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Waiheke Walking Festival with walks for everyone T
18 Walking New Zealand, issue no 294
he last year’s lockdowns may have turned our world upside down, and it sadly meant the cancellation of the 2021 Waiheke Walking Festival, but this year the Festival is returning with plans and a programme that will be ‘uncancellable’. What the team learned over the past two years is that things change quickly, so they’ve designed a Festival that can flex with the changes and is sure to offer something for everyone. The focus this year is on creating amazing walks, offering choices for how people can do those walks, and keeping the walkers and volunteers safe. Those who live on Waiheke Island have long known they live in paradise, and one of the silver linings of closed borders has been more Kiwis coming to the island. And why wouldn’t you? A tropical island with its own micro-climate a short Fullers360 ferry ride from downtown
- 2022
Auckland. Waiheke is famous for award-winning wine and restaurants, beautiful beaches and views that simply take your breath away. In addition to this, it is fast becoming well-known for the huge network of tracks that hug the coast beneath giant pōhutukawa trees, or zig-zag their way through the Whakanewha Regional Park to the chorus of tūī, kereru and pīwakawaka. The Island has a rich history of Māori on Waiheke, with Europeans also settling and farming on the Island - some of which are explored in the Festival’s storytelling walks, including a Māori pā site. On the beach, you can spot dotterels (tūturiwhatu) in a protected area. And of course, walks can be tactfully planned to end at one of those award-winning vineyards. Above:: Great coastal views on this walk. Photo Rainer Lehr. Below left: Walking in Whakanewha Regional Park. www.walkingnewzealand.co.nz
