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Today I will concentrate on the West Coast of the South Island.

1. Seal Colony Walk, Cape Foulwind
Located 12 km south of Westport this walk goes near densely populated seal colony and also presents a wonderful views of the coast. From mid-November you will be able to see seal pups. This walk is about 400 meters of gravel surface with some gentle climbs. Suitable for wheelchairs.

2. Colls Dam Walk, Nelson Creek
This is a 1860′s gold mining site with good examples of tail races, tunnels and water races, in addition to a dramatic lookout above the historic dam. This walk is 1.2 kilometers long (takes about 1 hour to complete). Location – 29 km north of Greymouth, Gows Creek Rd car park. Suitable for mountain buggies and walkers but not wheelchairs.

3. Dolomite Point Walk, Pancake Rocks, Punakaiki
Located at Punakaiki Village this is one of the most popular walks of the south island. It goes through nikau palms to viewing platforms and shows the amazing limestone layers. Watch waves force water up blowholes creating powerful geysers and dramatic noises at high tide. This walk is fully accessible with no impediments apart from single path with no wheelchair access (signposted). Length – 900 meters.

4. Rakaitane Walk, Arnold River Bridge
View Lake Brunner from the bridge then walk to a little sandy beach. Beautiful podocarp forest lines the track.
Length – 1.1km/30 min. Location: Anua St, Moana on Lake Brunner, southeast of Greymouth. Accessible for wheelchairs.

Lake Brunner. photo by Thomas Cuelho

5. Tawhai Walk, Tawhai picnic area
Enjoy a short walk through mature tawhai forest with ferns and many native birds, including the rare kakariki (parakeet). Located on SH7 south of Reefton this walk is only 235 meters long accessible for wheelchairs. But keep in mind that toilets there have no wheelchair access.

6. Kahikatea Walk, Lake Kaniere
This walk features towering kahikatea trees and views of Mt Tuhua and the lake. Listen for kakariki, kaka, robin and bellbird. Location – 19km east of Hokitika, Lake Kaniere Rd. Start at the Sunny Bight picnic area. Accessible for wheelchair.

Lake Kaniere. photo by Andrew Turner

I hope you enjoy these easy but very beautiful walks and spend a great day outdoors!

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This time it will be all about Canterbury region.

There are three great easy access short walks at Aoraki/Mt. Cook National Park, and though they are not accessible for wheelchair, they are good for mountain buggies and walkers.

1. Hooker Valley Walk (to lookout)
Located at Hooker Valley Road, before Mt Cook village, and begins at the visitor center. Though only about 900 meters (30 min) long, it is a popular walk to the Alpine Memorial lookout with great views of the Southern Alps when clear.

2. Mt Cook Village Paths
This walk around red tussock lined paths, with superb views of Aoraki/Mt Cook and the Southern Alps, is about 2km long. Its surface is sealed, packed gravel and some gentle slopes. One path has steps.

3. Kea Point Walk
This is the longest walk among the three – 3.5 km (can take up to 1.5 hours to complete). Starts at White Horse Hill campground at Hooker Valley Rd, before Mt Cook Village. This walk has gravel and steep slopes and goes through sub-alpine grasslands to the Mueller Glacier moraine wall formed in 1913. The walk includes information panels about kea and, when it’s clear, ends with wonderful mountain views.

Walks at Athur’s Pass National Park

photo by Dave Apple

Old Coach Road Walk
Located 6 km south of Arthur’s Pass Village it is a pleasant forest walk, which follows a century-old coach road that was cut into the hillside to avoid the flood prone Bealey River. Old rock wall remnants are still visible.
This walk is 1.1 kilometers long, which will take you about 40 minutes to complete. The surface is gravel, sealed and boardwalk. Suitable both for wheelchairs and mountain buggies and walkers.

photo by Wendy Schotsmans

More about Easy Access Walks in my next posts, and until then, take care!

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Bellbird Walk at Nelson Lakes National Park
It is a short gravel surfaced walk taking about 15 minutes to complete located at Kerr Bay, St. Arnaud. One of New Zealand’s “Mainland Islands”, the Rotoiti Nature Recovery Project is a sanctuary in Honeydew beech forest and excellent for bird watching. Extend your walk to Honeydew walk (1.2km/ 45 min) which is wheelchair assisted.

Tawa Walk, Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve

This is gravel and boardwalk surfaced walk located on SH6 (State Highway 6) between Blenheim and Nelson. It takes about half an hour to complete. From the cafe, walk through one of Marlborough’s last river-flat forests, which has towering beech, rimu and kahikatea trees and plenty of birds.

Totara Path, Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve

This is another short walk located near the Tawa Walk. It takes about 15 minutes to complete walking on grave surface with gentle slopes. You’ll walk through podocarp, broadleaf and beech trees. A magnificent ancient totara tree is a feature.

Waikoropupu Springs Walk, Golden Bay

This walk is located 9km north of Takaka. It will take you about 35 minutes to complete its 750 meters of gravel surface and boardwalk. This is New Zealand’s largest natural spring and a sacred place for Maori. The water of Pupu Springs are crystal clear, and you can see to a huge depth through. Have in mind that toilets there have no handrails.

In my next post I will continue writing about easy access walks, so come back soon!

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It was a 4 days hike in the mountains, where I had to climb about 1000 meters and descend them afterwards, cross many creeks and one river, and many kilometers of rough terrain to conquer. Since it was a multiday hike I also had a fairly heavy backpack with me, carrying my tent, food, and other gear.

I thought – what the hell, this is going to be a difficult tramp, so why not try to make it a bit easier by using trekking poles. And guess what? They did a terrific job! Lets see how they helped me:

1. My backpack was heavy so when I had to walk through rough terrain, it was pretty difficult to keep my balance, but with trekking poles I felt much better, it was like having four legs.

2. When I climbed up, I made my trekking poles shorter, and they helped me to maintain straight posture while climbing, where otherwise I would bend.

3. When I descended, I made my trekking poles longer, and they did the same thing as when climbing – helped me to maintain straight posture.

4.  Crossing creeks was that much easier – you can hop from stone to stone and the only thing that gets wet is, of course, the trekking poles.

In addition to my own experience manufacturers claim that using trekking poles reduces the strain on your knees by 20% ! So by using them you can help preventing future injures and knee problems.

Of course, using trekking poles is something that you’ll have to get used to. It can take you more than one tramp. And I also don’t recommend using them on all the tramps that you do. For example if you go out for a one day (or less) walk, and you only take a water and snacks with you, then most of the chances are you will do just fine without trekking poles.

So in my opinion every tramper should at least give trekking poles a chance.

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The Mountain Radio Service is essential for all of them. You see, New Zealand’s nature is very unpredictable and sometimes can be very dangerous. Especially if you are new to the country and not familiar with its rapid weather changes.

For example during heavy rain (which can start suddenly and unexpectedly) rivers can rise and cut you off from civilization for hours or even days. And there is virtually no cellphone coverage in the backcountry so you won’t be able to call for help.Here is when the Mountain Radio Service comes in handy. So how it works? Pretty easy:

Before the trip you hire a radio, which is not so heavy to carry (1.2kg for the smaller one and 1.8kg for the larger, spare batteries included). There are many base stations scattered across New Zealand providing coverage for most of the backcountry areas. One time a day base station generates a call (referred to as a “sched”), during which the base station operator gives weather information and takes details of the location and intentions of hikers.

Operator can also call to your contact people regarding changes to your plans or your pickup times caused by bad weather or flooded rivers. If you are in emergency then operator, of course, will help you deal with it using any means necessary.

When you hire the radio, you will receive all the details about setting it up and using it. One important thing to know is that when you’ll have to use the radio, you will have to string a long aerial wire, which could take more than 10 minutes in bush or rough terrain.

Mountain Radio can be a life saver, and it also gives you a great amount of peace of mind during your hikes in the wildest areas of New Zealand.

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