A new walk on Rangitoto and Motutapu islands aims to educate people about the history, culture and environment of the area.
Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) is working with the Department of Conservation (DOC) and local iwi to develop the three-day walk.
The walk, called the Rangitoto Motutapu Haerenga – A Journey through Sacred Islands, includes a trek up to the summit of Rangitoto and an exploration of the sights and history of Motutapu. Previously there have only been one-day walks on either of the islands.
ATEED tourism manager Jason Hill says the aim of the development is to encourage people to get out and learn about the islands, and show off all the work DOC has done there.
"We really want this to be an educational experience and for people to be learning," he says.
There will be signage around the island with information about wildlife, plants and the history of the area.
Maori lived on Motutapu for hundreds of years, and there are a number of archaeological sites. The island was farmed by early European settlers and then used as a military base for World War II. Both islands are conservation sites and are home to many rare species of native wildlife.
Mr Hill says the new walk will be great for school groups, as well as locals and tourists.
The walk is only about four hours of walking per day, so people can take their time taking in their surroundings.
"It's pretty easy going, and accessible to people of average good health," Mr Hill says.
There are plans to offer local iwi tour guides of the islands for walkers, as well as plans to provide more accommodation.
Currently there is just the one campsite at Home Bay on Motutapu, which people will be able to stay at when the walk opens to the public this summer. Mr Hill says there has been talk of building marae where people could spend the night, or other accommodation that allows people to walk without being self-sufficient, but this won't be finalised for another three to five years.
"A lot of details are yet to be worked out," he says.
Auckland Mayor Len Brown announced the development of the walk at the TRENZ tourism trade show this morning.
The development is part of a range of new multi-day walks announced by DOC on Monday.
3 News
source: newshub archive
