Walking New Zealand May 2024

Walk talk Embark on a women’s only walking wilderness adventure through the ancient and rugged Murchison Gorge in the spectacular Kalbarri National Park along WA’s Coral Coast with boutique eco-tourism company Edgewalkers. The seven-day tour package departs from Perth, and includes five days of hiking along the ancient riverine gorge carved over millions of years by the lower reaches of the Murchison River on Nanda Yamatji Country. Departing from Perth on August 24, the tour includes return transport, all meals, accommodation, hiking and camping equipment. Tour highlights include walking amongst colourful wildflowers, wading across the flowing Murchison River and spending four nights camping under the stars in the Murchison Gorge.…

The Cathedral Cove Track to the famous beach renowned for its natural rock arch feature – was severely damaged by extreme weather events in January and February 2023. The Department of Conservation (DOC) staff determined the track was an unacceptable risk to public walking access. DOC has now announced its work programme to determine how the walking access can be reinstated in a safe and resilient way, especially given climate change, rockfall and land movement challenges at the site. “Ideally, we want safe walking access to the beach reinstated and our ambition is to have it ready for visitors next summer,” says Tama Potaka. “Cathedral Cove/Te Whanganui-a-Hei is a crucial part of Coromandel’s tourism economy and reinstating walking access to it will help get the district back on track. “I…

A recent Te Araroa Trail fundraising campaign has closed and they are thrilled to announce that a remarkable $44,914 was raised for the trail, thanks to the generosity of the community. Incredibly this exceeds their initial goal of raising $16,000 nearly threefold, all within just three weeks. A huge thank you to everyone who contributed, they are blown away by the support. Every dollar donated will be spent directly on priority maintenance and development work along the trail, helping them sustain, enhance and protect the trail.…

Walk talk Taranaki Crossing seeks to develop a high-quality visitor experience on Taranaki Maunga in Egmont National Park. The Taranaki Crossing refers to the main track network enabling visitors to travel by foot from Dawson Falls along the slopes of the maunga, across the Ahukawakawa wetland and over the Pouakai Ranges to the end of Mangorei Road. The journey can be experienced as a series of day walks, or a multi-day tramp. Additional funding has been contributed by local councils and DOC. The crossing project will see 25 km of tracks improved, creating a mix of short walks and longer tramps. It will also minimise the impact of visitors on the maunga environment. When completed, the Taranaki Crossing will showcase a safer and world-class visitor experience that truly represents Taranaki…

The Department of Conservation has restored the 100-year-old gold miner’s cottage Divis lived in and it is now open to visitors to Waiuta, a Tohu Whenua site. Czech émigré Divis (1885-1967) was a keen amateur photographer who documented gold mining life during the heyday of the town, about 35 km from Reefton. This often included posing in his own photos using a self-timer which has led to him being described as pioneering the ‘selfie’ Greymouth District Operations Manager Chris Hickford says the team focussed on doing the restoration in a way that retains as much of the historic original building fabric as possible. “It was a complex job but offered a unique opportunity to upskill rangers who work on heritage structures.…

Auckland Walk Kauri Glen in Northcote, Auckland, has been a reserve since 1907. Although the forest has been milled for kauri, some large trees of 200 to 300 years in age remain. The main entrance is through Kauri Glen Road, beside the Northcote College gymnasium. The track begins as a wide carriageway amongst tall kanuka. This opens out to a bluff overlooking the dense growth in the valley floor surrounded by tall kauri. The main loop track crosses the Waiurutoa Stream and follows the northern ridge. On descending to the valley floor at the eastern end of the reserve the track passes through taraire forest before following the southern ridge back to the main entrance. A short secondary track with steps descends down to the valley below and crosses a…