Mānawatia a Matariki

It's been a while since you signed up for project updates on Ngā Ara Hīkoi Ki Aotea. After a period of hibernation, we’re refocusing the project on retracing the walking access routes that Aotea / Great Barrier Island has enjoyed in the past — and we need your help with two things.

Have your say on the Local Board Plan — submissions close Thursday 23 July

We're delighted that better walking connections are a key initiative in the draft Aotea / Great Barrier Local Board Plan. The local board plans to "partner with mana whenua, Department of Conservation and the community to investigate connecting track networks." We're keen to make sure the funding we administer for Ngā Ara Hīkoi ki Aotea is put to the best use for and with locals — and this is a great opportunity to make that happen.

We encourage you to make a submission before Thursday 23 July. Feel free to copy these points directly into the submission form:

• I want walking access routes that the island has enjoyed in the past.
• I request that the board work with the Outdoor Access Commission, along with DOC and the community.

This Auckland Council webpage has all the links you need to give your feedback.

Aotea’s hidden network

Aotea is blessed with a network of unformed legal roads—often called paper roads—that crisscross the island, connecting people to the land and the environment. Some have been developed, such as Dolphin Bay, Ross Bay, Island Bay tracks (Tryphena), the Ruahine Lookout Track, Kowhai Valley Track and part of  Station Rock Walkway. Others are unformed and look like ordinary bush or farmland, but they are publicly accessible for everyone to use.

Share your stories

Do you have stories of classic bushwalks, intrepid journeys, or notable walkers from the days before most people had access to vehicles? We’d love to hear from you!

Many early walking and horse-packing routes were later surveyed as roads, and some were eventually formed for vehicle use. The others — the unformed legal roads — remain a valuable public and cultural resource connecting us to the past.

We know there’s a real appetite for bush track connections on Aotea. We’ve heard from trail runners keen to get into the hills. Some hardy souls are already out there trapping rats and other predators, and DOC colleagues note there are landlocked bits of public conservation land and willing volunteers waiting in the wings.

We want to know what you're keen on — whether that's reviving an overgrown route to a local viewpoint, a ridgeline trap-line, or a bush route to visit your moko on the opposite side of the motu.

Kia ora anō koutou

Dot Dalziell

Kaitohutohu ā‑Rohe | Regional Field Advisor