New Zealand is celebrating the 30th anniversary of "Great Walks in New Zealand," a network of ten multi-day walks across the north and south islands, with a new campaign inviting and encouraging travellers to get outside and explore the ten trails.
With over one million visitors over the last decade, the campaign celebrates one of New Zealand's most popular nature experiences, as well as the conservation work taken on by the Department of Conservation (DOC), iwi (local Māori tribes), businesses, and communities to protect these areas over the last thirty years.
Canadians will soon be able to visit these Great Walks on 02MAY as New Zealand begins to reopen.
"Traversing national parks and other culturally significant protected areas, these walks have become a popular drawcard for both domestic and international visitors, with nearly one million visitors over the last ten years," said the New Zealand DOC in a press release.
"The popularity of New Zealand’s Great Walks demonstrates the importance of conservation and sustainable, immersive natural experiences in New Zealand’s tourism offering, and the 30th anniversary is a major milestone moment for tourism in the country."
Visitors can experience New Zealand’s Great Walks in many ways - walking, running, biking, or paddling. Visitors can stay in one of the 950 huts, do the whole 14,000 kilometers of tracks, or just a small section of it, camp in one of the 300 campsites, or visit one of the thousands of cultural heritage sites.
The special protections put in place on Great Walks include limiting numbers through a paid booking system for a set amount of hut and campsite spaces and the introduction of camping by-laws alongside the tracks.
The Great Walks in New Zealand span the country, range from 33 to 145 km, and take 3 days or more to complete. They include:
- Abel Tasman Coast Track, Nelson
- Kepler Track, Fiordland
- Heaphy Track, West Coast
- Tongariro Northern Circuit, Tongariro National Park
- Routeburn Track, Fiordland
- Milford Track, Fiordland
- Rakiura Track, Stewart Island
- Paparoa Track and Pike29 Memorial Track, Paparoa
- Whanganui Journey, Whanganui
- Lake Wiakaremoana Track, Te Urewera
- Tuatapere Hump Ridge Track, Fiordland – The Next Great Walk (Coming in 2023)
For more information, visit the New Zealand Department of Conservation's web site.
