track weather lookups, with a longer 10-day window for tracks - Map weather overlay with temperature, symbol and rain-probability icons ### [User Markers & Favourites](https://trailtreks.nz/app#markers) - Drop custom pins anywhere on the map (long-press), in four colours - Bookmark any DOC hut/campsite as a personal marker linked back to its DOC listing - Full marker management: edit, delete, show/hide on map, bulk delete, save to cloud - Coordinates shown in both WGS84 and NZTM (NZ Transverse Mercator) ### [User Tracks](https://trailtreks.nz/app#my-tracks) - Central "my tracks" library holding recorded, GPX-imported, hand-drawn and DOC-saved tracks side by side - Full tracks management: edit, delete, show/hide on map, bulk delete, save to cloud ### [Account, Cloud Backup & Restore](https://trailtreks.nz/app#cloud-backup) - Sign in with Google or Apple — no passwords to manage. No account needed to explore the map - Save any individual track or marker to the cloud via its menu — "Save to Cloud" — tied to your signed-in account - "Fetch from Cloud" button on the Tracks and Markers screens shows how many items you've backed up and pulls down anything not already on the device - Handy for restoring your own tracks/markers after switching phones or reinstalling — sign in with the same account, then fetch - Manual, per-item opt-in backup (not automatic background sync) with duplicate detection on fetch - [Delete your account](https://trailtreks.nz/delete-account) from Settings at any time ### [Sharing & Deep Linking](https://trailtreks.nz/app#sharing) - Share any track, DOC hut/campsite, or personal marker via a short trailtreks.nz link - Recipients open the link straight into the app (or a web view) — no account needed to view - Smart duplicate detection so shared items aren't imported twice ### [Location Beaconing (Satellite Safety Check-ins)](https://trailtreks.nz/app#beacon-check-ins) - Create a time-limited beacon session and share its link: contacts see the check-ins you post in any browser, without installing anything. It is not live tracking - Works over satellite data on recent phones with a plan that includes satellite data (One NZ, Spark), where there is no mobile coverage - Choose when the link expires (1 to 30 days). After that the session is no longer viewable through the link, and your history is deleted 7 days later - A manual check-in tool, not an SOS or emergency service: it cannot call for help [How Location Beaconing works](https://trailtreks.nz/app/beaconing) ### [Trip Plans (Leave Your Intentions)](https://trailtreks.nz/app#trip-plans) - Record your destination (typed or a saved track), party, departure and expected return times, vehicle and where it is parked - Share the plan as a plain text message with someone you trust, including who to call if you are not back - A check-in reminder at your expected return time, with Overdue shown automatically and extend by 1, 2, 4 or 24 hours - Saved on your phone only, works with no signal and needs no account. It never contacts anyone for you [How Trip Plans work](https://trailtreks.nz/app/trip-plans) ## [Questions: Frequently asked questions.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq) ### [Does TrailTreks work offline?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-does-trailtreks-work-offline) Yes. Download the North or South Island topo map pack, or the full NZ vector pack, and the map keeps working with no signal, fonts and labels included. Online features such as sharing, Location Beaconing, alerts and AI summaries need an internet connection. ### [Is TrailTreks free?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-is-trailtreks-free) Yes. Offline maps, DOC data, weather, tracks, markers, search and Location Beaconing are free for everyone, with no ads. PLUS is an optional monthly or yearly subscription for a few extras, priced in the App Store and Google Play. ### [Which maps does TrailTreks use?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-which-maps) You can switch between LINZ topo, LINZ vector topographic and LINZ aerial imagery base maps, or import your own .mbtiles file. Overlays include DOC huts and tracks, hillshade, public conservation land, recreational hunting areas, paper roads, bike tracks and walking access. ### [Where does the hut, track and weather data come from?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-data-sources) Hut, campsite, track and alert data comes from the official Department of Conservation (DOC) API. Mountain weather comes from the Norwegian met.no service, and the maps from LINZ. ### [What does PLUS add?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-what-does-plus-add) PLUS removes the free limits of 3 DOC alert watches and 3 weather alert regions, and adds offline hillshade, offline map layers, dark and high-contrast vector maps, and snap to track. It is managed and cancelled through the App Store or Google Play. ### [Do I need an account?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-do-i-need-an-account) No. You can use the core mapping features without an account. Sharing, cloud backup, Location Beaconing, alerts and PLUS need you to sign in with Google or Apple. ### [Which phones does TrailTreks run on?](https://trailtreks.nz/app#faq-which-phones) TrailTreks runs on iPhone and Android phones. Download it from the App Store or Google Play. ## [Download once. Hike offline.](https://trailtreks.nz/app#download) Free to download, no account needed to explore. Grab TrailTreks: NZ Topo Maps before your next trip into the New Zealand backcountry. - [Download on the App Store (iPhone)](https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/trailtreks-nz-topo-maps/id6753130686) - [Get it on Google Play (Android)](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nz.trailtreks.app) --- HTML version: https://trailtreks.nz/app. See also the [Privacy Policy](https://trailtreks.nz/privacy) and [Terms of Use](https://trailtreks.nz/terms).