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Hidden Trails, 25 private walks in
New Zealand
Welcome to my Website and a host of information about the
wonders of New Zealand’s private walking tracks. I have written
two books about them and judging by the feedback I have had
since Secrets Worth Sharing was first published in 1999
and Hidden Trails in 2002, a rapidly increasing number of
people, are discovering the joys of tramping on the
private tracks. There are now (as at June 2009), 31 of them.
Refer to New Tracks section of this website for recent
developments. They offer experiences and facilities
that make them all very special. The private walks cater
for limited numbers of people. There is always a
comfortable bed. There are no crowds. These factors and the
other special features which the walks offer, make many
people describe these experiences as boutique tramping.
However even with these comforts they still offer real
challenges.
So let me introduce you to the books and the 25 walks
described in them.
Cheers
Wally Hirsh
The private walking tracks of New Zealand.
Two recent publications describe all of the substantial private walking
tracks in New Zealand.
The most recent publication is :
Hidden Trails (4th Edition)
25 Private walking tracks in New Zealand
By Walter Hirsh
Published by New Holland Publishers (NZ) Ltd.
Published in August 2007
Available from most booksellers. The RRP is $24.99
My previous book
Secrets worth Sharing, is no longer available.
Private walking tracks are a relatively new phenomenon in New Zealand. The
first, the BP or Banks Peninsula Track, was established in 1989. The most
recent, (described in Hidden Trails) Westridge, was opened in 2007.
(More recent developments are covered on this
website)
All of the walks are great value for anyone seeking a challenging
tramping experience of a more comfortable kind. Most of the walks
described in Hidden Trails, are especially suitable for
groups of friends who enjoy an outdoor experience together.
The 25 tracks described in the book, are spread throughout New
Zealand. (refer
to the accompanying map).
All of the tracks offer comfortable accommodation, hot showers, good beds
and other facilities. Most of the private track operators offer pack
cartage, and most also offer a full meals option, although they also
provide self catering facilities.
Each of the walks covered in Hidden Trails involves at least 2 days of
walking and 2 nights accommodation. They must be that long to qualify
for my book. Several are 3 days and 3 nights and a couple
are even longer than that. The book does not deal with the huge number of
day walks and rambles which often accompany home stays and farm stays.
The book provides details of:
1.
level of difficulty
2.
track location, capacity and season
3.
catering options and all costs
4.
full contact details: email addresses and Website etc
The walks covered in the latest edition of Hidden Trails (August 2007) are
listed below and location of each walk is shown on the accompanying map (CLICK
FOR THE MAP). Full contact details are also listed so that people
wanting more information about a walk or wishing to make a
booking, (and bookings are absolutely essential) can go straight
from this website to the operator concerned.
New developments and updates:
New tracks which are developed will be added to this Website. Obviously
revisions of my book will depend on the publishers and at best that will
only happen every two years or so. For that reason major changes to the
private tracks menu will be recorded on my Website:
NEW WALKS AND MAJOR CHANGES
SINCE THE CURRENT EDITION OF HIDDEN TRAILS WAS PUBLISHED in August
2007
I hope you find the information useful in planning your
next tramping experience..
Stop press: Track news update!
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The
Kaiwhata
Walk (No 13) is under “new management.” Emily
Friedlander has sold to Jenny Nicholson.
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Congratulations to Carol and Dave Digby of The Eastern
Taranaki Experience Walks (No 9), who won the Taranaki
Tourism award 2007. This is the second time they have taken
the award. Well done Carol and Dave!
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WALK No 4 CLOSED! News has been received (August 2008) from
Maureen Baker of the Great Eastern Bay Walks out of
Edgecumbe, that her walks programme has been closed.
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