Topographic Maps

Our topographic maps have been generated from the ground up, from digital data sourced from LINZ (Land Information New Zealand), using purpose built software and with the help of open source software from the GDAL/OGR, PostGIS and SAGA GIS projects among others, then saved at very high resolution. They were finally compressed as Portable Network Graphic images to reduce their size, which would otherwise have been prohibitive for general download.

While compression reduces the accuracy of georeferencing, used in conjunction with the walking track profiles and the other route planning aids available for download, the maps are ideal for trip planning and route visualisation, because of their high level of detail, extent of features, clarity, and stunning 3D rendering.

A legend which describes the symbols used to represent the individual features is also available as a free download.

Download and open a map file and zoom in and you will see an astonishing high level of detail in 3D shaded relief, without loss of quality.

We recommend the following for the best viewing experience:

  • a high definition monitor to obtain the best rendition
  • a good image viewer (eg Picasa or even Linux native image viewer if you use Linux. The Windows image viewer is ok but appears less sharp when displaying text.)
Terms and Conditions