Kevin Hague on boardwalk © Neil Silverwood
TE ARAROA, NEW ZEALAND’S TRAIL This long-distance trail runs the length of New Zealand, from Cape Rēinga in the north to Bluff at the bottom of the South Island. Officially opened in 2011, the 3000km trail is New Zealand’s equivalent of the Appalachian or Pacific Crest Trail in the USA or the Bibbulmun in Australia. It follows the route of several tracks, including the Queen Charlotte and Harper Pass tracks and parts of the Travers-Sabine circuit and St James Walkway. For more information visit www.teararoa.org.nz
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s you walk through New Zealand’s incredibly diverse landscape – our coastlines, forests and mountains – be hopeful that it’s not too late to bring back the birdsong. Groups like Forest & Bird are working to make this a reality. As New Zealand’s leading independent conservation organisation, we have a unique role to play. Our 50 branches throughout New Zealand work on the ground to restore nature by running pest control programmes, native plant nurseries, public talks, field trips and displays.
Aotearoa is a land of birds. From flightless icons like the kiwi to penguins that live in the forest, we have an eclectic array of fascinating species. But the cacophony of birdsong that would have once filled our land is gone. Native birds are in crisis, with three quarters of our land birds threatened with or at risk of extinction. We’re involved with a huge range of projects that you might come across in your travels through New Zealand. These include Auckland’s Ark in the Park, working to reintroduce species which would have once lived in the Waitākere Ranges; Bushy Park, a predator-proof fenced remnant of lowland rainforest near Whanganui; and Otago’s Bring Back the Seabirds project, aiming to enhance remnant breeding populations of seabirds such as tītī sooty shearwaters. As a charity funded by our members and supporters, we punch above our weight in advocating for better
environmental protection. You can help by joining Forest & Bird. What really drives our success is New Zealander’s love of nature, a love that comes from people like you being in nature, dreaming about what could be possible. So when you are out walking, I’d ask you to take a moment to imagine what it would be like to hear the eerie call of kiwi at night, or to walk amongst a flock of ‘bush canaries’ mōhua yellowhead flitting noisily through beech trees. KEVIN HAGUE CEO of Royal Forest & Bird Protection Society of New Zealand
WALKING MUST-DO’S 1
