Walking New Zealand December 2022

There is division in the Tuhoe iwi decision-making process around the demolition of 44 Te Urewera backcountry huts. Even Tuhoe kaumatua Paki Nikora, upset by the lack of consultation, joined the petition to stop the destruction of the huts and more gathered for public protest, reports Casey Costello from the Hobsons Pledge website. The Department of Conservation (DOC), however which owns the huts, has no objections. This work is expected to take around two months during October-November 2022. The Sandy Bay Hut and the Lake Waikaremoana Great Walk huts are unaffected. New purpose-built structures will be constructed for the use of locals and visitors, but not all huts will be replaced and new facilities will reflect the Board's and Ngāi Tūhoe's vision for Te Urewera. Tamati Kruger, the Tuhoe chief…

Walk talk You can now look good in official Te Araroa gear while supporting New Zealand's national trail! Te Araroa Trust and their friends at apparel retailer Unco.nz have launched a new range of tee shirts, just in time for the 2022-2023 walking season. Crafted from hard-wearing combed cotton, the new shirts feature a striking design of the northbound ascent of Little Rintoul in the Richmand Range section of the trail. Profits from every sale go straight back to the Trust to help make the trail better for us all. Te Araroa Executive Director Matt Claridge says these new tees are the perfect way to show your support for the Te Araroa community. “We're thrilled to be making this new tee shirt range available for all those who love our…

Walk talk RiverLink, a transformational set of projects for Lower Hutt, is one step closer to reality with the green light given to release a Request for Proposal (RFP) to establish an Alliance of design and construction firms to deliver the programme. RiverLink is jointly funded by the Government through the NZ Upgrade Programme, Greater Wellington and Hutt City Council. Emma Speight, NZTA Director of Regional Relationships for Wellington/Top of South, says RiverLink is a critical set of projects for Lower Hutt and represents more than five years’ worth of extensive consultation, engagement and consenting work by project partners on behalf of their local communities. “RiverLink will bring real benefits to the tens of thousands of Kiwis who live, work, and travel through Lower Hutt every day, with safer and…

Based in the Adelaide Hills, 20 minutes’ drive from Adelaide, Bike About offers single and multi-day cycling tours and bicycle hire in some of South Australia's most picturesque surroundings. Utilising easy-ride ebike options, clients can cycle through vineyards for exclusive wine tastings in the Adelaide Hills or Barossa. The all-ages family adventure is a way for clients to immerse themselves in native South Australian wildlife or go on safari. South Australian Tourism Commision (SATC) regional manager NZ, Stacey Kerr experienced a Bike About cycling tour on a recent trip to Adelaide. ‘We followed Bike About's exclusive trails and tracks through vineyards and stunning Australian countryside in the Adelaide Hills. We were lucky enough to see several kangaroos on the journey and enjoyed wine tastings at local cellar doors along the…

Auckland Walk For a delightful day of walking, check out Fullers ferry timetable to Rotoroa Island in the Hauraki Gulf. The boat leaves downtown Auckland from Pier 13 at 8.40am, returning about 5.00pm. Rotoroa Island, covering an area of 82 hectares, was formerly a drug and Alcohol re-hab centre run by the Salvation Army. In 2009 the Rotoroa Island Trust was established to purchase a lease to administer the island. Since then, accommodation and farm buildings have been demolished, many traps set, to make this a predator free zone; and 400,000 native trees planted, to create an island reserve and bird sanctuary. Many different varieties of birds have been released, including kiwi, and only a limited number of visitors are permitted each day. It is possible to stay in a…

Overseas Walk As part of a 30-day Overland trip in six countries in Southern Africa in 2017, our group had a day walking with rhino's in the Matobo National Park located in the Matobo Hills. Andy from Black Rhino Safaris collected us from our accommodation on the outskirts of Bulawayo in one very temperamental jeep. Andy was a big guy dressed in sandals, shorts, and green shirt, who called a spade a spade. We had been told to wear neutral colours, as we would be getting very close to the rhinos. We also had to turn off our GPS tracking on our mobiles. We clambered into the jeep which had trouble starting and we were treated to some colourful vocabulary that could have come straight from my favourite old film,…