Need to Know: What walks should be our next two Great Walks?

munities, be ready to welcome and host visitors, and able to provide or develop appropriate tourism infrastructure.

About Great Walks

The Great Walks are premium multiday walking experiences (3, 4 or 5 days) that showcase the best of New Zealand’s landscapes, and natural and cultural values. The tracks are well formed and have higher standard huts and facilities.

There are currently 9 Great Walks with another one in development on the West Coast. Adding two new walks will result in a total of 12 Great Walks around New Zealand. DOC and Air New Zealand joined forces in April 2012.

This major national partnership utilises DOC’s and Air New Zealand’s marketing channels to reach a bigger audience than DOC can do alone. Air New Zealand supports important biodiversity restoration projects on and near the Great Walks.

Reasons for developing new Great Walks

Some Great Walks are increasingly crowded at peak times. New walks will cater for the growing interest among New Zealanders and our international visitors for ‘easy’ nature-based opportunities in spectacular New Zealand landscapes. In many cases Great Walks are the flagship attractions in local communities and the reason people visit. Great Walks can provide sustainable economic benefits to communities, and to provide or develop appropriate tourism infrastructure. Great Walks also provide an opportunity for visitors to connect with conservation. Adding two new Great Walks increases the capacity to achieve this.