Walks & Parks

This is a good walk over the hill and should take about 2¼ hours as a round trip (including about half an hour of fairly easy uphill) plus photo snapping time. The view from the Lookout is excellent over the whole of Picton and Waikawa Bay. I would recommend that you start at the Newgate St end as the track is quite steep in places on the Garden Terrace side. The track levels off at a 360 degree viewpoint, then descends via the Esson’s Valley.

Good, sealed road to the top of this impressive hill, that winds up on one side, and drops straight down in a sheer bluff on the other. Impressive 360 views from the top, of the whole Hawkes Bay region, and on a clear day you can see as far as Mount Ruapehu. Scattered, tiny, below are some of the fabulous wineries of the Hawkes Bay district, along with the Te Mata cheesery.

Forty kilometers north of Napier is Lake Tutira. The area surrounding this lake is a bird sanctuary and makes a wonderful picnic and camping spot. There are toilet facilities and a free campsite with fresh water and barbecue facilities. The Tutira walkway is steep and not suitable for young children or pushchairs (the round trip takes about five hours!), but there is good swimming in this very pretty lake and trout fishing in the lake’s northern reaches.

Previously known as Chaffers, this newly re-created recreation space is close to Te Papa. The facilities include a waka launching area, a children’s playground, skateboard zone and plenty of grass to run around on.

Naseby Forest is a privately owned working forest that will be closed from time to time for logging or if fire danger is high so check ahead. Grab a map from the information centre or local shop. Heaps of mountain bike trails for all levels, a great family friendly one follows the Mount Ida water race.

This is the safest beach in Raglan for swimming. It is accessible from either the road or from the footbridge at the lower end of Bow Street. The beach is black-sand but is popular with families. There is a children’s playground.

The Te Angiangi Marine Reserve was established in 1997 and covers an area of about 446 hectares between Blackhead and Aramoana beaches. The reserve, which protects this part of the coast, offers opportunities for swimming, walking, shore diving and boating. Between Blackhead and Paoanui Point at low tide birds like kingfishers, oyster catchers and godwits can be seen. Explore the rock pools to find fish, crabs and kina (but return any rocks to their original position) or snorkel in the sheltered waters of Stingray or Shelly Bays and discover reef animals like paua, opal shells and rock lobsters.

There are a couple of options around the Blue Lake area in St. Bathans - the 2km, 50 min option will take you on a loop that skirt a portion of Blue Lake. A 3km, 90min return option will take you all the way around Blue Lake.

1 hour drive off SH2, or on the way if heading to Rotorua on SH38. The road is unsealed for several stretches, and quite narrow, so care must be taken, and drive in lower gear than for sealed road. Campsite, shop and picnic area down by lake. Great for swimming, or you can hire row boats or kayaks. 400m further round there’s a DOC information centre and lots of short (30 mins) to multi-day bush walks.

Follow the Lakeside Road alongside the lake to the scenic Bremner Bay. Park here and follow the flat path along the shoreline to Penrith Beach. An easy, peaceful walk – good opportunity to picnic or play at one of the beaches.

This popular sun-bathing beach is very sheltered, with a large grassy area, sandy beach and great views. Refreshments are available at the Chocolate Fish café nearby, a family friendly café offering all day breakfasts and paninis as well as smoothies, salads and pasta.

This unique banana research establishment, located at Wainui Beach, is set in a tropical paradise of exotic plants and is only a few kilometers away from where the film Whale Rider was filmed. The gardens feature plantings of environmentally friendly bananas, a water feature area, a palm grove, a fairy dell and a play area for children.

This beach on the southern shores of Lake Tarawera is only accessible by boat and there is a ferry that can take you across from Boat Shed Bay. Hot Water Beach is administered by the Department of Conservation. There is a self-registration, user pays, camping area on site and you can bathe in the hot mineral waters that are around 38 degrees, so take your swimsuit. There are toilets on site.

Punakaiki Cavern. Take as long as you like to explore. Grab your torches and you can go way back into the depths. A wooden stairway gives access to 130 m of safe passages with a few stalactites and the odd glow worm. Plenty of fun for all ages, so long as a good torch (and preferably a spare) is carried. Access: Signposted beside the main road 500 m north of the visitor center at Punakaiki.

The dunes which border this estuary are constantly changing. The estuary is safe for swimming but you need to be careful of the outgoing tide near the mouth of the harbour. Kids will enjoy collecting cockles and pipi further up the harbour.

The Otago Dam walk is a medium grade walk over 2.7km which will take you around 1hr to get to. Total round trip walk is about 2 hours. Otago Dam is in the heart of Gabriel's Gully, one of the richest and longest lasting gold fields in central Otago. 4,000 gold miners worked the Gabriel's Gully gold fields in 1860. A water race ran from Otago Dam down to Gabriel's Gully for hydraulic elevating.

This free hot mineral pool has recently been upgraded. The mineral water is piped directly from an adjacent spring. As with all hot pools, it is advisable that you keep your head above water at all times to avoid the risk of contracting amoebic meningitis. Toilets and changing rooms are on-site.

A walk of around one hour will take you along an easy graded track from the Rangatira Point Track through the bush around to Whakamoenga Point. There are good views across the lake from many points along the walkway.

The longest beach on the Whatuwhiwhi Peninsula at 18 km long. Good for surf casting and digging for shellfish.

As you drive from Frankton, you'll see a carpark at the end of the Ladies Mile Road, as you descend towards Lake Hayes, or continue to the pavilion where there' s lots of parking. The track is either well-graded, or a wooden walkway, to create an easy stroll around the lake, famous for its stunning reflections. Native birds to be seen along the way include the deep blue pukeko, also known as the New Zealand Swamp Hen! There are some inclines, but they're pretty short, and mostly the track is easy. There are toilet facilities at the recreation and picnic area at the Arrowtown end of the lake, which is also a great spot to pause for a dip in the lake! The path has some steep drop offs at some points, so keep small children with you.

If you’ve got this far, it’s a must to visit the southernmost point on NZ’s mainland – Stirling Point. It’s marked by a signpost telling you just how far you are from most of the world’s major cities. There are toilets and a restaurant/café at Stirling Point. Foveaux Walkway 50 minutes return. The coastal track from Stirling Point to Lookout Point has a gravelled and well-compacted surface, which can be used by buggies, although it is uneven in places. Glory Track a 50 minute round trip from Stirling Point, follows the track up the hill behind the restaurant. At the top of the hill you can see gunneries, and then continue walking from the Gunpit entrance around to Stirling Point.

Expansive parkland (around 160 hectares) in central Christchurch, Hagley Park public reserve is totally flat and a perfect escape from city life, without leaving the city. Drive in off Rolleston Avenue – there’s plenty of parking, a licensed café and information centre. Nearby is a large playground, lake and extensive gardens. There are walking, cycling or rollerblading tracks throughout the park and indoor/outdoor Botanic Gardens. Numerous recreation areas provide tennis courts, rugby fields, fitness track, netball courts and cricket pavilion. Look out for open air concerts during summer.

This twenty minute (return) walk is suitable for pushchairs (but is not wheelchair accessible) and is an easy walk to the top of the 55 metre Falls following the Pakoka River most of the way.