Taupo features in favourite Kiwi places

TV funnyman Te Radar can’t pick his favourite part of New Zealand because he reckons he loves it all.

But if the intrepid comedian had to put one outdoor pursuit on the bucket list, walking the the length of the country on the 3000km Te Araroa trail would be it.

The Department of Conservation’s 2016 Survey of New Zealanders show only eight per cent of Kiwis have walked parts of the trail that runs the length of the country.

The survey of more than 4000 Kiwis found the most-visited conservation areas in the country in the last year were the Huka Falls near Taupo, Tongariro National Park and the Karangahake Gorge in the Bay of Plenty. **

The annual survey, which is in its sixth year, looks at Kiwi attitudes, understanding and participation in conservation activities.

With international visitor numbers predicted to reach 4.5 million by 2022, the survey shows how New Zealanders are accessing conservation sites in their own backyard.

It found 43 per cent of Kiwis have walked one of the Great Walks and 23 per cent have cycled one of the Great Rides.

The most popular Great Walks were the Abel Tasman Coast Track and the Tongariro Northern Circuit, while the most popular Great Ride is the Otago Central Rail Trail, followed by the Waikato River Trails.

Just over half (56 per cent) of New Zealanders had carried out a conservation action in the past 12 months, such as planting a tree or donating to an environmental charity, which was slightly down from the year before.

Income and ethnicity was a factor in the Kiwis’ perceptions towards DOC. Three quarters of those surveyed had a favourable opinion towards DoC, rising to 80 per cent among European New Zealanders and 87 per cent among those with a household income of over $100,000.

Among the regions, Nelson and Tasman residents were the most frequent visitors to DOC recreation sites, followed by Marlborough, the West Coast, Canterbury and Otago.

The major barrier to visiting DOC sites was time: More than three in four Kiwis said they simply didn’t have the free time to visit the great outdoors.

Other factors cited for not visiting DOC areas were fitness (16 per cent), and 10 per cent said they had noone to go with.